Hicks on Holiday 2 - Done Brung the Kin Folk-Sept. 07 w/pics UPDATE 12/10/08 pg 41

[DisneyMom5]

Prologue...

Let me first say we are not as Hick-ish as some.

We actually live in a pretty big town here in Michigan, our house has only one color of siding, and we have no cars on blocks in our yard.

We don’t show up at hotels in a beat up pickup with all our belongings in garbage bags.

And with the exception of some of our smaller children, we have all of our teeth.

The original Hicks on Holiday concept was in reference to a trip we made in 8/05, where our McDonald’s family was faced with the prospect of eating fancy food on the dining plan at WDW.

So while we may not be Hicks all the way through, we are small town Americans, and for the purpose of this trip report Hicks we are, and Hicks we'll be.

And, even though we have experience fine dining now, courtesy of our last WDW trip, we’re still “a-skeerd” of foofy food.
Which is why our ADRs will probably seem a little white bread to the foodies around here.

But I digress....

May I present to you, the Hicks on Holiday 2, Done Brung the Kinfolk Pre Trip Report...

[I WAS going to call it Hicks on Holiday 2, the Squeal, because one of my kids thought that was how you pronounced Sequel, but there was a little too much of a Deliverance vibe with that, so....]

Next up -- Meet the Hicks

List of Posts
Meet the Hicks (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19017350&postcount=2)
Hicks Plan a Trip (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19017733&postcount=3)
Wherefore art thou Free Dining? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19017733&postcount=3)
Hicks on Hold, Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19060031&postcount=10)
What ADRs would a Hick Make, if a Hick made ADRs? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19078242&postcount=12)
It's Nice to Be Alone (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19146869&postcount=19)
Beer (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19431911&postcount=31)
A Little History, Part 1 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19678398&postcount=51)
A Little History, Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19771498&postcount=54)
Hickstory Potpourri for 100 Alex (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19771498&postcount=54)
Hicks on Hold, Part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19837322&postcount=67)
Revenge of the ADRs (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=19909583&postcount=78)
The Final Countdown, doo do do do do (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=20662296&postcount=117)
Laundry Quandry (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=20750920&postcount=119)
A Few Fireworks Short of a Wishes Display (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21162443&postcount=134)
Short update (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21243004&postcount=154)
Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21244408&postcount=156)
travel pics from DisneyGirl (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21299475&postcount=169)
Just Keep Swimming, part 2 (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21300192&postcount=171)
A Brief Hickstory of Time (and Space) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21322138&postcount=186)
"This is NOT Disneyworld" said Princess K (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21350941&postcount=200)
Then Something Exciting Happened (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21426983&postcount=221)
"Don't worry, it's just like Stich, with fish..." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21549582&postcount=241)
The Rest of the Stuff We Did at Epcot... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21711033&postcount=292)
Is This a Castle I See Before Me? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22135033&postcount=323)
Sarah shares her super secret Hick Holiday Magic Kingdom short cut (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22170198&postcount=328)
Lunch and a Lesson in Piracy (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22438739&postcount=335)
Lesson in Piracy, continued... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22439645&postcount=336)
Tikitikitikitikitikitikitikitiki Room...OR...What the Heck Were THEY Smoking??? (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23576598&postcount=359)
I Miss the Snowglobes... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23622830&postcount=365)
"Mommy, that's a Moooooky Old House!!!" Hicks go Haunting...and Shopping...and Splashing.... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23698385&postcount=380)
That's Babycakes, with a B (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24422242&postcount=394)
Pics of MK at night (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24428721&postcount=399)
The Theme Park Formerly Known as MGM (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=24428721&postcount=399)
Everybody sing: "Let's Go to the Movies, Let's go see the Stars..." (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25359060&postcount=412)
A Pig, a Bear and a Frog walk into a movie...Wacka, Wacka, Wacka.... (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25429213&postcount=427)
Oh No, There's an Earthquake AND a Flood! And...Flying Hands! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=25568986&postcount=437)
The Hicks meet a Mermaid, and a Beast, AND Have You Seen that Old Run Down Hotel? Disney Should Know Better! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=26386654&postcount=454)

Update 9/5 Dinos a Go-Go (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27377889&postcount=527)
A Morning at MK -'cause I can't think of anything witty (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27656059&postcount=563)
The Hicks Meet the Local Royalty (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27877719&postcount=574)
Pics of Hicks, a nap, and PM EMH @ EP due to MNSSHP (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=27896298&postcount=582)

Latest update: The cousins leave, Breakfast with the Mouse, and bad bus service.
(http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=29115480&postcount=615)

[DisneyMom5]

Cast of "Characters" (And I say that with love, truly):

Me (Sarah) - 39, SAHM Homeschooling mom, Disney compulsive planner.
Decided a Grand Gathering with dh’s family sounded like a good idea. Sigh. Always planning our next trip to WDW.

John, aka Ninja Guy/Indiana Jones - 37, My handsome dh of 15+ years.
He really has studied to be Ninja AND an archaeologist. Hoping to retire from manufacturing and just dig stuff.
He tolerates my WDW obsession, mostly because once we get there, he has a great time.
Wondering whether this “Mandatory Family Fun Trip” was a good idea.
He’ll be the one wearing sunglasses in all the pictures.

Disney Girl - My 13yo dd. The apple does not fall far from the tree with this one.
She says “Mom, can you teach me to plan a WDW vacation?”
I am so proud. *wipes a tear*

The Chef - My almost 11yo ds. Wants to be a chef when he grows up.
Knowledgeable in all things Lego, Star Wars, and animals.
Hoping to hit the LEGO store this trip.

Danger Boy - DS, almost 8. This one has “The Kavorka” AND two dimples to back it up.
(If you've watched Seinfeld, you know.)
Voted “most likely to get lost at WDW.”

The Inquisitor- DS, almost 6. Full of questions, 24 hours a day.
Loves the hotel, loves the buses, loves the monorail – why the heck did we buy park tickets?
Oh, yeah, because he LOVES the trains. Sigh.
Good thing we love him!

Princess K - 4yo dd. This one is cute and knows it.
She and her younger sis received princess dresses for Christmas and plan on using them at WDW.
Will be over the top in love with everything at WDW.

Bitsy - DD, almost 3. Always in cahoots with Princess K, getting into something!
Doesn’t remember the last trip, but has seen all the pics and is well versed in all things WDW.

Babycakes - DD1, this is her first trip.
Though she was quite possibly a souvenir from the last trip.
And worth every penny!

Also traveling with us this time are:
Mom - MY mom, 69, who has never been to WDW.
She hasn't the foggiest idea what WDW is all about, and has seen very few of the movies.
Should be interesting...:rolleyes1

MIL and FIL, mid-50s. FIL’s first trip, but MIL and my DH and SIL were at WDW probably 25 years ago.
We actually get along pretty good.
I am hoping I stay in good graces and score big points for planning this trip.
Well, I can dream, can’t I?

BIL, and SIL, both 30 somethings - BIL’s first trip -- he is the biggest kid, and he will LOVE WDW...
if he gets to go.
His bosses are being jerks about the whole thing.
We’re still praying he can go. Stay tuned....
SIL is totally ready for the Disney experience and VERY happy to let me plan the whole thing.
That works for me. LOL

Cousin B (d niece 10), and Cousin N (d nephew 8) – their first trip, and they are REALLY looking forward to it.
B is one of Disney Girl’s best friends, even though they are 3 years apart. Really wants to meet Pocahontas..
N is Danger Boy’s best friend, and probably is the “2nd. Most likely to get lost at WDW.”
It probably will be big fun to have their best friend with them at WDW.

Next up: 2 years in the making, The Hicks plan a trip...

[DisneyMom5]

The background:

After our last trip in 8/05, we were sitting around visiting with DH’s family and MIL remarked that soon we should all go to WDW, while the kids were still young. SIL agreed.
:scared1:
This was a very exciting prospect to me, as I am always looking for an excuse to go to WDW.

John had already said we couldn’t go until AT LEAST 2007.
Along with being concerned with his bank account, he has the silly idea that there are other places to go to while on vacation??? :lmao:

During our first trip in January ‘04, I got the idea to go back at Christmas time.

Dh was not interested in that, UNTIL he got in a conversation with some other guys on a WDW bus.
They told him that Christmas time was cool.

Suddenly, it was a great idea that dh had never heard before. Sigh.
:sad2:
[The other idea they gave him was to stay longer, and take a more relaxed pace.
Really? Wow, I had never thought of that. Well, if you think it’s the best thing to do....]

So, We made plans to go in December ‘05, after John’s classes got out for the semester.

Then it happened...
like a beam of light from Heaven...
the one thing that a family cannot refuse...

FREE FOOD!!!
popcorn::

And, it was available the week of John’s August break.
[Though, sadly, that limited us to 6 nights, 5 days. Sigh.]

We really had no intention of ever going in the hot summer months, but since a lot can be overlooked in the name of free food...
Hello Free Dining!

I know there is a lot of discussion on the DDP.
It’s annoying, it’s hard to use, it’s a pain to have to make ADRs every day, you have to pay rack rate to get it free, yada, yada, yada....

Let me tell you...free food, with 6 kids, is the best thing ever.

Our first trip, we did one sit down. We ate CS maybe once a day, and snacked or ate at our cabin the other times.

Last trip, we had filet at Le Cellier.

Can you eat cheaper at Disney if you have to pay for the DDP? Sure.
But you can't eat better!

And when it’s free? Forget about it!
[Hmmm...I seem to be mixing my metaphors.
Not to mention us girls of German heritage really can't pull off the Italian mobster thing.
Sorry, I'll try to keep to the Hick thing.]

And when it's free? Yeehaw, you'll be happier than a Tornado in a Trailer Park!!! [Whew, that's better!]

So we brave the tropics in the heat of August, including an appearance by Katrina. And we had a great time.

But, I was still left with the desire to go at Christmas time.
And, since it worked out well with my nephew and niece’s school schedule, plans were formulated to take the whole family to WDW in December ‘07.

The in-laws would stay the first week, using the weekends to travel.
We would travel down with them, but stay 10 nights and take things slow.

We broached the subject with my parents.

My dad said he had no interest in driving that far to stand on hot pavement and watch the kids ride carnival rides. :eek:
No matter how many times we try to explain it to him, he just does not get it.

My mom was non-committal. I think two years in advance is just too much for her to get into.

Then one day, I mention to my dh that it’s too bad they don’t offer free dining in Dec.
“Are they offering that again? says he.
“Well, yeah, for fall ‘06.”
“So what’s the chances that they will offer it fall ‘07?”
“Um, pretty good.”
“So why the heck are we going in December?”

So at the next In-law family dinner, I casually ask which they would rather do, go at Christmas time and not have to pull the kids out of school, or go in October and possibly get free dining.

Without a beat they all said “Free Dining!” :thumbsup2

Next up: Free dining, free dining, wherefore art thou free dining...

[Just2DisneyKids]

You are hilarious! And I suspect you really aren't much of a hick at all! :rotfl:

I can't wait for your TR, looks like we got a few months! :rolleyes1

Hope it's perfectly magical for all of you! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

You are hilarious! And I suspect you really aren't much of a hick at all! :rotfl:

I can't wait for your TR, looks like we got a few months! :rolleyes1

Hope it's perfectly magical for all of you! :goodvibes

Wow, someone read it!!! :cool1:

Thanks, we are really watching that count down. It's starting to pick up a little speed! LOL :banana:

[DisneyMom5]

When we last left our Hicks they were sacrificing the dream of Christmastime at WDW for free food.

You have to realize one thing -- in Hick-dom, vittles always win out over decorations. It's just the natural order of things.

And so our plans were changed to the beginning of October.

One day, while I was messing around with the online vacation pricing, as I am wont to do, I realized that my family of nine could stay another day at WDW for $200 total. :confused3
How crazy is that?

I figured that even if the free dining was once again limited to 10 nights, I could still add a room-only at the end of the trip, and still use the dining until that midnight. :wizard:

I discussed it with John, and after an initial hesitation, he is on board.
I mean, if you are going to drive your 15 passenger van all the way to Florida, you might as well stay another day, right? ;)

Now we had only 10 more months to wait.

We settle in for a long winter's night slumber, with visions of Mickey Mouse dancing in our heads.

Then, as the archives of the DIS will attest, all h - e - double hockey sticks breaks loose with the somewhat secretive announcement in December ‘06 of the infamous bounce-back program.
Will they even offer Free Dining to the general public?
Is this the Free Dining of the Future?

And as we study it over, we realize the dates for Bounceback Free Dining are earlier than the other years.
So we convene another Hick High Council, and nervously move our plans to the last week of Sept.

My mom and dad are still not interested.
No manner of enticement can be summoned to tempt them to come with us.

We sit back, and hope for a spring anouncement of the ever elusive free dining.

Some time in March, the rumors start flying that the Free dining promotion, IF OFFERED, will probably end by 9/22.

Come on WDW, throw me a bone.
My INLAWS are depending on ME to get them free dining.
Do you know what that means for my future happiness?
So, we tentatively move our trip to Mid-September.
And wait, some more...

Next up: Hicks on Hold....

[Heluvsme]

What a great PTR! I'm on board!

By the way, I'm a HSing SAHM also.....I'm trying to write a unit on Epcot's WS for us to use this next year.

Great report! Can't wait to read more!


He Luvs Me!

CBR June 17-24 2007

[hollybearsmom]

Thsi is so much fun already! I'm ready to read more.

[DisneyMom5]

What a great PTR! I'm on board!

By the way, I'm a HSing SAHM also.....I'm trying to write a unit on Epcot's WS for us to use this next year.

Great report! Can't wait to read more!



Thanks for the feed back! :goodvibes

Writing a unit on Epcot??? :worship:
I'm not worthy. I use a pre-packaged curriculum for a reason. LOL

Nice to meet you!


Thsi is so much fun already! I'm ready to read more.

Thanks hollybearsmom! :wizard:

[DisneyMom5]

When last left the Hicks, they had decided to move their trip up one week for a non-existant free dining promotion upon which Sarah was staking all of her inlaw "happy points."

So now that we're up to speed...

I am hoping the sale starts April 1, like other times.

Rumors fly, and fly,
DISers go back and forth,
saying "A CM told me there wouldn't be a general public free dining,"

"Well a CM told me that the top secret Free Dining Plan is coming soon,"

and "My best friend's cousin's uncle's doorman's niece's brother in law's mailman's dog walker says that they don't know a darn thing about free dining, but I couldn't stand not having my opinion posted on this thread."
:scared1:

I surf out the general panic, because I still believe that good is stronger than evil,
and that Disney still needs to lure unsuspecting tourists into Hurricane season, and that free food is the best way to do that.

Then suddenly, just when we feared that all hope was lost, we hear "from reliable sources" that the dates for free dining are right, but the booking won’t start until mid-April.

I'm torn between :woohoo: :yay: and :headache: .

I mean on one hand, it seems pretty sure it's going to happen. But on the other hand...I am sweating it.

Our 180 day mark for ADRs will occur BEFORE we can book the trip.

I am making ressies for FIFTEEN people.

Is it nuts to make ADRs for a trip you're not yet taking?
If you go back in time, and encounter yourself, is there a rift in the space time continum? :confused:

Like I have said before, I think I have probably proved my insanity by having seven children, let alone taking all of them to WDW.

*** Side note: We do get a bit of the "Are they all yours?" To which I am dying to reply "Heck no, I just borrow other peoples preschoolers and take them to WDW." :sad2:

My dd has a great answer for me for this trip when we have our niece and nephew along "Oh no, they're not all mine. Just seven of them!"
This cracks us up immensely. It's probably just a big family thing. :grouphug: ****

So I'm stressing over whether to book our dining experiences BEFORE actually knowing if there is free dining, AND before booking our hotel.

I have avoided booking our rooms, because I subscribe to the theory that if everyone books rooms in anticipation of free dining, they will not need to have a free dining sale to fill rooms. :rolleyes1

When the day arrives, 180 days out of our potential trip, I make an executive decision, and make our ADRs WITHOUT a hotel res.

Next up: What ADRs would a Hick make if a Hick made ADRs...

[Just2DisneyKids]

I am so loving this pre-TR!

Is it nuts to make ADRs for a trip you're not yet taking?
If you go back in time, and encounter yourself, is there a rift in the space time continum?

Way too funny :rotfl: :rotfl:

Next up: What ADRs would a Hick make if a Hick made ADRs...

Please tell us soon, the suspense is killing me!!! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

So, as you probably can tell already, I am an obsessive compulsive planner.

No, really.

I have been researching restaurants for this trip since...well, since I was researching the last trip.

There are a few favorites I want to share with the family.

Le Cellier.

Chef Mickey's.

Crystal Palace.

Well, there's 3 of the 6 nights I need for our group of 15. We're off to a good start.

DD and I pour over the menus, and Dis food pics, and dream and drool.

It's horrifying, yet, strangely satisfying. :rolleyes1

I look up best days at the parks, I try to plan out our first week, I am really putting in the effort on this one.
I have utilized the online ADR calculator, the DP spread sheet, and questioned the geniuses of the Disboards non-stop.

I touch base with the inlaws off and on, send them the link to the menus, tell them that I will get them ADRs at whatever floats their boats...
but don't get too much in the way of opinions.

I type up a potential game plan, and email it to them all.

What do I get in reply?
"Whatever you think is fine."

And when pushed for more specifics, my MIL replied "Well, Dad likes buffets and steak."

Okey Dokey, that I can do. It fits in well with my 3 favorites already.

The day I decide to make the call, I am prepared. I have my worksheet and my 1-800 number ready.

The CM on the general dining line was able to deal with most of our requests, though some restaurants had to be handled through group dining. Forgive me I can't remember which.

They suggested that big groups are most likely to be seated together if you book either the first or last seatings of the meal. So you will see some really early dinner times listed.

So what did we end up with?

Monday, 9/17
8:35 am Princess Storybook Breakfast, Askershus, Epcot
4:10 pm Le Cellier, dinner

Tues. 9/18
4:30 pm Liberty Tree Tavern, dinner

Wed. 9/19
11:45 am Hollywood and Vine Character Lunch

Thur. 9/20
(spending the day at AK)
6:40 pm Chef Mickey's Character Dinner

Fri. 9/21
10:30 am Crystal Palace Character Breakfast

I am pretty happy with all of them.

I let the family know what I have gotten, and they seem pretty pleased.
:woohoo: Yay me!

And then, my SIL informs me that she hates buffets.
:earseek:

I about come unglued, but she assures me that she will eat anywhere I decide, as long as the food is free.

Well, I should think so! LOL
That's why I asked in advance people! If you don't give me your opinion, you get what you get.

Now I just need to set up the one's for just our family. But that's another day. I take a few days to rest on my laurels for pulling these off.

Next up: It's So Nice to be Alone!
The Hicks plan a romantic dinner...
for just me, you...

...and the seven little ones. Sigh.

[oybolshoi]

Whoopee twang, Sarah's started a pre-trippie!! :thumbsup2

Looks like we're all in for a foot-stompin', rib-crackin' good time!

I look forward to reading more as soon as I purchase a Hick-to-English dictionary. ;)

[rentayenta]

:thumbsup2 This is pee in your pants funny! :rotfl2:


Keep it comin' popcorn::

[andiepie]

Funny report. Love reading it so far! Being from Arkansas, I was immediately drawn to your report. If you ever want to know what it's really like to take Hicks on Holiday, let me know. :lmao:

[praisehisname]

Hey, I just found your report and I'm hooked! I'm also a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom. We are going to be in Disney from September 15 - 22, and it looks like all our park days are the same as yours. If you're interested, I'd love to plan a meet.

Denise

[DisneyMom5]

Thank you all. My dh is saying you shouldn't encourage me. :cool1:

There is more to come, but I have been busy this weekend.

I hold out no hope that my pre-trip could last until my trip the way that oybolshoi/Brenda's have (check her out if you get the chance), but I am really encouraged that someone is actually reading! :thumbsup2

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

[DisneyMom5]

Whoopee twang, Sarah's started a pre-trippie!! :thumbsup2

Looks like we're all in for a foot-stompin', rib-crackin' good time!

I look forward to reading more as soon as I purchase a Hick-to-English dictionary. ;)

Hick-to-English dictionary....:lmao: .....so you've been to arkansas?

Just kidding andiepie!

For some reason, I did not see your response to this thread when you made it.
I was feeling slighted that you hadn't called and left your card. *sniff*

But now that I know you've been here...Welcome to my neck of the woods!

Kick off your shoes...don't mind the youngins...I'm sure that popsicle stain will come out. :rolleyes1

[DisneyMom5]

Well, as I mentioned last time, I was resting on my laurels having made my ADRs for our big group.

And as I was resting, it occured to me that the ADRs for the rest of our trip were as yet unmade.

I try to roll over and continue resting...
the laurels...drying out..getting...very...pokey...
Sigh... time to plan the rest of the trip, especially the food.

The second half of this trip we have been calling "Our vacation."
Sure, we will be on vacation the first half of the week with John's relatives.

But the second half we will be on vacation FROM John's relatives.

We love them, really. We are really VERY excited to be taking this trip with them.

But as much as we are looking forward to spending this quality time with them,
we are also looking forward to relaxing and doing our own thing when they are gone.

So, with that in mind, I set out to select ADRs for our cozy group of....

NINE???

:teacher:

Let's see, they have 2 adults, and 2 adults, and 2 kids,
add the 2, carry the 1,
subtract their group from the big group
leaving our group...

Yep,
even when they all leave,
we're still a Grand Gathering unto ourselves.
:rolleyes:

Well...

I'm going to call that a good thing!

I present, as an attempt to rest your eyes from all this prose, a group picture of our crew:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/OurFamily07.jpg

We clean up real purty-like, don't we?
I went around for days saying that I should get some sort of medal because:
1) they were all clean,
2) they had on decent clothes,
AND,
3) they were all looking at the camera.
:woohoo:
Thank you, thank you very much.

***If anyone wants to know what the biggest difference is having so many kids, it's this:
:laundy: wash, dry, repeat
I always say that when they cart me away to the "home,"
it will be because the laundry finally did me in.
LOL***

Ahem...Back to the ADRs.
What did we end up with?

The day my inlaws leave we decided to use as a non-park day.
We have never had time to go to DTD, and maybe just lay around the pool for awhile.

With this in mind, I decided it might be a good time for that trip to
Chef Mickey's for breakfast.

I was able to snag a 10:40 am that Saturday, 9/22, which should leave us ample time to sleep in a bit, then head over to the Contemporary.

Our other ADRs for that week are:
9/23 5pm, Biergarten, Epcot

9/24 10:10 am Donald's Breakfastasauras, AK

9/25 4:40 pm Rose and Crown, Epcot

9/26 3:50 pm Crystal Palace, Dinner, MK

Biergarten and Rose and Crown are our new food excursions for this half of the trip.
John is very excited about these two restaurants.
:confused:

John doesn't get very excited about vacation planning, especially dining reservations.

This had me puzzled for a while.

:scratchin

What is it that these two restaurants have in common? Good food, I am sure.

Then it hit me.

Next up: BEER.

[oybolshoi]

Hick-to-English dictionary....:lmao: .....so you've been to arkansas?

Just kidding andiepie!

For some reason, I did not see your response to this thread when you made it.
I was feeling slighted that you hadn't called and left your card. *sniff*

But now that I know you've been here...Welcome to my neck of the woods!

Kick off your shoes...don't mind the youngins...I'm sure that popsicle stain will come out. :rolleyes1


I wondered why you didn't respond to my post and then I thought I must not have been amusing enough and I left the DIS to go clean toliets...:scared1:

**Puts on shiny sunglasses**

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Here's a hug, just in case... :hug:

And your family is absolutely beeeee-youuuuu-teeeee-fullll!

Or, as they say in our neck of the woods, "Ya'll shine up like a new penny!"

[DisneyMom5]

I wondered why you didn't respond to my post and then I thought I must not have been amusing enough and I left the DIS to go clean toliets...:scared1:

**Puts on shiny sunglasses**

"What we have here is a failure to communicate." :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Here's a hug, just in case... :hug:

And your family is absolutely beeeee-youuuuu-teeeee-fullll!

Or, as they say in our neck of the woods, "Ya'll shine up like a new penny!"

Not amusing enough. :scared1: NEVER!!!!

Cool Hand Luke. LOL Nice!
I think that is one cultural reference we haven't done yet on any of your
threads.

Thanks for the compliment. :goodvibes
We like them.

Some time I am going to take a group shot when they are thoroughly disgusting. Just so I can look back and remember how they really were.
:rotfl:
94 days and some hours to go! :banana:

[punkin413]

i saw the word "hicks" in your title and, being from tennessee and now living in georgia, i had to check it out! and no, i'm not married to my cousin junior. :laughing:

and your comment about having to wait 10 months and settling in for a long winter's nap with visions of mickey dancing in your heads.....you just described me! 10 months seems SO FAR AWAY!!!!! :eek:

can't wait to hear more!!!

[DisneyMom5]

i saw the word "hicks" in your title and, being from tennessee and now living in georgia, i had to check it out! and no, i'm not married to my cousin junior. :laughing:

and your comment about having to wait 10 months and settling in for a long winter's nap with visions of mickey dancing in your heads.....you just described me! 10 months seems SO FAR AWAY!!!!! :eek:

can't wait to hear more!!!

Welcome! Hicks of all shapes, sizes and from all vicinities welcome here! :)

We love Georgia...it means we're almost to Florida. Though I-75 seems soooo long when it's your second day of driving. :drive:

We spot our first palm tree in GA, and that makes for happiness all around! :goodvibes

ETA: I really love TN. We usually stay at Chattanooga on our trip down to WDW. We are hoping to make a future trip just to explore that area. Really beautiful.

I can't believe we're only 3 months out. When you have been waiting 2 years, it seems like such a short time left.
I almost wish the planning didn't have to end. [I said ALMOST. :rolleyes1 ]

Glad to have you on board. Throw in your Hick experiences any time you feel led. ;)

[andiepie]

Or, as they say in our neck of the woods, "Ya'll shine up like a new penny!"

Sounds like Brenda has no need for a Hick-to-English dictionary!

Your family does look wonderful!

Chattanooga is a good place to visit. I have a friend who lives there who took me into the mountains. Stunning views! And I agree I-75 is long, no matter what day you're on. :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

Hey, just wanted to let you all know I am still here.

My dd is in a play this week-- Annie, Jr. -- and I have been busy being the good stage mother and volunteering back stage. A small price to pay to have my darling in the THEATRE.

Haven't been able to get my family too involved in the planning yet, though I was able to peak my MIL and SIL's interest by sending them the menu from Le Cellier, an ADR we have for our first day.

They liked it. :banana:

There may be some hope for them yet.

I promise, as soon as the play is done, I will update more. :wizard:

Thanks!

[mvazul]

Hello from one hick to another!! :wave2: Actually, our family likes to call ourselves rednecks!! :thumbsup2 I grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania - or Pennsyltucky as my parents like to call it! I now live in Chicago and have to be a bit more civilzed. But, like they say, you can take the girl from the country........;)

I am loving your report. It sounds like you are going to have a blast. I look forward to more!

Michelle

[jbmom]

Hi, I'm a from Michigan too. My dh calls me a hickabilly, whatever that means. Loving your report! Great picture, very cute kids.

[heavenleigh412]

:lmao: Very funny! I like your style, nothing like being able to poke fun at yourselves, and enjoy it!! :rotfl2:
Looking forward to hearing more about your plans... sounds like a BIG trip and a HUGE undertaking!

I have a close friend with 7 children and she gets tired just talking about them! Our biggest joke is always about "the laundry" I swear it is a code word! :rotfl:

[DISNEY4XMAS]

I AM WETTING MY PANTS... dh came in and asked what was so funny. I said this board... He said give it a break you've been on there all day. I said but don't you want a great trip. He said as long as he is way from the farm he will be happy! We are also hick / hillbilly/ redneck, or should I say I married into them lol! I am a city girl that dreamed of marrying rich and married a farmer for love lol! GOD BLESS YOU WITH 7 SEVEN KIDS. I go insane with 3 and a part timer that makes four! We are going to disney for xmas we are going dec 22 - 31. There are six of us. Are you staying at cabins didn't see where you were staying?

[DisneyMom5]

Welcome new readers! :goodvibes
I'm not waking up very fast, so I thought I'd hang out here for a few minutes. It was soooo nice to find such flattering feedback! :cool1:

Hello from one hick to another!! Actually, our family likes to call ourselves rednecks!! I grew up in the hills of Pennsylvania - or Pennsyltucky as my parents like to call it! I now live in Chicago and have to be a bit more civilzed. But, like they say, you can take the girl from the country........

I am loving your report. It sounds like you are going to have a blast. I look forward to more!

Michelle

Pennsyltucky! I love it! :rotfl:

We're askeerd of Chicago. :scared1:

We haven't visited since we got the 15 passenger van as both dh and I tend to hyperventilate at the idea of driving it there.
At some point we'll get brave, as we want to go to Field Museum again.

We'll just have to visit Sue the dinosaur at Animal Kingdom until then. :rolleyes1

Hi, I'm a from Michigan too. My dh calls me a hickabilly, whatever that means. Loving your report! Great picture, very cute kids.
That pic was taken in Kzoo! Sears, at Crossroads. LOL

I don't give out our exact location, but we are your neighbors to the south, where there are several water ways. ;)

So my guess is we are the same kind of "hickabillys." LOL


I have a close friend with 7 children and she gets tired just talking about them! Our biggest joke is always about "the laundry" I swear it is a code word!

I made the mistake of naming some of them similar sounding names. I get worn out trying to come up with the right name to yell at them. Sometimes it ends up "Hey You!" :lmao:

The laundry. Nope, unfortunately it is NOT a code word. It's just laundry. Blah.

I AM WETTING MY PANTS... dh came in and asked what was so funny. I said this board... He said give it a break you've been on there all day. I said but don't you want a great trip. He said as long as he is way from the farm he will be happy! We are also hick / hillbilly/ redneck, or should I say I married into them lol! I am a city girl that dreamed of marrying rich and married a farmer for love lol! GOD BLESS YOU WITH 7 SEVEN KIDS. I go insane with 3 and a part timer that makes four! We are going to disney for xmas we are going dec 22 - 31. There are six of us. Are you staying at cabins didn't see where you were staying?

Please refrain from the wetting of pants. That just means more laundry.

We are staying at Pop Century. We stayed at the cabins our first trip, when we had 5 kids, one under 3. We LOVED it! Unfortunately we have outgrown them. Now it's connecting rooms at Pop.

We probably would have ended up at Pop the first trip if I had known about connecting rooms, as it is a bit cheaper. So I am kind of glad I didn't know, so we got to experience Ft. Wilderness. Love it there!

I married for love too, though he promised me we'd be rich. Ah, well, we're rich in other ways, no? :love:

Once you hit the level of insanity needed for 3 or 4 kids, it really isn't much of a plunge to do seven. It helps to have older kids. I think my hardest point was a 2 year old and a newborn. It's all good after you start having extra hands to help! :)

Thanks again for posting! I love all the feedback.

[DisneyMom5]

Beer

When we last left the Hicks, Sarah was puzzled by John's unprecedented interest in two of our dining choices--
Rose and Crown, and Biergarten.

What is it that has provoked his interest?

Well, what two nations are renowned for great beery goodness?
UK and Germany.

And if there is one thing John appreciates, it's beer.
:drinking1 [this smilie is of a very dark lager, no?]

I had mentioned to him the concept of "beeeeeer flights."

[Think of the 3rd Rock from the Sun episode where the aliens discover "Rooooom service."
This is the amazement with which John has embraced the idea of beeeeeeer flights.]

Beer.
Friend of Hicks everywhere.
I believe thatt studies have shown it has also replaced moonshine as the hillbilly beverage of choice,
most likely because they have discovered it is cheaper and easier
--considering the cost of raw materials and gas prices being what they are--
to just walk down to Skeeter’s “gas and go” and pick up a forty,
rather than firing up the still.

John is very much a casual drinker. An occasional beer.
Usually Amber Bock, but that is mostly because:
1) it’s one of his favorites
2) it toes that fine line between pricey and cheap, the one he is not willing to cross at this point.

Right now, it's all about the cost saving measures.

Repeat it with me: “Saving up for Disney, Saving up for Disney, Saving up for Disney....”

But I digress...

John has been known to chuckle at the Simpson’s episode in which they travel to Australia, and it goes something like this:

Marge to Bartender: “I’ll have a soda.”
Aussie Bartender: “Bee-ah?”
Marge: “No.. soda.”
Bartender “Bee-ah?”
Marge: “SOOOOO-DAHHHH!”
Bartender: “BEEEEEEEE-AHHHHH?????”

LOL

Consequently, he has always wanted to try beers around the world.
Epcot just happens to be the one place he can do that.

Maybe THAT’S why Epcot is his favorite?!? :cool1:

Well, that's another vivid, albeit short, look into the world of Hicks on Holiday.
I'll be updating more soon, I promise!
[Got to keep stringing it out until Sept., right?]

[hkite]

DH thinks I'm loony as I sit here laughing at the computer:lmao: ....he may have a point. Reading through your pre-trip report is making me so proud to be yer friend. I'm anxiously anticipatin' the next installment.:hyper:

[DisneyMom5]

DH thinks I'm loony as I sit here laughing at the computer:lmao: ....he may have a point. Reading through your pre-trip report is making me so proud to be yer friend. I'm anxiously anticipatin' the next installment.:hyper:

Wow, and I didn't even bribe you to say that! LOL

Psst -- you need to update your siggie. Tessa is 4 years old now!
:thumbsup2
Gotta love those princess costumes. K and E are taking them this time. :wizard: You'll have to tell me how you managed with them in the parks.

Later!

[oybolshoi]

That is one of our favorite Simpson's episodes! :rotfl2:

Of course, it must seem like all of them are our favorites, but we do quote that one to each other a lot. We also like playing knifey-spooney when talking about beeeeee-ahhhhhhh. :lmao:

Try a Kronenbourg 1644 in France if that's not too highfalutin fer ya! :thumbsup2

[DisneyMom5]

That is one of our favorite Simpson's episodes! :rotfl2:

Of course, it must seem like all of them are our favorites, but we do quote that one to each other a lot. We also like playing knifey-spooney when talking about beeeeee-ahhhhhhh. :lmao:

Try a Kronenbourg 1644 in France if that's not too highfalutin fer ya! :thumbsup2

John says " :thumbsup2 ... Write that down!"

LOL

He'll take any and all suggestions...anything for the cause.

[oybolshoi]

John says " :thumbsup2 ... Write that down!"

LOL

He'll take any and all suggestions...anything for the cause.

Two others that I really like are:

Dos Equis in Mexico
Boddingtons in England


I'll get back to you later with some more - I need my hubby to jog my memory. :lmao:

[teresajoy]

Wow, and I didn't even bribe you to say that! LOL

Psst -- you need to update your siggie. Tessa is 4 years old now!
:thumbsup2
Gotta love those princess costumes. K and E are taking them this time. :wizard: You'll have to tell me how you managed with them in the parks.

Later!

Hello fellow hickster! You know the other day, while driving down the "main" street in town (which isn't really Main St.) and all the cars were stopped in order to let a family of ducks cross the road, I had to think, "Wow, this IS a small town!":lmao: But, I love it, we have such nice people here!

Anywho! I'm loving the report! Makes me want to take a trip with 14 other family members to Disney too! Oh wait, we are allready doing that!!! WOO HOO!!!

My girls usually wear the princess dresses to Disney. As long as they are comfortable in them at home, they should be ok at Disney.

I did not realize how much John and my hubby were alike! Beer, sunglasses, loves Disney when we get there.... Next time I crash one of your parties, I will have to bring him! :lmao: :lmao:

Boy, that Hkite sure has a gorgeous family, doen't she?? Her younger sister is particuarly perdy. :lmao:

I thought about writing a trip report, but someone (who'm I'm married to) once told me, "Teresa, you tell stories so boring no one in their right mind would want to listen to them."

[DisneyMom5]

Two others that I really like are:

Dos Equis in Mexico
Boddingtons in England


I'll get back to you later with some more - I need my hubby to jog my memory. :lmao:

A friend came over with a 6 pack of XX the other night. Check.

Boddington's. Got it! :thumbsup2

Yeah, put Jay on the case. I'm not a big beer drinker, but if someone speaks "Guy" I can usually pass it on to John and he understands. LOL

[DisneyMom5]

Hello fellow hickster! You know the other day, while driving down the "main" street in town (which isn't really Main St.) and all the cars were stopped in order to let a family of ducks cross the road, I had to think, "Wow, this IS a small town!":lmao: But, I love it, we have such nice people here!

Yup. Seen 'em do it for the geese too. WELL, you went right by our house and didn't even wave! :confused3

Anywho! I'm loving the report! Makes me want to take a trip with 14 other family members to Disney too! Oh wait, we are allready doing that!!! WOO HOO!!!

Are we nuts or what? :dance3:


My girls usually wear the princess dresses to Disney. As long as they are comfortable in them at home, they should be ok at Disney.
It's going to be VERY hot, so I am thinking I will bring the dresses in a big ziploc and change them at the restaurant. Or something like that. K's Aurora gown has long sleeves. Suggestions appreciated.

I did not realize how much John and my hubby were alike! Beer, sunglasses, loves Disney when we get there.... Next time I crash one of your parties, I will have to bring him! :lmao: :lmao:

All of hkite's relatives are welcome to crash parties at our house anytime. ;)

Boy, that Hkite sure has a gorgeous family, doen't she?? Her younger sister is particuarly perdy. :lmao:

Ahem....:rolleyes1

I thought about writing a trip report, but someone (who'm I'm married to) once told me, "Teresa, you tell stories so boring no one in their right mind would want to listen to them."

I think you and hkite should combine forces on the next one, and tell the same story from two perspectives. Could be fun. Could be evil. Either way, you'll attract a readership. I am sure your stories are perfectly interesting!!! He's just bored because he's heard them all. :cool2:

Thanks for reading!

[oybolshoi]

A friend came over with a 6 pack of XX the other night. Check.

Boddington's. Got it! :thumbsup2

Yeah, put Jay on the case. I'm not a big beer drinker, but if someone speaks "Guy" I can usually pass it on to John and he understands. LOL

Also available in England: Stella Artois (not bad) and Guiness (Jay's favorite but keep in mind this is the beer that drinks like a meal). I don't know if they serve it at Rose and Crown, but Murphy's is also pretty tasty.

And how can we forget Japan??? Try the Kirin Ichiban beer - quite tasty!!

Sometimes in Canada you can get Moosehead (a lighter beer, but not bad).
A better beer but not always available is La Fin du Monde - yummy!

If it's available in Italy try Peroni.. very good!


That's it.. I'm tapped. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:


For what it's worth, these are all beers that Jay and I have both tried and liked (well, maybe I don't really like Guiness much). So your hubby has "four thumbs up" instead of two. :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

Also available in England: Stella Artois (not bad) and Guiness (Jay's favorite but keep in mind this is the beer that drinks like a meal). I don't know if they serve it at Rose and Crown, but Murphy's is also pretty tasty.

And how can we forget Japan??? Try the Kirin Ichiban beer - quite tasty!!

Sometimes in Canada you can get Moosehead (a lighter beer, but not bad).
A better beer but not always available is La Fin du Monde - yummy!

If it's available in Italy try Peroni.. very good!


That's it.. I'm tapped. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:


For what it's worth, these are all beers that Jay and I have both tried and liked (well, maybe I don't really like Guiness much). So your hubby has "four thumbs up" instead of two. :goodvibes

John definately is a Guiness kinda guy, so he's making notes. Tell Jay thanks!
I'll probably be old(er) and gray(er) before I will get any alcohol again.

Baby is worth it though. Don't need her getting tipsy too.
I always was a bit of a light weight anyway, so even if I could, I probably wouldn't be able to hold much. LOL
Now there'd be some good Hick family memories! :rotfl:

[teresajoy]

Yup. Seen 'em do it for the geese too. WELL, you went right by our house and didn't even wave! :confused3

Truthfully, I wave every time I go by your house!





It's going to be VERY hot, so I am thinking I will bring the dresses in a big ziploc and change them at the restaurant. Or something like that. K's Aurora gown has long sleeves. Suggestions appreciated.
Funny you would mention the Aurora outfit, because i was going to add you should be ok as long as they aren't wearing that one! Those long sleeves are killer! It's been hot when we went, mid to upper 90s and the girls were fine, but if you want them to look nice, (and not like a drowned rat) the ziplock bag is a very good idea.
[/quote]


All of hkite's relatives are welcome to crash parties at our house anytime. ;)

Aww, you is sweet


Ahem....:rolleyes1
HEY!


I think you and hkite should combine forces on the next one, and tell the same story from two perspectives. Could be fun. Could be evil. Either way, you'll attract a readership. I am sure your stories are perfectly interesting!!! He's just bored because he's heard them all. :cool2:


Hmm, kind of reminds me of a book we have, the tale of the three little pigs told from teh wolf's point of view! I'm not sure which one of us would be the pig and which one is the wolf in this scenario though!

[DisneyMom5]

Hey everyone, I'm going to be off board over the holiday. I'll try to have an update when I get back. :wizard:



Hmm, kind of reminds me of a book we have, the tale of the three little pigs told from teh wolf's point of view! I'm not sure which one of us would be the pig and which one is the wolf in this scenario though!

Awe, you're both cute little fuzzy wuzzy wolves. LOL
I still think it would be an interesting read. ;)

Hope to see you soon!

[hkite]

Wow, and I didn't even bribe you to say that! LOL

Are you saying you want your Hee-Haw boxed set back? :confused:

[teresajoy]

Are you saying you want your Hee-Haw boxed set back? :confused:

Let me borrow it first!

[DisneyMom5]

Are you saying you want your Hee-Haw boxed set back? :confused:

Awww, man...HEE HAW!!! Yikes. I am embarrassed to admit my family watched this growing up. I hang my head in shame....

You two are too funny! :lmao:

Back from my mom's, hope to update here more soon!

[winkers]

Hi! I just saw your title and had to take a peak! You are so funny. I'm convinced that hicks are found in every state! I grew up in a hick town and in my dad's yard next to his single wide trailer he has an old yellow school bus with bible quotes painted all over it, that he bought from a church. It's now his storage shed! :rotfl2:

[DisneyMom5]

Hi! I just saw your title and had to take a peak! You are so funny. I'm convinced that hicks are found in every state! I grew up in a hick town and in my dad's yard next to his single wide trailer he has an old yellow school bus with bible quotes painted all over it, that he bought from a church. It's now his storage shed! :rotfl2:

That is so classic! :lmao:

As I said before, all hicks and hick-like peoples are welcome here!

I'm enjoying your food report, and haven't had time to go back and read all of your trip report, but I'm subscribed. Very entertaining! You're dd at Primetime -- Priceless! :goodvibes

Thanks for reading!

[whogirl'smom]

I just found you tonight from a link in your signature while I was reading Brenda's food report! I had to check it out since we're from Tennessee! We can get you some 'shine if'n you need it after bein' in the parks all day with all them young'uns! My best friend actually has a contact that makes flavored moonshine (like blueberry, grape, etc.)...I just don't know...it sounded too much like the fruit in Everclear stuff in college:sick:.

You could take the kids to Dollywood this summer to tide you over for WDW...I'll bet that would make a great trip report!! You are so funny, I can't wait to hear more about planning for 15 people!:worship:

[DisneyMom5]

I just found you tonight from a link in your signature while I was reading Brenda's food report! I had to check it out since we're from Tennessee! We can get you some 'shine if'n you need it after bein' in the parks all day with all them young'uns! My best friend actually has a contact that makes flavored moonshine (like blueberry, grape, etc.)...I just don't know...it sounded too much like the fruit in Everclear stuff in college:sick:.

You could take the kids to Dollywood this summer to tide you over for WDW...I'll bet that would make a great trip report!! You are so funny, I can't wait to hear more about planning for 15 people!:worship:

Hey -- I missed this post somehow! Welcome! We LOVE TN, and want to spend more time there. If we could just quit going to WDW long enough. :rotfl2:

Flavored Moonshine. That's just wrong. It sounds like yuppies set up a still at the back of the condo. LOL

Glad to have you on board! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

So, indulge me a minute, I'd like to share a little history with you.

First, because I think it will help you to know us a little better.

Second, because if I don't stretch this all out a bit, I will have nothing to talk about until we come back in Sept. :sad2:

A long, long time ago, in a Galaxy far, far away...

No, wait, this is supposed to be a Hick History.

Hmmm....

Oncer'pon a time, back when granny was still perty.....

I suppose it boils down to the story of a boy, and a girl.

A boy whose grandmother took him to WDW several times,
and a girl whose parents almost never travelled, especially to FL.
(It's a sad, sad story, no? Well, hang on, it gets better...)

It's the story of the traveling salesman's son, and the farmer's daughter.

(No joke! Though it was kind of funny when John first met my dad, and he asked how deep do you plant chickens. Har, har, har.)

As you might notice from my siggie, John and I spent our honeymoon at WDW. I don’t even know for sure how we decided on it.

I think it was because John’s dad, the salesman, had a customer with a travel agency.
John’s mom and dad offered to pay for a honeymoon as our wedding gift, which we thankfully accepted.
I think John asked where I wanted to go, and, although I had never been to WDW, I was certain I would like it!

We planned 4 days at WDW, which left time to drive down after the wedding, and drive back the next weekend, so that John only had to miss a week of work.

Our wedding was November 2, 1991, amidst a roaring sub-zero wind which was the pre-curser of a blizzard that was working its way across the midwest.

We decorated the VFW hall ourselves, and had a full thanksgiving meal buffet with REAL mashed potatoes. We had a DJ and danced the Chicken Polka, much to my new husband's horror, and the Stroll, much to his family's joy and my family's confusion. :dance3:

We had a great time at our wedding, but we were more than happy to get out of Dodge and head for much warmer climates.

We enjoyed driving down to FL, seeing all the states in between.
A long car trip, I always say, is the true test of a marriage’s lasting power. We passed with flying colors.

Our $600 honeymoon consisted of: 4 nights at the Lake Buena Vista Holiday Inn, free parking at WDW, 4 days at the parks, and one visit to either the waterparks or Pleasure Island. What a bargain!!!

This was before the Value resorts even existed, and when there were only 3 parks, MGM being the newest addition.
And it didn’t have TOT, RnR, Fantasmic, LMA, and Beauty and the Beast.
When I look at all that has been added to MGM since then, I wonder what did we do all day?

In the pre-internet society, planning for WDW consisted of two things: reading guide books and talking to people who had been there.

Thankfully, my best friend/roomate could afford guidebooks, and was going on her honeymoon to WDW 5 weeks before we did.
They, ahem, got to stay at the Grand Floridian. Not that I am jealous, or anything.

But, between the two of us, we managed to figure out what WDW was all about, and familiarize ourselves with what we would see there.

Looking back, I realize that John and I were still pretty clueless, and that, along with being pretty broke, made for a pretty pathetic trip. But at the time we were all pixie dust and romance, so it was all good! :wizard: LOL

That was back in the day, when early November had some of the lightest attendances of the year.

We usually ate Mickey bars for lunch, and ate dinner out of the parks, except for one time we had a burger at a sit down restaurant. To this day I am not sure which one, though I suspect it was LTT, because I seem to remember our waitress wearing colonial garb.
All I can tell you is that it was one of the best burgers I have ever had.

We LOVED Pleasure Island, especially the comedy club and the Adventurer’s club.

I can remember riding the monorail, and there was a little boy asking his mom “Is it really the most magical place on Earth?” Yes little guy, I do believe it is!

Then it was back to the real world, and a loooonnnnggg twelve year wait to return.

Next up: A Little History, Part 2

[hkite]

I can remember riding the monorail, and there was a little boy asking his mom “Is it really the most magical place on Earth?” Yes little guy, I do believe it is!
[/B]


Oh my, is that a tear in my eye? I do believe it is... I also get teary during those year of a million dreams commercials. Just the music will get me going.

I had forgotten that you honeymooned at Disney!

[mvazul]

So, if it's a Hick History, would that make it a "Hickstory"??? :confused3 :lmao:

Our stories are a little similar. I grew up in the country in the middle of Nowhere, PA. DH was a city slicker who grew up in bustling Chicago. Our families are still like oil and water - probably a good thing they all live so far from each other!! ;)

When we got married, I was all for having our reception in the firehall like all of my relatives had done prior (and like I did for my first :sad2: ). However, DH wanted to have it in a hotel so my family wouldn't have to worry about cooking, decorating or cleaning. My mother was very appreciative, but I missed the decorating. It did turn out to be a great night, though. One thing I wouldn't compromise on was my "family song".

Anytime we have a reception church dance, etc, we always dance as a huge group - just our family members - to Garth Brook's, "Friends in Low Places". :dance3: I'm sure DH's family thought we were a bunch of rednecks, but I really did not care. We were having a blast and even let DH join in. He had a great time, too.

My cousin is getting married in September and will be having his reception in the firehall. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am for this. Our family weddings are always so much fun. :woohoo:

Anyway....sorry to hijack your thread!! :rolleyes1 It's nice to get to know you better!! :flower3:

Keep writing!! :upsidedow

[DisneyMom5]

A Little "HICKSTORY" (LOL, thanks mvazul), part two...

When we last left our happy honeymooning Hicks, they had left WDW for the real world, and a loooonnnnggg twelve year wait to return.

Not that we weren’t occupied in the meantime.

When John and I were dating, he once mentioned he would like to have around five kids. :eek:
This was intriguing to me. How many guys talk about having kids at all, let alone FIVE!?!

I had always wanted kids, so I thought to myself he was a keeper.
:rolleyes:
(Well, that, along with his rugged good looks, and stunning gray blue eyes....but I digress....)

We have been blessed with seven kids since then, and they have been worth every moment of pregnancy nuttiness, labor, and general chaos that seems to envelope our house.
--And may I add, I had c-sections for the first two, had the rest the old fashioned way, and two of them were over 10 ½ lbs. :scared1:
Not bragging or anything, but I DESERVE to go to WDW!!! --

When John starting remarking that we should take them to WDW, I thought he was nuts.

We only had 5 at the time, and the youngest was only a few months old. I thought it was too expensive to go, and that there were no places that a family with 5 kids could stay at WDW.

After doing a little research, and conferring with my friend who had been the year before with her little girl, we found out about the cabins at FW.

(Oh, yes, this is the same friend who went to WDW before us for our honeymoons. Drat, she always beats us there!)

We didn’t find out about connecting rooms until much later, which I am now glad for, because it would have been cheaper and we would never have stayed at the cabins.

Then, WDW announced the Kids Stay and Play Free promotion, which gave us one free child's ticket for each adult, allowing us to only have to pay for one of our kid’s tickets (we had 2 under 3yo at the time).

John and I were sold, and booked for the end of January/beginning of February '03.
I got to be at Magic Kingdom for my birthday, which would have been great if the entire family would not have forgotten it was my birthday.
:confused3
On their behalf, we WERE a little busy and distracted by all those giant mice and other assorted sources of merriment.
And they did remember about 4 pm, just in time to get me a piece of cake at the MK bakery. :flower3:

That trip was very fun, but still a little bit disorganized, even though I had found the DIS and was now becoming the Disney expert.

And then it happened...

Next up... Hickstory Potpourri for 100 Alex...the '03 trip ends on a low note, mistakes mean more reasons to come back, and a haiku.

[whogirl'smom]

A haiku, huh? My, you are talented! I can't wait for more "hickstory"!

[Just2DisneyKids]

Next up... Hickstory Potpourri for 100 Alex...the '03 trip ends on a low note, mistakes mean more reasons to come back, and a haiku.

You have me on the edge of my seat! More soon please!

And I'd love to see more pictures of your cute kidlets, perhaps during previous Disney trips...!!!

[mvazul]

A Little "HICKSTORY" (LOL, thanks mvazul), part two...

On their behalf, we WERE a little busy and distracted by all those giant mice and other assorted sources of merriment.


Not a problem!! :upsidedow :flower3:

Now, see.....if they were true Hicks or Rednecks, they would have brought their shotguns or traps and you wouldn't have had that problem at atll!! :lmao:

[DisneyMom5]

A haiku, huh? My, you are talented! I can't wait for more "hickstory"!

Thank you, thank you very much! :cool1: LOL
I WAS an English major ya know. Of course, I always point out that only means I can READ very well. LOL
;)

You have me on the edge of my seat! More soon please!

And I'd love to see more pictures of your cute kidlets, perhaps during previous Disney trips...!!!

I'll see what I can do. I will be putting a lot in the actual trip report. Of course, I really need to BUY a camera before then. Sigh.

Not a problem!! :upsidedow :flower3:

Now, see.....if they were true Hicks or Rednecks, they would have brought their shotguns or traps and you wouldn't have had that problem at atll!! :lmao:

That's how they are at character meals, because they are focused on the vittles.
Hey Mickey, how are you, get in the way of my food and I will have to take you out.
:lmao:

So I have to quick tell you all what happened yesterday...
[If you are on the Pop Cent. meet-up thread, this will be a duplicate, because I am not typing it twice. LOL]

I called CRO to pay off my trip, got a really nice CM, we're chatting away, she verifies our ressie info (was worried they would be like "You don't have a ressie,"), then takes my cc#, then says, "Oh shoot."

:scared1:

Oh shoot? Well, she says "I did the wrong amount."

I asked if it didn't zero out or something.

"Well..."

Did you not charge enough?

"Well..."

Pause.

"I charged too much. I mixed up the numbers. Instead of putting in $[around 3,000], I put in $[almost 7000]."

:eek: :scared: :mad:

"But it's ok, I can put it in again, and ask guest services to fix it."

Um, are you doing that today, because if you put both those charges through right now, I will be severely over my limit.

"Oh, no problem, guest services will fix it."

So I go on to ask a few questions about my SIL ressie, then ask again -- If the second amount puts me over limit, and this is declined, what then?
If it takes a long time to credit it, what will I do?
My pay off is Aug. 2!!!
[And this is my Disney visa, and I don't want to use something else because I get the 0%!!!]

"Oh, no, it's fine. It went through. Guest services will take care of it."

Well, here's hoping. I don't need that kind of stress 2 mo. before my trip!!!
:sad2:

Sigh.

[praisehisname]

Oh no! I hope they get your CC info straightened out. Keep us posted!

Denise

[DisneyMom5]

Hickstory Potpourri for 100 Alex...the '03 trip ends on a low note, mistakes mean more reasons to come back, and a haiku.
[Sorry, got kind of long!]

So there we were, leisurely enjoying our first family trip to WDW, enjoying the splendor that is Ft. Wilderness Cabins.

Had I known what awaited, I probably wouldn't have wasted so many precious minutes "soaking up the atmosphere."

What I should have done is get out handy Mr. Bullhorn and say "This is a 'working vacation' people. MOVE IT, MOVE IT, MOVE IT!!!"

The biggest mistake I made was to save Magic Kingdom for last.
This wouldn’t have been a big problem, if:
1) we had not used our first MK day as a “sleep late, do laundry day,”

2) we had not only done ½ of the park, since we were going to be back 2 days later,
[That would be Adventureland, some of Frontierland, and a couple of Fantasyland attractions. And the hat store. That's it.]

and, drumroll please...

3) our oldest had not gotten stomach flu for our last day there, making it impossible for us to visit the other ½ of the park.

I left a wad of bedding on the picnic table that resembled a beached whale, and smelled as bad.

We thought we had her fixed up, put back together, but AFTER using our last day ticket at MK, we found out she was no where near well.

I spent awhile at the nurse's station with her, then there was the quality time in Cosmic Ray's bathroom, then there was the time spent laying on the pavement near the spinning tea cup rides, all while John tried to take the three boys on some rides.
That whole time they managed to ride Buzz Lightyear. That's it.

We finally gave up and went to our offsite hotel.

I cried most of the way home. It was really hard to get over it.

So my advice to anyone is: if there is something you want to see at WDW, DO NOT put it off till last.
Do it, and don’t worry about trying to arrange things so that they are “more magical.”
If WDW is not magic enough without you having to tweak it, your family is too jaded for WDW and you might as well stay home.
[Oh come on Sarah, tell us how you REALLY feel. LOL]

I felt fairly disatisfied, to say the least.
In the back of my mind, I was hoping to go back within two to three years, to try to improve on the experience, and so our youngers kids would get the opportunity also.

Then our world came to a stop.

On a windy Memorial day, '04, our youngest son was hit by a tree branch, and suffered a brain injury.
I am sure I some of you have read about it before, but suffice it to say we spent over two months in the hospital with him that summer.

I was pregnant with dd Bitsy at the time, and she was born 11 days after he got out of the hospital.

It really was the lowest point of our lives.

When we were sure ds was going to survive, John and I looked at each other and said “We need to go back to WDW.”
It gave us something positive to focus on, to plan for.

We got into a routine of therapy and dealing with all that goes with it, and we tried to plan a return trip to WDW.
[DS is doing very well, still in therapy, but starting to catch up to his age level. Still struggles with coordination and speech issues, but is a very intelligent guy.]

We booked for that following January, but John’s job got iffy and we had to cancel.

Then fall free dining was announced, and, well, I’ve already told you the rest of that story.

So now we are the nutty family that goes to WDW with seven children (as I mentioned, baby#7 arrived around 9 months after our last WDW trip. :rolleyes1 )
Nobody in our immediate families understands.
Our good friends that have gone several times get it, but even they aren’t as nutty as I am about the planning.
(I mean, they didn’t even make all of their DDP TS ADRs for their GG. Sheesh. LOL)

I realize it is a sacrifice to spend money on vacation.
We don’t put as much money into our house as some people would.
We don’t have all the latest technological advances.
We don’t eat a lot of steak (can you see why we love the free DDP so much?)

But we have decided we want to do fun things with our children now, rather than waiting til they are grown and wishing we had.
[Again with the soapbox–does she never stop?]

Soooo, if you have any questions about our family’s saga, I am happy to answer.
And I’ll see if I can come up with some other Disney related info to keep us entertained until we leave.
59 days from now. Whoo hoo! :cool1: :wizard: :dance3: :banana:

And because you have all been so patient and read all of the way through so far, a bonus haiku, for you [written before our last trip]:

Disney Remorse, a haiku by Sarah (2005)

Last trip cut short by
vomit virus, Mickey WHY?
Maybe free food heals...

Next up: Hicks on Hold, Part 2...
...which is fairly ironic, considering that part of the pre-trip has been on hold for a few weeks, as I throw in meaningless and trivial details of my family life in a pathetic attempt to hold onto the readership I have, while faced with the fact that my trip is not actually occuring for 1 month, 4 weeks and 1 day.
It's shameful, really....

[hkite]

As I sit here with tears in my eyes, I am so thankful to have little Inquisitor in our lives. He's such a special little guy and it's hard to believe we almost lost him. *sigh*

On a lighter note- vomit on hotel sheets, how great is that?! We've been there, but not at Disney, thankfully!

[whogirl'smom]

Wow, I hope this trip is so magical for you guys. And I'm so glad to hear your son is doing well! Your readership will follow you and I'm sure we will hang onto any tidbit you throw us in the next two months!

[the4princesses]

enjoyed reading about your trip we will be at pop Sept.22-Oct.1 also.
we can't wait neither.Im a HSM of 4 also.
I look foward to reading more.
Thank's,
Kathy

[DisneyMom5]

enjoyed reading about your trip we will be at pop Sept.22-Oct.1 also.
we can't wait neither.Im a HSM of 4 also.
I look foward to reading more.
Thank's,
Kathy

Welcome Kathy! Seems to be a lot of homeschoolers here on the DIS. Also going in Sept., probably because we can be flexible with our schedules. :thumbsup2

Maybe we'll run into you at Pop! :wizard:

Edited to add: You have four girls? We had only one for 9 years while we had the three boys. I thought I would never have another girl. Now we've had 3 more! It's fun having three girl in a row--our house is a bit more princess-y than it was. LOL

[mvazul]

I'm so sorry to read about what your son and family have been through. However, I am glad he is doing well now. Sounds like he's quite a trooper!! I'm sure all of you are going to have a great time!

[keliblue]

Sarah, you are an amazing lady !!:goodvibes I can only imagine trying to raise 7 ankle biters:sad2: :rotfl:.... I barely made it thru 2:thumbsup2 I am so Glad that I am going to get to meet you :hug: and the rest of the Hick's :grouphug: in Sept. at the GLOW Party

[DisneyMom5]

Hicks on hold, Part 2...holding...holding...holding....

So back in June I left y'all hanging while I left our poor Hicks on Hold, waiting for that ever elusive free dining.

We wandered around into the world of ADRs, discussed Beer, discussed a little Hickstory, and even embraced a Disney Haiku.

But it is time to get back to what we're really here for...Hicks taking trips.

So when we left Sarah Hick, she had made all of her ADRs, not yet having made hotel ressies, nor even knowing for sure if there would be free dining.

So what happened?

The gamble pays off!!!

Using the info I acquired on the DIS, I head to my mom’s for Easter weekend, with all my ducks in a row to get up early Monday morning and book the first three rooms of our Grand Gathering with my Disney Visa, should that sale break as rumored.
I figure I will book our connecting rooms and my BIL/SIL's room, because with all of our kids we have the most to spend and the most to lose if we don't get free dining.
I am hoping to get into Pop Century again.
I make a back up plan of the All Stars, just in case.

The night before I approach my mom once more.
“Ya know, if you think you might want to go, I need to know now, because although you can always cancel, it will be hard to get you a room later if you change your mind and want to come.”

:rolleyes1


And amazingly enough, she agrees!!!

:eek:

So the next morning I am afraid to wake everyone early, so I wait in our room until I hear everyone up and about.
Which ends up being 8 AM!!!! :sad2:
I sprint for my mom's phone (why, oh why can't I trust my cell phone enough for these special calls?)

I spend an hour on hold (thankfully on the 1-800#), listening to those wacky Disney toons, and end up booking our (and SIL's) rooms at Pop Century.

I am so relieved to have that done, but nervous that I won’t be able to get rooms for the grandparents on that Thursday, when the general sale breaks.

I am up early that Thursday, and ready to dial at the crack of seven.
Several of us hang out together here on the DIS.
We continuously search for the elusive code, afraid to try and book without it.
:surfweb:

I triumphantly find it on Mousesavers, just as the phone banks open.
I dial, and I am in.

IN the holding pattern.

Waiting.

:bored:

And waiting.

:scratchin

For TWO hours.

:crazy2:

On the Grand Gathering line.
Because I have been told this is the number I need to use from now on.

Which is not toll free.

:scared:

***sound of crickets breaks silence***

Actually, that was Jiminy Cricket, singing When You Wish Upon a Star.

For the second time.

Then suddenly, a REAL LIVE person answers!!!

After two hours, I start to think there will be no rooms left at Pop.

And, for a moment it looks like I am wrong.
I manage to get my mom a room with no hassle.

But, there are no rooms left at Pop Century for FIL/MIL.
Oh NO!

:scared1:

Just then, the computers at WDW crashed.

I can’t say for sure it was because all of us Dis’ers overloaded them, but down they went.
And when they came back up, low and behold a room appeared at Pop.

It was preferred, which none of the rest of us had, but I said “I’ll take it.”
:woohoo:

So if during that crash you lost a preferred room, I apologize! :rolleyes1

--I later was able to get that changed to standard when more rooms opened up.--

Well, I was the hero of the day. John’s family was lov-ing me.
:cloud9:

It was as if I had created the concept of Free Dining myself.

I can only hope that good feeling continues through the actual trip.

So I have my ADRs in place,
the hotel in Chattanooga is booked for the way down and back,
I have ordered matching t-shirts from Disney shopping.com,
I have made a list of what park we will be in what day,
and what shirts we will be wearing.

If only I could pack already. Sigh.

They have no idea what they are getting into....
:rolleyes:

Up next: Hicks on Hold, part 3 -
Revenge of the ADRs: CMs know me by name, and did I mention we have food allergies

[Sorsha]

Hi there! Found you through Brenda's food report - enjoying your pre-trippie! Looking forward to future installments! popcorn::
I am from Montana, and believe me, we know Hick - I don't even need the translation! :sad2: Only difference is that we call 'em rednecks round here. Jeff Foxworthy lives...

[mvazul]

2 HOURS????? :faint:

I thought the 45 minutes I had waited was bad. I can't imagine holding for 2 hours. I'm glad you were able to get all the rooms you wanted/needed. That had to be a huge relief.

:flower3:

[Sorsha]

By the way - forgot to add - you are INCREDIBLY brave to take that many people on vacation... 7 kids, holy heck, sometimes I wanna mail a couple of mine away to their relatives and I only have 3!! And taking DH's relatives to boot?!? My inlaws are good, kind people, but that much time with them would make me want to cry. ;) And throw myself (or them) off a bridge. You have my greatest respect! :worship:

[DisneyMom5]

Hi there! Found you through Brenda's food report - enjoying your pre-trippie! Looking forward to future installments! popcorn::

Welcome! Any friend of Brenda is a friend of mine. She's a riot. :thumbsup2

I am from Montana, and believe me, we know Hick - I don't even need the translation! :sad2: Only difference is that we call 'em rednecks round here. Jeff Foxworthy lives...

Seen me my share of Rednecks also. There is a fine line between Hick, Hillbilly, and Redneck for sure.

2 HOURS????? :faint:

I thought the 45 minutes I had waited was bad. I can't imagine holding for 2 hours. I'm glad you were able to get all the rooms you wanted/needed. That had to be a huge relief.

:flower3:

Tell me about it. Yikes. I think I was dozing off when she finally picked up.
And there is no going back once you pass the 1 hour mark. The idea of having to start all over...shudder. :scared:

By the way - forgot to add - you are INCREDIBLY brave to take that many people on vacation... 7 kids, holy heck, sometimes I wanna mail a couple of mine away to their relatives and I only have 3!! And taking DH's relatives to boot?!? My inlaws are good, kind people, but that much time with them would make me want to cry. ;) And throw myself (or them) off a bridge. You have my greatest respect! :worship:

LOL, Thanks!

Believe me, I have threatened to send them to Abu Dabi, postage paid. LOL
But all in all, taking seven of them to Disney is no different than doing anything with seven of them, so we don't mind.

The inlaws thing may have been our fatal flaw in the plan, but that remains to be seen. Dh keeps saying "Why are we doing this again?" :rolleyes1

Thanks for reading!

[Sorsha]

[QUOTE=DisneyMom5;19845471]Believe me, I have threatened to send them to Abu Dabi, postage paid. LOL But all in all, taking seven of them to Disney is no different than doing anything with seven of them, so we don't mind.QUOTE]

I always tell my kids that I am going to pack them in a box and mail them off to Uncle Josh (my younger brother - doing his MD residency in Vermont, who is at the moment childless, expecting his first baby in January). Uncle Josh, upon hearing about this plan, told them No Way! He said he would mark the box "Return to Sender" and toss it back in the mailbox. My oldest says that this would end up being FAR too long being in the box, and my middle DD says we better remember to pack snacks. LOL His wife says wait till about February when she is in the throes of new-baby-no-sleep-and-poopy-diapers and she may just trade me, straight across. I may take her up on that... ;)

[Redbudlover]

So I am here enjoying the heck out of this TR and I get to the bottom of page 5 and :confused: no page 6. No page 6?:scared1: Is this all I get to read today? OMG. OK, OK, Subscribing. Love this report!

[DisneyMom5]

So I am here enjoying the heck out of this TR and I get to the bottom of page 5 and :confused: no page 6. No page 6?:scared1: Is this all I get to read today? OMG. OK, OK, Subscribing. Love this report!

:scared:

Wow, there's no pressure in that, is there? LOL

Welcome!!!

Hmmm....I'll have to come up with some stuff to fill in until Sept.

[DisneyMom5]

Here's a couple of updates:

1) Had an afternoon playdate with hkite (from here on the DIS) and her kids and exhausted ourselves talking about all things Disney. Good times, good times. :goodvibes

2) My BIL still does not have permission to take vacation the week we are going to WDW. Stay tuned to see what happens there.
We are really hoping they change their minds.
[If you are the praying type, send up a little prayer that he can go, as his kids really have their hearts set on it.]

3) My credit card was only charged for the lesser amount. Whew. I think I can safely tell John about the situation now. :rotfl:

4) As a precursor to packing, I am going to attempt to fit princess dresses into larger size ziplocs and see if they fit in our backpack.
It will fill my need to do something active for this trip, as well as answer the burning question we all have: What do we do with the stinkin princess dresses when we are through with the breakfast?

5) My mom thinks she is getting a kidney stone. More prayers appreciated on that one. We really don't want to be spending our trip in the ER with her, and we really want her to go. :rolleyes1

There ya go. Brief updates are still good, right? :wizard:

[mikep_97]

As I sit here with tears in my eyes, I am so thankful to have little Inquisitor in our lives. He's such a special little guy and it's hard to believe we almost lost him. *sigh*

On a lighter note- vomit on hotel sheets, how great is that?! We've been there, but not at Disney, thankfully!

I think them fancified Disney folks call that a "proteen speel".

Visit my pre-trip report at http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1522596

[mvazul]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed your BIL gets the time off. How can anyone tell a father he can't go to Disney with his kids??? :confused3 Heartless people, I tell ya!! ;)

Also, keeping your mom in my thoughts and prayers. Here's hoping all goes well with her. :hug:

[DisneyMom5]

Hicks on Hold, part 3 - Revenge of the ADRs:
CMs know me by name, and did I mention we have food allergies?

So I didn't really follow through on the last post.
Yes, I admit it, I forgot some things.

You see, after my mom agreed to go and I had all the hotel ressies in place, I remembered something.
Our ADRs were for 15.

:teacher:
Let's do that math one more time.
9 of us
+
MIL & FIL = 2
+
SIL, BIL and Kids = 4
+
Mom
=
16!!!!

Sigh. So I guess I have to call Grand Gatherings again.

For those keeping track:
Called once for first ADRs.
Called again for second week of ADRs.
Do believe I called a third time for ADRs when I realized we would have 11 nights of free dining instead of 10.
Called twice for original ressies.
Called again, about three times, to try and change my ILs room to standard from preferred.

Thinking about our ADRs I realized that the first week would not be a problem.
Going from 15 to 16 doesn't change the fact that you use two eight tops. So we should be good there.
Just hoping that going from 9 to 10 is just as easy.

I give them a call, and we add one person to each of the ressies, with no problem. I am happy with that.

Or so I thought.

When I had some time to think, I start to get nervous about one of the ADRs.

I am concerned about our ressie for Biergarten. I know the tables seat eight.
I wasn't too worried about that before, because I figured with the baby in a high chair, we could squeeze in.

But now that I was adding in my mom, I was concerned that we would have separate tables.

I just don't want to be spread out like that.

I do a little menu research online, and decide to try for Coral Reef.
John and kids are cool with that, as they like the idea of the aquarium.

I give Disney a call, and get the same CM I had for our hotel ressies the second time.

How do I know it's the same CM?

1) Unusual name.

2) She graduated from my dh's university, so we had a long drawn out conversation.

I say "I think I talked to you the other week.'

She says "Probably not, there is over a 1000 of us working here."

"Well, aren't you the one that graduated from Western?"

:eek:
"YES! Wow, what are the chances."

Well lady, when you have called as many times as I have, they seem to be pretty good.

[Her name was Adriana, I think, and she was an EXCELLENT CM.]

We cancel our 4:00 ressie for Biergarten and get a 5:00 ressie at Coral Reef.

I am happy with that.

Or maybe not.
:rolleyes1

A few weeks later I am looking at the menus once again, doing a fun game I like to call "What am I going to eat at WDW,"
when I notice that the Coral Reef menu has changed.
And all of the items I had wanted to try, are now gone.
:confused3
How can that be?
I think there is a conspiracy afoot.

I mope around about this for a few days, paralyzed by the idea of changing our ADRs ONCE AGAIN. :headache:

I finally hash it out with John, and we come up with some options:

1) Stay at Coral Reef. - Not my fav idea, but I could deal.

2) Switch to a MGM restaurant. -
Of the restaurants there, we already have an ADR for H & V,
we do not care for Sci Fi,
John is askeerd of 50's PT (he doesn't play well with others LOL),
and HW brown derby is a 2 TS.
What does that leave? Mama Melrose's.
John is not a big fan of Italian food, but he does like chicken parmigana, so he accepts this as an option.

3) Try to get into Le Cellier for a late lunch. - Not highly likely at this point, and we already have one ADR there.

4) Pick another Epcot or Epcot area restaurant - We already have an ADR for R & C, and nothing else appeals to us.

5) Go back to Biergarten. - there was a reason I cancelled here, but maybe we would be ok?

We talk it over, and John is open to anything, even considering MM's, but then, at the last minute, [as I mentioned in my chapter entitled BEER] John decides that Biergarten was indeed the way to go.

So I call Grand Gatherings back AGAIN, and ask if there is any chance that we could get an early dinner ADR for Biergarten for 10 people.
And what do you think is available?
The EXACT ADR I had given up over a month before!
:cool1:

[I later find out on the DIS that there are a few 10 tops at Biergarten, and I am holding out hope that since we have the earliest seating that they will put us at one of these.]

Ok, we are set.

The only other momentary panic I had was that our Chef Mickey's dinner ADR was too late at 6:40.
I called a few weeks ago to see if there was anything earlier.
The earliest available for 16 was 8:50 pm!!! :scared1:

Ah, that's ok, I'll keep my 6:40.

And one last matter. DS8 and DD almost 3 have a sensitivity to wheat.
DS also has tested positive for peanuts. So they avoid those foods.
Which makes life interesting.
But like many have said, WDW is a haven for food allergies.

Here on the DIS I got the info on how to contact Brenda Bennet, someone in the Special foods dept.

She emailed me back a rather short form email, telling me she had forwarded our concerns to the chefs involved.

I felt rather slighted that everyone else seemed to think she was a wealth of info, and I got this measely email.

Then a few weeks go by, and I read about someone getting so much info from Brenda Bennet in an ATTACHMENT.

DOH!!!

:rolleyes:

I didn't think to check for an attachment.
Thankfully, I had saved her email, and sure enough, there was a lovely seven document attachment.
Listing all the safe foods in WDW, including all of our options at our sit-down restaurants.
Wow!!!

So needless to say, the kids are geeked about seeing Mickey AND getting to have some items they normally wouldn't get. :goodvibes

[If any of you need the contact info, let me know and I will get it to you.]

So, anyway, if my mom keeps from having a major Kidney stone attack (and finally sends in her payment) AND my BIL manages to get the time off, we should be all set.

Still waiting to pack....Sigh....

Next up: It's the Final Countdown...:rolleyes1

[hkite]

Next up: It's the Final Countdown...:rolleyes1

Great, now I've got that song going through my head. dee dee dee daaaaah, dee dee dee dee deeee. I

I hope your mom's all right and able to go with you!!

I'm thinking you should come along with us on our trip in May. You are a great planner!!
:worship:

I had a great time at your house, discussing all things Disney. I hope my kids didn't mess up your gas pipes!

[whogirl'smom]

I just love your planning, so don't feel bad about all the calls for new ADRs. There are only three of us and I have called to change one, or several, ADRs four times! I really think I am done now. At first I had to give up my LeCellier dinner (:sad1: ) to put Narcoossee's on that day, so we take a L.C. lunch. Then, when I call back a couple weeks later to add an ADR, the CM checks Le Cellier and there is a 6:10 dinner available for the day I want!!:cheer2: I just keep looking at all the food porn and counting Weight Watcher points, and it makes me hungry, so I change my mind!:rotfl: And then I found out you can get Tonga Toast at Capt. Cooks for a CS credit, so I cancelled Kona.....you know how it is.

I hope MIL is on the mend to enjoy the trip!:flower3:

Hey, are you making matching T-shirts for everyone? The Creative DISign board is fantastic--I got hooked this week and a couple of people made designs for our upcoming trip that were too cool! And Michael's has t-shirts 5 for $10 this week! (Just in case you didn't have enough to do:rolleyes1 ).

[DisneyMom5]

Great, now I've got that song going through my head. dee dee dee daaaaah, dee dee dee dee deeee. I

I hope your mom's all right and able to go with you!!

I'm thinking you should come along with us on our trip in May. You are a great planner!!
:worship:

I had a great time at your house, discussing all things Disney. I hope my kids didn't mess up your gas pipes!

I sure wish I could go again in May! Sounds like your particular house will have room.

No, your kids didn't hurt anything. ["Mess up your gas pipes" sounds like some sort of code. LOL]
Don't flatter yourself that your two piddly kids would have more destructive force than my seven. :lmao:
;)

I just love your planning, so don't feel bad about all the calls for new ADRs. There are only three of us and I have called to change one, or several, ADRs four times! I really think I am done now. At first I had to give up my LeCellier dinner (:sad1: ) to put Narcoossee's on that day, so we take a L.C. lunch. Then, when I call back a couple weeks later to add an ADR, the CM checks Le Cellier and there is a 6:10 dinner available for the day I want!!:cheer2: I just keep looking at all the food porn and counting Weight Watcher points, and it makes me hungry, so I change my mind!:rotfl: And then I found out you can get Tonga Toast at Capt. Cooks for a CS credit, so I cancelled Kona.....you know how it is.

I hope MIL is on the mend to enjoy the trip!:flower3:

Hey, are you making matching T-shirts for everyone? The Creative DISign board is fantastic--I got hooked this week and a couple of people made designs for our upcoming trip that were too cool! And Michael's has t-shirts 5 for $10 this week! (Just in case you didn't have enough to do:rolleyes1 ).

Looks like you ended up with dinner at LC, but wanted to say that lunch there was awesome.
Not sure why people think lunch is a step down, except that a lot of people want to eat the mushroom filet, which is only available at dinner. I personally am having dinner there, but want the plain filet that is only available at lunch. Go figure! :confused3

NO, I haven't entered the insanity that is "DIS botique."
Hkite, the post above you, is the queen of the Disney design. She needs to go into business and Ebay the stuff. [hint, hint]
I feel I am doing pretty good to have one set of mickey shirts that match for almost everyone in our group.
And I got those for between $5 and $13, depending on the sale and the size.
Which is pretty good, I think.

The rest of the days we're going to try and wear similar colors. Or themes. Like one day the ladies are wearing white shirts, the girl's with princess or tink (I have Eyeore, but it's white) and the guys are wearing grey, the boy's with a Buzz Lightyear design.

I wanted to go buy shirts for another day, but dh says we already have enough shirts. Even if they don't match. Sigh. :sad2:

Oh, and just for the record, no matter what I said, it's my mom that has kidney stone issues, not MIL. She actually is in pretty good health right now. (That's info that will make a great future post, so I won't elaborate right now. ;) )

Off to ds's therapy. See you all later!

[Piglets Mommy]

Wow! Great pre-trippie! We are taking my MIL and FIL in Dec. I am confident planning for my family, but the in-laws can be a bit picky, so I've been nervous about that. I'm curious to see how things play out with the food allergies....my DS is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. Keep us posted on how everything works out with that for you.

How's your Mom Doing? I'm praying that she's ok and able to travel.
Hope your BIL is able to get off work...How dare they try to stand between a Dad and a trip to WDW:scared1:

I can't wait to read more...you are very entertaining!

[Database]

Great Pre-trippie!

Now off to find Brenda Bennet's contact information.:goodvibes

[winkers]

I just have one question...............when you're on the phone with disney for so long are you constantly pestered by your kids? Mine seem to have this homeing device that if I get on the phone they all need my attention right that second!:)

Reading about your last trip and it's less than magical moments, I can so relate!

[Pixiedust34]

I can't wait to read the trip report after you come home from your vacation!

[DisneyMom5]

Wow! Great pre-trippie! We are taking my MIL and FIL in Dec. I am confident planning for my family, but the in-laws can be a bit picky, so I've been nervous about that. I'm curious to see how things play out with the food allergies....my DS is allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. Keep us posted on how everything works out with that for you.

How's your Mom Doing? I'm praying that she's ok and able to travel.
Hope your BIL is able to get off work...How dare they try to stand between a Dad and a trip to WDW:scared1:

I can't wait to read more...you are very entertaining!

My mom is doing much better, but she fell down the stairs the other day. :scared1:
No harm done, but she called me curious if WDW had wheelchairs, just in case she does anything worse.

Bad news on BIL's bosses -- they say no go! :sad2:

They are being really (fill in favorite saying here.) Phooey.

Great Pre-trippie!

Now off to find Brenda Bennet's contact information.:goodvibes

She is very helpful! Enjoy!

I just have one question...............when you're on the phone with disney for so long are you constantly pestered by your kids? Mine seem to have this homeing device that if I get on the phone they all need my attention right that second!:)

Reading about your last trip and it's less than magical moments, I can so relate!

They weren't too bad. DD13 knows how important this is, so she corrals them while I hide upstairs with the phone.

I can't wait to read the trip report after you come home from your vacation!

Thanks Kell! Glad to see you over "here."

[Piglets Mommy]

My mom is doing much better, but she fell down the stairs the other day. :scared1:
No harm done, but she called me curious if WDW had wheelchairs, just in case she does anything worse.

Bad news on BIL's bosses -- they say no go! :sad2:

They are being really (fill in favorite saying here.) Phooey.


I'm glad your Mom is doing good! Hopefully she won't need that wheelchair, but I'm sure knowing she can have one if needed will give her peace of mind.

That's too bad that BIL can't get out of work. Is the rest of his family going, or do they all have to cancel?

[mvazul]

My mom is doing much better, but she fell down the stairs the other day. :scared1:
No harm done, but she called me curious if WDW had wheelchairs, just in case she does anything worse.

Bad news on BIL's bosses -- they say no go! :sad2:

They are being really (fill in favorite saying here.) Phooey.



OMGness!!! :eek: So sorry to hear about your mother's fall. Glad to hear she is doing better otherwise.

That just plain sucks about your BIL's bosses. :sad2:

[DisneyMom5]

I'm glad your Mom is doing good! Hopefully she won't need that wheelchair, but I'm sure knowing she can have one if needed will give her peace of mind.

That's too bad that BIL can't get out of work. Is the rest of his family going, or do they all have to cancel?

SIL and kids are still going, since they are riding with MIL/FIL.
The bummer is that BIL didn't want to go in the first place, and we guilted him into it by saying his kid's were only young once, yada yada, and now he wants to go and can't. :sad2:

OMGness!!! :eek: So sorry to hear about your mother's fall. Glad to hear she is doing better otherwise.

That just plain sucks about your BIL's bosses. :sad2:

Thanks for the sympathy! :goodvibes

Hoping a packet from WDW comes for us today! :wizard:

[Foxfiregrrl]

Hi, Sarah! I'm on a mission to check out all of the GLOW Party Peeps Pre-Trippies. I have really enjoyed reading all about your family, your previous trips and your plans for this trip!

I agree with what previous posters have said... Bless you for having 7 kids and not losing your mind! :worship: :worship: DH and I have none as of yet. I've always thought I would enjoy a house full, but DH has made it VERY clear that 2 is the limit unless we have twins or something on the second :rotfl: I think I can live with that though :thumbsup2

I am keen to hear how it goes with the In Laws and your mom on the trip. We are in a similar situation (minus any kids). My parents and my MIL are coming with us. It was actually my suggestion to bring MIL along, but now I'm starting to think it may have been a BAD idea :sad2: Oh well, its Disney so it will be fun NO matter what.

That really stinks about your BIL's work!! :wizard: :wizard: pixiedust: pixiedust: That they will have a change of heart!!

Can't wait to meet you guys!! Not too far out now!! :woohoo: :woohoo:

[JulieAnn]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing!

[DisneyMom5]

Hi, Sarah! I'm on a mission to check out all of the GLOW Party Peeps Pre-Trippies. I have really enjoyed reading all about your family, your previous trips and your plans for this trip!

I agree with what previous posters have said... Bless you for having 7 kids and not losing your mind! :worship: :worship:

What makes you think I HAVEN'T?!? I have been known to take 7 kids to WDW. :3dglasses

DH and I have none as of yet. I've always thought I would enjoy a house full, but DH has made it VERY clear that 2 is the limit unless we have twins or something on the second :rotfl: I think I can live with that though :thumbsup2

I can tell you without a doubt, that you will never regret having kids, and I have never heard ANYONE say they wish they had had fewer kids, but I HAVE heard people say they wish they had had more. It's a hard decision, but the payoff is great! :)
Blessings as you head down that path (eventually! LOL)

I am keen to hear how it goes with the In Laws and your mom on the trip. We are in a similar situation (minus any kids). My parents and my MIL are coming with us. It was actually my suggestion to bring MIL along, but now I'm starting to think it may have been a BAD idea :sad2: Oh well, its Disney so it will be fun NO matter what.

That really stinks about your BIL's work!! :wizard: :wizard: pixiedust: pixiedust: That they will have a change of heart!!

Can't wait to meet you guys!! Not too far out now!! :woohoo: :woohoo:
By the time we get to the Pop Glow party, the ILs will have left. I'll update you then. :rolleyes1

1 month, 2 weeks = around 44 days! :woohoo:

[DisneyMom5]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing!

I'm seeing you all over the place! :rotfl:

Welcome!

[Foxfiregrrl]

How cool, I was multiple quoted! :cool1:

We are planning to try to start our family soon. We actually had said last year that we would start trying around March of this year, but a few things changed. Our current plan is to probably start trying after Disney.... or at Disney :thumbsup2 wouldn't that be a Wonderful suvineer(sp?)!!:cool2:

I can't wait to have my own crew of kids (no matter how small or large) to take to Disney!! I get so excited reading about everyone else's plans for their children's trips! :yay: :yay:

See ya later!

[1rockinmamato2]

I'm enjoying your report!

You had me at "Done Brung the Kin Folk." :rotfl2:

[DisneyMom5]

I'm enjoying your report!

You had me at "Done Brung the Kin Folk." :rotfl2:

Wait 'til ya meet them a little better after the trip...:rolleyes1

Again, WELCOME!!! :dance3:

[disneykate28]

Great report! Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

[DisneyMom5]

Great report! Can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

Thanks! We have a Kate at our house too. :goodvibes

Welcome! :wizard:

[eeyore45]

I made it Sarah (and I thought I quoted a couple of great areas of your reports!!)

1. Have you heard of "Miracle Camp"? Its up there near Kalamazoo - dd is an alone type child - and heard about it and took off!!

2. BEER?? :rotfl2: You didnt mention that about your dh in your resume for him on the Pop Meet thread!! at F&W there is a "free beer seminar" your dh and mine can hook up in EPCOT that one day!!

3. You got matching shirts?? and Princess Dresses??

YOU ARE WOMAN!!

:worship:

oh, I remembered - my ds 21 (22 on Sat!) had a kidney stone - I sure hope its all ok - this last year he thought he had another one, but apparently he only had the pain of a kidney stone???

HIcksville - :rotfl2: I REMEMBER... :rotfl2: VFW reception - hey that's what we did - but we didnt honeymoon in a fancy WDW, nope we went to the Indiana State Fair!! :rotfl2:

10 1/2 # babies - yep been there, done that - no drugs!! (I only have 3, but they were all over 10 1/2# - and I will add I was pregnant 7 times, but am blessed with 3!) THey have big heads these babies!! And all are such blessings!! You truly can do all things with His help!!

I'm sure there was something else I wanted to comment on, but I cant remember stuff well anymore!! :rotfl:

[DisneyMom5]

I made it Sarah (and I thought I quoted a couple of great areas of your reports!!)

Welcome Sandy!

1. Have you heard of "Miracle Camp"? Its up there near Kalamazoo - dd is an alone type child - and heard about it and took off!!
That sounds a bit familiar. What kind of camp is it


2. BEER?? :rotfl2: You didnt mention that about your dh in your resume for him on the Pop Meet thread!! at F&W there is a "free beer seminar" your dh and mine can hook up in EPCOT that one day!!

No, I should have!
I think F&W technically starts after we leave on the 27th?
There's a lot of stuff dh and I would do if it were just us, but we are having a good time enjoying the kids at WDW and doing what they want.

3. You got matching shirts?? and Princess Dresses??

YOU ARE WOMAN!! :worship:

Thank you, thank you very much.

[Side note: I probably will have my Hick membership revoked for this, but I am not a fan of either Elvis, OR NASCAR. Shhhhh.]

Did I mention the shirts were only $5 a piece? The princess dresses were also inexpensive Christmas gifts. The secret to shopping DisneyShopping is to watch the sales, and combine them with a shipping deal. Clearance too.



oh, I remembered - my ds 21 (22 on Sat!) had a kidney stone - I sure hope its all ok - this last year he thought he had another one, but apparently he only had the pain of a kidney stone???

My mom seems to be doing better.
I wish she was more enthused about the trip, but then again, my family is all about the under-reacting, DH's family is more into the drama.
It's a catch-22. Neither is attitude is perfect, but they have their pros and cons. :confused3


HIcksville - :rotfl2: I REMEMBER... :rotfl2: VFW reception - hey that's what we did - but we didnt honeymoon in a fancy WDW, nope we went to the Indiana State Fair!! :rotfl2:

You are so lucky. I've never been to the Indiana State Fair. :lmao:

We really felt like we were living high on the hog with our $600 honeymoon. We had wedding money burning a hole in our pockets, and a tank full of gas. Whoo hoo.
I had never gotten a hotel room before, which made for all kinds of embarrasment. :rolleyes:
[I'm not the best with the words thing in personal type situations in which I am inexperienced. Sigh]

On the way to Orlando, we stayed at a Howard Johnson for $39 dollars, and it was swanky and had a King size bed and everything! Those were the days.

10 1/2 # babies - yep been there, done that - no drugs!! (I only have 3, but they were all over 10 1/2# - and I will add I was pregnant 7 times, but am blessed with 3!) THey have big heads these babies!! And all are such blessings!!

We are blessed to have carried all our babies to term.
2 were over 10lb. But I didn't have drugs with either, so that's something, right? Good thing I was with the midwife both times, as a dr. would have had my 2 c-section self into surgery so fast if they had known the girl's sizes.

You truly can do all things with His help!!
HE is the only reason I can do anything! People say "How do you do it?" I don't. ;)


I'm sure there was something else I wanted to comment on, but I cant remember stuff well anymore!! :rotfl:

Hey, chime in any time. I like the attention. :rotfl:

Welcome again! :wizard:

[eeyore45]

Hope your mom continues to improve - DS doctors (after many tests, mri etc) decided it was a pulled muscle!! (again, he had a kidney stone so large that after the stent, he had to go into that shockwave pool to have the stone break! I would think he would know what a stone felt like!)

either way, I'm sure the pain takes a lot out of a person!!

I LOVE the sales at Disneyshopping - I still cant believe the Tinkerbelle lamps I got for $11 shipped!! but I dont see my family wearing the matching shirts - even if I got them for free!! :rotfl: DH loves to go into a redneck scenario - people here take themselves way too seriously!! (We're not into Nascar at all - but I do enjoy watching the last 10 min of the Indy 500 race!! ;) )

I actually had a midwife for my first baby!! She was part of the ob/gyn practice - it was a blessing having her be with us!!

Miracle Camp is a Christian Camp near PawPaw MI - I dont know I got off at PawPaw drove south for a long way till I came to a sign turned left went a long way down that road till I eventually came upon the camp!! She's 10 and most camps wanted them to be 12 to keep them for a week - this one took the kids at 10 - turned out her week lots of kids from Mennonite churches were there!! We're Lutheran, but I spent a lot of time questioning the camp on procedures and doctrine and finally went on pure faith, and DD faith that this is where she needed to be that week - it truly is a blessing!!

I have to tell you our Redneck night at the Howard Johnson's (no lie, it was in Portage IN right off I94!! :rotfl2: ) Well someone grabbed a bottle of champagne, which we now know isnt champagne, it was "Cold Duck" by Andre (maybe $1.99 a bottle mind you!) well we opened it, had a glass, decided that plastic cork would go back on the bottle, and kept it chilled in the bathroom sink...

Around 3 or 4 am (we were peacefully sleeping) BAM whooosh!! Yep the pressure in the bottle exploded the cork!! :rotfl2: Boy did that bathroom smell!! :rotfl2: 26 years( next week actually!) later, we still laugh at not knowing it wasnt wine - but Co2!!

37 DAYS for me - you'll be in the world sooner than that!!

[DisneyMom5]

Hope your mom continues to improve - DS doctors (after many tests, mri etc) decided it was a pulled muscle!! (again, he had a kidney stone so large that after the stent, he had to go into that shockwave pool to have the stone break! I would think he would know what a stone felt like!)

either way, I'm sure the pain takes a lot out of a person!!

The only time I have ever seen my dad look gray was when he had a kidney stone. He's a pretty healthy guy, thankfully!


I LOVE the sales at Disneyshopping - I still cant believe the Tinkerbelle lamps I got for $11 shipped!! but I dont see my family wearing the matching shirts - even if I got them for free!! :rotfl: DH loves to go into a redneck scenario - people here take themselves way too seriously!! (We're not into Nascar at all - but I do enjoy watching the last 10 min of the Indy 500 race!! ;) )

Did I mention that dh is refusing to wear a matching Mickey shirt? So SIL found him a plain shirt the same color. Dh doesn't play well with others. :cool2:
LOL
That's what he wants people to think--he's actually a big marshmallow and much more likely to have a conversation with strangers than I am. :rolleyes1

I actually had a midwife for my first baby!! She was part of the ob/gyn practice - it was a blessing having her be with us!!

Miracle Camp is a Christian Camp near PawPaw MI - I dont know I got off at PawPaw drove south for a long way till I came to a sign turned left went a long way down that road till I eventually came upon the camp!! She's 10 and most camps wanted them to be 12 to keep them for a week - this one took the kids at 10 - turned out her week lots of kids from Mennonite churches were there!! We're Lutheran, but I spent a lot of time questioning the camp on procedures and doctrine and finally went on pure faith, and DD faith that this is where she needed to be that week - it truly is a blessing!!

I think I do know where that is. Near Lawton.
I grew up Lutheran and married a sort of Baptist, :scared1: so I always think I have an interesting combo of doctrine. LOL

I have to tell you our Redneck night at the Howard Johnson's (no lie, it was in Portage IN right off I94!! :rotfl2: ) Well someone grabbed a bottle of champagne, which we now know isnt champagne, it was "Cold Duck" by Andre (maybe $1.99 a bottle mind you!) well we opened it, had a glass, decided that plastic cork would go back on the bottle, and kept it chilled in the bathroom sink... Around 3 or 4 am (we were peacefully sleeping) BAM whooosh!! Yep the pressure in the bottle exploded the cork!! :rotfl2: Boy did that bathroom smell!! :rotfl2: 26 years( next week actually!) later, we still laugh at not knowing it wasnt wine - but Co2!!



We brought a cooler of leftovers from the wedding--Thanksgiving Turkey and works -- because a friend suggested it, and my mom and her friends WAY over packed (apparently honeymoons cause you to eat like lumberjacks :rolleyes: ) and then we couldn't stand the sight of it and didn't eat any of it.
Our actual trip hotel was a Holiday Inn. :snooty:

37 DAYS for me - you'll be in the world sooner than that!!

We leave a month from tomorrow, and it also happens to be dd3's b-day. A good day all around! :cool1:

[DisneyMom5]

Hello all! Thought I'd pop in here on DAY 18 of my countdown to our WDW trip and give a few updates:

1) My mom seems to be all better.

2) My SIL fell down last week and re-injured her knee.
Three years ago she was hit by a car which jumped a curve and came up on a sidewalk into a crowd of people waiting for a school bus. She was hit while pushing several kids, including her own dd, out of the way. She was in the hospital for a couple of months, and still has lingering physical issues.
[This was all a couple of weeks before our son was hurt, so the ILs had a really tough summer that year.]
She is keeping the knee elevated and icing it, so we are holding out hope it will be close to 100% when we go. Looking into a GAC card for her as standing for long times is hard on her.

3) MIL is in the hospital for kidney problems and heart problems stemming from the kidney not working right. Dr. says he will do everything possible to make sure she can go on her trip.

It has been a ROUGH week around here. We are still believing we are going, but really stressed about all of this.

On a good note, we found live365 Mouseworld radio and are loving hearing all the park music.

All of our documents have also arrived!

I have many things packed [John gave me the look but I just said "yeah, I'm packing already. Wanna make something of it?" :rolleyes1 ]

Have a HUGE shopping list of last minute things to get, and need to start this weekend [YIKES].

AND, I bought a new camera with a 1gb card, so I hope to have plenty of pics to share.

Thanks all for sticking with me.
Less than 3 weeks and I'm there!
:wizard:

[whogirl'smom]

Wow, your family sounds like my family; always somebody to worry about.:sad2: Glad to hear that your mom is better, though! I already have our matching t-shirts folded and ready to pack and we don't leave for 6 weeks, so I'm with you on packing early! Can't wait for your trip to begin!!!!:goodvibes

[eeyore45]

:wave: Sarah I was wondering if you had an update for us, you have so much spare time after all!!!

Now about that shopping list...

I'm stressing over one child not wanting to get on a plane - so I have nothing packed and dont even know where to begin!!

I do hope all your worries will subside and you're magical vacation goes off without a hitch!! pixiedust:

[DisneyMom5]

Wow, your family sounds like my family; always somebody to worry about.:sad2: Glad to hear that your mom is better, though! I already have our matching t-shirts folded and ready to pack and we don't leave for 6 weeks, so I'm with you on packing early! Can't wait for your trip to begin!!!!:goodvibes

I've noticed I'm not the only obsessive packer on this board. :rolleyes1
It's like a support group for obsessive planners and packers, but instead of curing us it feeds the obsession. Well, I'm not complaining! :thumbsup2

:wave: Sarah I was wondering if you had an update for us, you have so much spare time after all!!!

Now about that shopping list...

I'm stressing over one child not wanting to get on a plane - so I have nothing packed and dont even know where to begin!!

I do hope all your worries will subside and you're magical vacation goes off without a hitch!! pixiedust:

I've been feeling for you and your plane dilemma. Hoping she relaxes enough to get you down there! I bet if you loaded her in our van with the 10 of us, the plane would look better and better. :rotfl:

[SueM in MN]

She is keeping the knee elevated and icing it, so we are holding out hope it will be close to 100% when we go. Looking into a GAC card for her as standing for long times is hard on her.
If standing for long times is hard for her, she should look into renting either a wheelchair or an ECV. A GAC (Guest Assistance Card) is a tool to let CMs know what the person's needs are and may not really help her at all if standing is her main problem. A GAC would not give her anywhere to sit and there are many attractions where there is no seating while you are waiting (none of the shows or tours have seating in line unless you bring it with you).
In most cases, people with endurance needs/concerns are given the suggestion to rent an ECV or wheelchair because someone who is concerned about the lines is also going to have problems getting from place to place and waiting in other lines where the GAC is not used.

There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards and wheelchairs/ECVs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the disABILITIES Board.

[DisneyMom5]

If standing for long times is hard for her, she should look into renting either a wheelchair or an ECV. A GAC (Guest Assistance Card) is a tool to let CMs know what the person's needs are and may not really help her at all if standing is her main problem. A GAC would not give her anywhere to sit and there are many attractions where there is no seating while you are waiting (none of the shows or tours have seating in line unless you bring it with you).
In most cases, people with endurance needs/concerns are given the suggestion to rent an ECV or wheelchair because someone who is concerned about the lines is also going to have problems getting from place to place and waiting in other lines where the GAC is not used.

There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards and wheelchairs/ECVs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the disABILITIES Board.

Thanks Sue! I didn't read this thread first when I got online and posted a question about just that on the disABILITIES board. Thanks for the info.

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the update, Sarah! I hope everyone is feeling better soon, so you can all enjoy the trip. You are definitely not the only obsessive packer around....I've had some things packed for our December trip since June....We're really not gonna wear our Mickey Santa hats and Christmas sweaters between now and then, are we???:rolleyes1

[DisneyMom5]

Thanks for the update, Sarah! I hope everyone is feeling better soon, so you can all enjoy the trip. You are definitely not the only obsessive packer around....I've had some things packed for our December trip since June....We're really not gonna wear our Mickey Santa hats and Christmas sweaters between now and then, are we???:rolleyes1

LOL
Well I should hope not on the Christmas stuff. :goodvibes

I want to pack more, but I've been dealing with all the stuff that goes along with having a relative in the hosp. Sigh
Oh well, two more weeks...:wizard:

[1rockinmamato2]

Giving you a bump and telling you how jealous I am that your trip is coming up so soon!

Not much longer for you now! :banana:

[DisneyMom5]

Giving you a bump and telling you how jealous I am that your trip is coming up so soon!

Not much longer for you now! :banana:

Thanks, we are getting excited! :cool1:

It would be a lot more fun waiting if we weren't dealing with my MIL being ill. It will take a miracle for her to go with us at this point, though I'm not ruling that out.

I am getting more of the packing/planning/shopping stuff done. Don't want to wait to the very last minute.
And we went ahead and booked a flight for my SIL and her kids, because no matter what the ILs are not driving down now. So at least that's taken care of. She will leave a day after us, and arrive several hours before us. LOL

12 more days until we leave Michigan.

[annie1995]

Hey we will be at POP almost the same times!!!! Loving your report!!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Hey we will be at POP almost the same times!!!! Loving your report!!!!

Are you in the Pop Glow party group on the 22nd?

I have an 8 yo ds also.

Welcome to my report! :goodvibes

[annie1995]

Are you in the Pop Glow party group on the 22nd?

I have an 8 yo ds also.

Welcome to my report! :goodvibes

Yup, we are gonna try and make it!!!! I see you are from Michigan!!! We are too!!!! Hope to see you there!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Yup, we are gonna try and make it!!!! I see you are from Michigan!!! We are too!!!! Hope to see you there!!!

Well, without getting too specific, where are you at?

We are in the SW section of the mitten. Very close to Indiana.

We'll have to compare notes at the party. :cool1:

[DisneyMom5]

It's the final countdown...doo do doo doo....
(hard to do 80's rock with only words)

Well...the time has come...to start that final countdown from 10 to WDW!

In 10 days, God willing, we will be leaving for WDW.

Actually it's 9 days, 7 hours, and 35 minutes. But whose counting? :lmao:

Our crew has been reduced by three from our original 16. As I mentioned earlier, BIL could not get the time off of work. Now MIL and FIL have cancelled due to MIL's illness. We are bummed.
We are also thankful that her condition is stable enough that at this point we feel comfortable in still going.

We are waiting with baited breath to find out if my mom can still go, as she has had some health issues the past week also. I guess we should have tried this year's ago, when we all were a bit younger!

Also, SIL decided to fly, so although she will be leaving a day after we do, she will arrive in Orlando approximately 4 hours before we do. Lucky girl!
She is only staying the first week, and then she has to get her kids back to school.
(Again, may I expound upon the virtues of homeschooling, and the flexibility it lends to travel? But I digres....)

So our new cast of characters are:
Me (Sarah) - Mom and trip planner

DH (John, aka Ninja Boy, aka Indiana Jones) - hubby and trip payer.

Disney Girl - My 13yo dd.

The Chef - My 11yo ds.

Danger Boy - My ds, 8.

The Inquisitor- My 6yo ds.

Princess K - 4yo dd.

Bitsy - DD, 3yo.

Babycakes - DD1, this is her first trip.

Mom - My mom, who has never gone on any such excursion before, and will be with us for the whole 14 days (11 nights at WDW.)
IF she gets back up to speed where health issues are concerned!
(These parents are giving ME heart attacks!)

SIL - Hmmm, I haven't come up with a good nickname. Maybe she'll earn one on the trip.
She's the one that fell down and hurt her knee a couple of weeks ago.
She's feeling much better, and if we need to get her a wheelchair some days, we'll do it.

Nephew - Almost 9 yo. I'll call him Stitch, because that is his favorite character.

And last but not least, Niece - 10.5 yo. I'll call her Pocohontas. That's her fav too.

So there ya go. Suitcases are almost packed, new camera purchase, photopass pre-purchased, SIL's flight booked, LGMH pilferred from Home Depot....

Thanks for sticking with us this far!

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the update! So sorry to hear your MIL won't make the trip. she and your Mom are in my prayers for continued recovery.:grouphug:

[DisneyMom5]

Laundry Quandry...

Since we have discussed laundry before, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what it takes to get ready for a trip like this.

Yesterday I managed to do 4 loads of laundry, and today I am doing at least one. (We have to be gone most of the afternoon.)

While packing the other day, I started to do the math:

45 pairs of socks
45 pairs of underwear
32 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of pants (Daddy doesn't do shorts.)
36 t-shirts
18 pairs of pjs
9 bathing suits
9 pairs of sandals
And that's with doing laundry at Pop. Whew.

With my mom's stuff we will have 4 large suitcases, and 2 carry-ons.
7 backpacks and 2 tote bags of travel activities. (the kids each get to pack their own, plus I bring stuff.)
Hard sided cooler for in the van
Small soft sided cooler for in the parks
1 back pack/diaper bag for in the parks.
2 Fanny packs and one purse for in the parks
Several cameras
several pillows

We DON'T have personal gaming systems, mp3 players, or a dvd system.
We feel if the books and games we bring along are not entertaining enough, they can always look out the window, because that picture changes all the time. :lmao:

We're planning on leaving at 4 am on Saturday. John is used to going to work at that time, so we might as well get up and get moving. We're hoping to get to our first's night stop by supper time.

Then dinner, hit the pool, get some sleep, up by 6 am, and we're off for a short 8-10 hour drive to WDW!!! :woohoo:

I'll probably check in once more before we leave.
Off to pack more! :thumbsup2

[teresajoy]

Then our world came to a stop.

On a windy Memorial day, '04, our youngest son was hit by a tree branch, and suffered a brain injury.
I am sure I some of you have read about it before, but suffice it to say we spent over two months in the hospital with him that summer.

I realize it is a sacrifice to spend money on vacation.
We don’t put as much money into our house as some people would.
We don’t have all the latest technological advances.
We don’t eat a lot of steak (can you see why we love the free DDP so much?)

But we have decided we want to do fun things with our children now, rather than waiting til they are grown and wishing we had.
[Again with the soapbox–does she never stop?]


I was just trying to catch up with your pretrippy, and I knew this part was coming, and I started crying before I started reading. :hug: Geesh, I keep trying to write something, but nothing really conveys my feelings, so let just put another hug here,:hug: and know I'm crying and hugging my babies! :hug:

[teresajoy]

Laundry Quandry...

Since we have discussed laundry before, I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of what it takes to get ready for a trip like this.

Yesterday I managed to do 4 loads of laundry, and today I am doing at least one. (We have to be gone most of the afternoon.)

While packing the other day, I started to do the math:

45 pairs of socks
45 pairs of underwear
32 pairs of shorts
4 pairs of pants (Daddy doesn't do shorts.)
36 t-shirts
18 pairs of pjs
9 bathing suits
9 pairs of sandals
And that's with doing laundry at Pop. Whew.

With my mom's stuff we will have 4 large suitcases, and 2 carry-ons.
7 backpacks and 2 tote bags of travel activities. (the kids each get to pack their own, plus I bring stuff.)
Hard sided cooler for in the van
Small soft sided cooler for in the parks
1 back pack/diaper bag for in the parks.
2 Fanny packs and one purse for in the parks
Several cameras
several pillows

We DON'T have personal gaming systems, mp3 players, or a dvd system.
We feel if the books and games we bring along are not entertaining enough, they can always look out the window, because that picture changes all the time. :lmao:

We're planning on leaving at 4 am on Saturday. John is used to going to work at that time, so we might as well get up and get moving. We're hoping to get to our first's night stop by supper time.

Then dinner, hit the pool, get some sleep, up by 6 am, and we're off for a short 8-10 hour drive to WDW!!! :woohoo:

I'll probably check in once more before we leave.
Off to pack more! :thumbsup2


That's too bad your inlaws can't go with you. Come on, it's ONLY an 18-19 hour drive, why do you need to stop? Just keep driving, just keep driving....

We once did the drive in 16 hours, but I'm still not sure how that happened.

[winkers]

Thanks, now I have that stupid song running through my mind.......it's the final countdown......................................... :eek:

I'm excited for you that your trip is so close!

[DisneyMom5]

I was just trying to catch up with your pretrippy, and I knew this part was coming, and I started crying before I started reading. :hug: Geesh, I keep trying to write something, but nothing really conveys my feelings, so let just put another hug here,:hug: and know I'm crying and hugging my babies! :hug:

Ya know, we're ok now. Thanks for the extra hugs though! The further away we get from it, the better it is.

I know that you can't compare people's pain, but I feel much worse about people I care about losing babies than I do about ds getting hurt. :hug:
We still have him, so it's all good.

That's too bad your inlaws can't go with you. Come on, it's ONLY an 18-19 hour drive, why do you need to stop? Just keep driving, just keep driving....

We once did the drive in 16 hours, but I'm still not sure how that happened.

I am blessed with a dh who sees the benefits of stopping now and again.
[He even lets us sit in restaurants and eat food that's served to us!]
My dad was all about "making time" when we would travel. Sandwiches in the back seat. Yikes!

Thanks, now I have that stupid song running through my mind.......it's the final countdown......................................... :eek:

I'm excited for you that your trip is so close!

So am I. You have no idea. Good thing our needing a vacation and our actual vacation are coinciding!
:banana:

[the4princesses]

It's the final countdown...doo do doo doo....
(hard to do 80's rock with only words)

Well...the time has come...to start that final countdown from 10 to WDW!

In 10 days, God willing, we will be leaving for WDW.

Actually it's 9 days, 7 hours, and 35 minutes. But whose counting? :lmao:

Our crew has been reduced by three from our original 16. As I mentioned earlier, BIL could not get the time off of work. Now MIL and FIL have cancelled due to MIL's illness. We are bummed.
We are also thankful that her condition is stable enough that at this point we feel comfortable in still going.

We are waiting with baited breath to find out if my mom can still go, as she has had some health issues the past week also. I guess we should have tried this year's ago, when we all were a bit younger!

Also, SIL decided to fly, so although she will be leaving a day after we do, she will arrive in Orlando approximately 4 hours before we do. Lucky girl!
She is only staying the first week, and then she has to get her kids back to school.
(Again, may I expound upon the virtues of homeschooling, and the flexibility it lends to travel? But I digres....)

So our new cast of characters are:
Me (Sarah) - Mom and trip planner

DH (John, aka Ninja Boy, aka Indiana Jones) - hubby and trip payer.

Disney Girl - My 13yo dd.

The Chef - My 11yo ds.

Danger Boy - My ds, 8.

The Inquisitor- My 6yo ds.

Princess K - 4yo dd.

Bitsy - DD, 3yo.

Babycakes - DD1, this is her first trip.

Mom - My mom, who has never gone on any such excursion before, and will be with us for the whole 14 days (11 nights at WDW.)
IF she gets back up to speed where health issues are concerned!
(These parents are giving ME heart attacks!)

SIL - Hmmm, I haven't come up with a good nickname. Maybe she'll earn one on the trip.
She's the one that fell down and hurt her knee a couple of weeks ago.
She's feeling much better, and if we need to get her a wheelchair some days, we'll do it.

Nephew - Almost 9 yo. I'll call him Stitch, because that is his favorite character.

And last but not least, Niece - 10.5 yo. I'll call her Pocohontas. That's her fav too.

So there ya go. Suitcases are almost packed, new camera purchase, photopass pre-purchased, SIL's flight booked, LGMH pilferred from Home Depot....

Thanks for sticking with us this far!

Hey! I'm so excited for you all!:dance3: I know you all are counting down also!1:banana: We are too! we have 11 days to POP free dining!:dance3:
Hey I don't know if I told you,?? We are flying!:thumbsup2 .
Do you know anything about the magic bus? I was told that the bus will stop at the store? is that true?
Please e-mail me back. Thank you,Kathy:flower3:

[DisneyMom5]

Hey! I'm so excited for you all!:dance3: I know you all are counting down also!1:banana: We are too! we have 11 days to POP free dining!:dance3:
Hey I don't know if I told you,?? We are flying!:thumbsup2 .
Do you know anything about the magic bus? I was told that the bus will stop at the store? is that true?
Please e-mail me back. Thank you,Kathy:flower3:

I heard you got a great deal on a flight. Congrats! :banana:

As far as I know the Disney Magical Express Bus does not make stops at stores. But that's probably because it would take too long for everyone to shop.
A lot of people use some sort of shopping service where you order stuff and they deliver it. I would ask around the board and see how much that costs and if you still have time.

Have fun packing! LOL

[hkite]

YAY!! I'm so excited that it's almost time for you to go away!! Oh, wait, scratch that... I'm so excited for you!! I'm also a little jealous *sigh*. We went to Chicago last week, but it wasn't quite Disney, know what I mean? I can't wait to hear how your trip went when you get back!

[DisneyMom5]

YAY!! I'm so excited that it's almost time for you to go away!! Oh, wait, scratch that... I'm so excited for you!! I'm also a little jealous *sigh*. We went to Chicago last week, but it wasn't quite Disney, know what I mean? I can't wait to hear how your trip went when you get back!

[Abby says "Ah, Mrs. Heather."]

Oh sure, you're just trying to get rid of us so there's more room at Walmart. Well ha-ha on you, we don't go to Walmart! :faint: LOL

Yup, just 3 more days and we'll be loading the bus.
Here's John :drive:

Here's the rest of us :crowded:

But when we get there it will be party:

And a lot of pixiedust:

But until Saturday it's just going to be a lot of :laundy:

:lmao:

I'll try to post more before we leave....Off to pack...again!

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Dear Sarah
Good Luck on travel and Have a great time...... God bless you and your family(7 KIDS:scared1: ) in Disney. Or should I say god bless you and your sanity on that trip!:) I have a hard time driving to Boston on a five hour trip with three kids (sometimes four) I am really jealous that you are going now and I still have THREE MONTHS TO GO!:confused3. I have loved your pre-trippie and can't wait to read you trip report! Please let us all know where you ate and how they were etc etc. I really would love to see pics of the CM when you tell them how many of people there are!:yay:
So have a safe trip and have a pixiedust: MAGICACL TIME! pixiedust:

How did you get that other ticker? i really like that one!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Dear Sarah
Good Luck on travel and Have a great time...... God bless you and your family(7 KIDS:scared1: ) in Disney. Or should I say god bless you and your sanity on that trip!:) I have a hard time driving to Boston on a five hour trip with three kids (sometimes four) I am really jealous that you are going now and I still have THREE MONTHS TO GO!:confused3. I have loved your pre-trippie and can't wait to read you trip report! Please let us all know where you ate and how they were etc etc. I really would love to see pics of the CM when you tell them how many of people there are!:yay:
So have a safe trip and have a pixiedust: MAGICACL TIME! pixiedust:

How did you get that other ticker? i really like that one!!!


Thanks Stephanie! :goodvibes
Are you staying at the Cabins this time? I LOVE FW! Maybe someday we'll go back there. Sigh.

Thanks for reading!

[Piglets Mommy]

You're getting so close! I'm so excited for you! Have a safe trip!

[Just2DisneyKids]

Just a friendly bump to welcome you home! Are you home yet? And are you writing yet? :thumbsup2

I hope the trip was magically excellent! We can't wait to hear all about it! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

We're BAAAAACCCKKKK! :thumbsup2

More to come...

[Piglets Mommy]

We're BAAAAACCCKKKK! :thumbsup2

More to come...

Cool! I can't wait to hear all about it!:cool1:

[DisneyMom5]

Part 1 - Just a few fireworks short of a Wishes Display

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0137.jpg

Yes, that's us. Crazy. Setting out with 3 adults and 7 children for WDW.

Gonna tell ya'll a story of a man named John,
wife wanted Disneyworld so he got conned,
Mother in law was in the mix, so a real saint was he,
Loaded up the kinfolk, and they were off for Dis-nye-eee.

Day 1 - On the Road Again...
Notice the Hick shout out to Willie Nelson. It will most likely be the only one.
Oh wait, did I forget to mention that although dh and I are Hick-ish, we detest country music?
Well, hopefully y’all will forgive that and accept us as the flawed hicks we are.

So it was 4 am, and we were on the road to Florida.
We had gassed up the van the day before, but forgot to make DH a cup of coffee to go, so had to make a quick stop at the quickie mart for some joe.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0119.jpg

Properly jazzed, dh pointed the van south and we were off.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0122.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0128.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0131.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0133.jpg

I’m not including a pic of Grandma just yet, as she slept most of the way and the pic I snapped is not the most flattering.

Along the way we had three, yes count them, THREE bouts of car-sickness complete with wardrobe changes.
I was not properly prepared for this. I had only packed 4 days worth of clothes with a few extra pairs of pants for the littlest.
I never thought about extra shirts being an issue.
Note to self for the next trip – wear extra outfits in the van.

Or FLY.

Without children.

We made a quick lunch stop at a Wendy’s in KY or TN (can’t remember which side of the border we were on), which seemed to set everything right with the queasy tummy set, and were off for Chattanooga.
We love the ride through TN. It is a beautiful state and we hope to visit there some more in the future.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0123.jpg

Well, there must have been some sort of rift in the space time continuum, because we made it to Chattanooga by 2:30 pm.
It would never happen again on this trip. Apparently, if you cheat time and space, you have to pay it back, with interest. But more on that later.

We checked into the Lookout Mountain Comfort Inn and Suites [Off 24 on Browns Ferry Rd. We recommend it.
But not the pool. But more on that later.]

Somewhere between Michigan and Chattanooga I remembered that I had forgotten laundry detergent. Well we were needing it now.
At check in I asked for the nearest Walmart. I had done some internet research for a restaurant near by, and had settled on a Cracker Barrel and low and behold it was the same direction as the Walmart, so all was good.

We took a pre-dinner dip in the pool. The pool was very warm.
The hot tub was cold. :confused3
So we stuck with the pool.

It smelled A LOT like chlorine.
I mean a lot.
I mean open the bleach bottle and take a sniff. Ugh.
And the water was really salty also. Then we noticed that DS11's swimsuit had majorly changed color. And later, we noticed that dd13's brand new swimsuit had faded also. ARGH.
So I don’t recommend the pool facility.
We cleaned up and headed out for dinner.
Walmart found, detergent in hand, goooood [Hush puppies....DROOL....]southern meal under our belts (well, literally, and figuratively) we settled down for a good nights sleep.

Next up: Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...what do you do you swim swim swim...

[Just2DisneyKids]

Hooray, you've started your TR! :cheer2:

The picture are adorable, keep them coming.

By the way, I think you need to move over to the regular Trip Reports Area. I know this will be a hilarious report, we need to be able to find it! Can't wait to hear more! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

Hooray, you've started your TR! :cheer2:

The picture are adorable, keep them coming.

By the way, I think you need to move over to the regular Trip Reports Area. I know this will be a hilarious report, we need to be able to find it! Can't wait to hear more! :goodvibes

How do I do that? I want to keep the whole thing intact, but I don't know how to do that? :confused3

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

[oybolshoi]

How do I do that? I want to keep the whole thing intact, but I don't know how to do that? :confused3

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

Just send a PM to OhMari asking her to move this to the main TR board since you've returned from your trip. She's a mod on this board and she'll be able to take care of it for you.

Nice job so far, by the way. :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

Just send a PM to OhMari asking her to move this to the main TR board since you've returned from your trip. She's a mod on this board and she'll be able to take care of it for you.

Nice job so far, by the way. :goodvibes

Thanks oh omnicient one! LOL

I have to get started on a food report also. Thinking of calling it Vittles a Go-Go. :banana:

[disneyjunkie]

great report:surfweb:

[DisneyMom5]

great report:surfweb:


Thanks! I've always gotten a giggle over that pic of your son sleeping on the bus. :thumbsup2

All Brooklyn-ites welcome. I have been to Manhattan (YEARS ago) but never Brooklyn. Quite a change from Hickville, I am sure! :)

Thanks for reading!

[disneyjunkie]

Thanks! I've always gotten a giggle over that pic of your son sleeping on the bus. :thumbsup2

All Brooklyn-ites welcome. I have been to Manhattan (YEARS ago) but never Brooklyn. Quite a change from Hickville, I am sure! :)

Thanks for reading!


Believe me,we have our share of hicks.:thumbsup2

[teresajoy]

YEAH SARAH!!! I love reading the start of your trip report! I especially love the pictures of all of you in the van (bus)! We flew last year, and I kind of missed that whole drive down thing.

Just for the record though, I'm the one that insists we drive straight through! :) We have sandwiches in the backseat, and when we stop for gas, everyone gets out and goes to the bathroom. :scared1: One time we stopped on purpose on the way home. (One time we stopped on accident, becasue the van broke down) It was Brian's idea (the on purpose stop, not the van breakdown stop). We both decided we really didn't like that. It took twice as long that way! Thankfully, the kids are good travelers!

It's been two days, I think it's time for a new installment here!

[Flossbolna]

It smelled A LOT like chlorine.
I mean a lot.
I mean open the bleach bottle and take a sniff. Ugh.
And the water was really salty also. Then we noticed that DS11's swimsuit had majorly changed color. And later, we noticed that dd13's brand new swimsuit had faded also. ARGH.
So I don’t recommend the pool facility.
We cleaned up and headed out for dinner.
Walmart found, detergent in hand, goooood [Hush puppies....DROOL....]southern meal under our belts (well, literally, and figuratively) we settled down for a good nights sleep.

Next up: Just keep swimming...just keep swimming...what do you do you swim swim swim...

Just found your trip report and will be looking forward to the next days after this incredibly entertaining pre trip report!!

The pool sounds scary :scared1: At least only the swim suits faded and not the kids' skin as well!!!

[DisneyMom5]

Believe me,we have our share of hicks.:thumbsup2

Well, ya know, I always believed that Hicks were universal. LOL



It's been two days, I think it's time for a new installment here!

Warning - the following content is graphic: Well, I would update it if I weren't so busy hacking up a lung. Whatever this virus is that I brought back as a souvienier has kicked my butt. I promise, I soon will get back to the report. :sick:

Just found your trip report and will be looking forward to the next days after this incredibly entertaining pre trip report!!

The pool sounds scary :scared1: At least only the swim suits faded and not the kids' skin as well!!!

LOL It would be hard to tell, because like me, most of my kids are so white they are almost see through. :lmao:

Think of the white-est cultures on Earth, and that's my genetic background.

A couple of my kids are lucky, and got a smidgen of my dh's Native American DNA. By comparison they look downright swarthy.

Welcome -- I remember that you are from Germany. My adopted ancestry is German. We checked out the map of Germany a CM had at the German pavillion to see where we're from. At least 1/2 the family is from the Bavarian region.
Thanks for reading!

[Piglets Mommy]

Part 1 - Just a few fireworks short of a Wishes Display


Note to self for the next trip – wear extra outfits in the van.

Or FLY.

Without children.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Ahh....Disney without children!:cloud9: Someday, I'd love to try that! Although I'd feel so guilty if we ever took an adults only trip!:rolleyes1


I have to get started on a food report also. Thinking of calling it Vittles a Go-Go. :banana:
Mmmmm Yummy! Food Report! Please post the link when you start it!:thumbsup2


Warning - the following content is graphic: Well, I would update it if I weren't so busy hacking up a lung. Whatever this virus is that I brought back as a souvienier has kicked my butt. I promise, I soon will get back to the report. :sick:


Ugh! Hope you feel better soon! I can't wait for the next update!

[kindakrazy2]

Hi Sarah!

Waving at you from Canada! It was so nice to meet you and I am so glad you've started your report! I can't wait to read more!

[DisneyMom5]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Ahh....Disney without children!:cloud9: Someday, I'd love to try that! Although I'd feel so guilty if we ever took an adults only trip!:rolleyes1

Mmmmm Yummy! Food Report! Please post the link when you start it!:thumbsup2


Ugh! Hope you feel better soon! I can't wait for the next update!

Dh and I always say in a way it would be nice to go back just the two of us, like on our honeymoon, but then, we so enjoy seeing it through the kids eyes, we would probably spend the whole trip saying "Oh, wouldn't they just love that." LOL

Thanks for the sympathy!

Hi Sarah!

Waving at you from Canada! It was so nice to meet you and I am so glad you've started your report! I can't wait to read more!

Welcome Sarah! It was nice to meet you too. My SIL and Mom were astounded I knew so many people in WDW. LOL
:goodvibes

[HeatherSue]

Welcome Sarah! It was nice to meet you too. My SIL and Mom were astounded I knew so many people in WDW. LOL
:goodvibes

Oh, you're just all "Miss Fancy-Pants-I-Know-Everyone-at-WDW", are yah? Too good for your fellow hicks now, are yah? ;)

I can't wait to read the rest of your trip report! I LOVE the van pics. I'm SO glad I wasn't in there with you (with the puke and all).

[DisneyMom5]

Oh, you're just all "Miss Fancy-Pants-I-Know-Everyone-at-WDW", are yah? Too good for your fellow hicks now, are yah? ;)

I can't wait to read the rest of your trip report! I LOVE the van pics. I'm SO glad I wasn't in there with you (with the puke and all).

I AM popular, aren't I? :lmao: Wait till you hear who else I ran into. But I am saving that for the report. ;)

The puke wasn't too bad, really. I was afraid we were in for it.

I KNOW why you changed your user name. You decided to embrace your inner hick. You should have gone a tad further and used your full name.
"HeatherSue Luanna Suellen MaryLou MinniePearl Aquanetta Pigbottom."

[DD13 says if people think that is bad, they should have heard your maiden name. Thank goodness you didn't hyphenate!]

***duck and run***

[HeatherSue]

:lmao: :rotfl2: If I was drinking something, I would have spit it out, possibly out my nose as well!

I did NOT change my username to bring out my inner hick but to prevent hacking. To pronounce hkite ("hu-kite"), you have to make hacking up lugie noises and I wanted people to be able to talk about me without the use of unecessary phlegm.

Glad to hear you had some of that "not so bad" puke in the van!

[mvazul]

Hi!! :wave2:

I have been gone for a very long time. I was wrapped up in getting my trip report finished and now am writing up a PA wedding trip report (links in signature). We went back for my cousin's wedding which turned into a nice, old-fashioned redneck wedding!!

Anyway....

I'm glad your trip report is under way. I'm very sorry to read about the ones who got sick. That's never fun. :sad2: I hope the rest of your trip was less eventful. ;)

I'm looking forward to reading more. popcorn::

[winkers]

Oh no, nothing worse than throw up in the van. I have some real doozies I could share with you, but I'll spare ya! I know, kindness is my middle name!;)

How did you know the pool water was salty, were you drinking it? :rotfl:

[DisneyMom5]

Hi!! :wave2:

I have been gone for a very long time. I was wrapped up in getting my trip report finished and now am writing up a PA wedding trip report (links in signature). We went back for my cousin's wedding which turned into a nice, old-fashioned redneck wedding!!

Anyway....

I'm glad your trip report is under way. I'm very sorry to read about the ones who got sick. That's never fun. :sad2: I hope the rest of your trip was less eventful. ;)

I'm looking forward to reading more. popcorn::

Nothing like a good old fashioned Red Neck Wedding! Glad it went well!

Ours was down right city-fied compared to some I've been to. Even if it was in the VFW hall. :rolleyes:

Oh no, nothing worse than throw up in the van. I have some real doozies I could share with you, but I'll spare ya! I know, kindness is my middle name!;)

How did you know the pool water was salty, were you drinking it? :rotfl:

We had much worse "spillage" in the van the year we caught the stomach flu at WDW. So we are always thankful for anything that stays below that level of yuck. Enough said. LOL

RE: salty water - sometimes it gets in your mouth when you don't try. And the ones that that happened to all said "Yuck, salty." Weird, I know! :)

[DisneyMom5]

It just occured to me that maybe I should re-introduce the Hicks on Holiday for those of you just joining us:

First, let me list those who were in the van -

Me (Sarah) - Mom and trip planner

DH (John, aka Ninja Boy, aka Indiana Jones) - hubby and trip payer.

Disney Girl - My 13yo dd.

The Chef - My 11yo ds.

Danger Boy - My ds, 8.

The Inquisitor- My 6yo ds.

Princess K - 4yo dd.

Bitsy - DD, 3yo.

Babycakes - DD1, this is her first trip.

Mom - My mom, who has never been to WDW.


NOT in the van, because the lucky ducks were able to fly down...

SIL - I have decided to call her the Bionic SIL.
Not sure I mentioned before, but Bionic SIL is a real live hero!
She was in an accident a few years back where a car jumped a curb and was running into a crowd of kids and parents waiting for the school bus.
SIL pushed several kids, including my niece, out of the way, and took the full impact of the car.
She remembers nothing of this, only waking up the hospital having had to be put back together (broken pelvis, severely damaged knees, and a bunch of other things.)
It was a long road of recovery for her, so being able to walk around WDW on her own is a very good thing! :goodvibes
So in a lot of ways (none of them robotic! LOL) she is our bionic woman!

Nephew - Almost 9 yo. I'll call him Stitch JR. , because that is his favorite character.

And last but not least, Niece - 10.5 yo. I'll call her Pocohontas, JR. That's her fav too.


And a side note - I forgot one thing that happened in Chattanooga that was noteworthy.

Princess K, who is 4 and old enough to know better, COLORED ON THE WALL!!! WITH CRAYONS!!! ARGH.....

Well, since I had no crayon removal items with me, I scrubbed at the wall with different things I thought would work, and ended up removing the crayon...
along with some of the paint...
DOH!!!

I made it look as good as possible, and left it. I know, I am a bad person. But I just chalk it up to wear and tear. [The room we had on the way back had a big chunk of peeling paint hanging from the ceiling! Yikes.]

So my apologies to anyone that has that room after us!

I'm off to try to whip together day 2!

[kindakrazy2]

Oh yikes on the crayon! :eek:

Oh well, these things happen and at least you cleaned it up which is way more then most people would have done.

So I take it she's the artist in the family?!!

[DisneyMom5]

So when we last left the Hicks, they were getting a good night sleep after 3 cases of car-sickness, a salty swim, one trip to Walmart, and an incident involving a crayon.

So what's next?
Free food! Up for the 7 am continental breakfast, which worked to head off any more car-sickness, and we headed out for the quick trip to I-75 and GA.

And the very LONG trip through GA.

GA is very beautiful, and has the distinction of being the site of the first palm trees spotted on our trips to FL.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0154.jpg

But, apparently, all of GA is also under construction.
:sad2:
It took FOREVER.
Especially around Atlanta.
No offense to any Atlanta residents, but how do people survive in that traffic?!? Yikes.
By the time we were through Atlanta and on our way out of the state, we were REALLY hungry.

Luckily, I had looked up restaurants along the way, and found an IHOP that I was pretty sure we had eaten at before. Sure enough, it was!

IHOP...pinnacle of all that is pancakey goodness.

I was first introduced to IHOP on a pre-wedding trip to meet John’s grandma in St. Louis, MO. I instantly became addicted.

Unfortunately we did not get one locally (½ hour away) until 2 years ago, so I still like to take every opportunity to eat there.
And I wasn’t disappointed.
So if you are ever in Adel, GA, stop at the IHOP and say “Hey” to Cierra who was out waitress.
[Man, I wish I had taken more pics!]

Sometime in the early aftenoon the Bionic SIL called to say she had arrived at Pop Century. She had checked on our room assignments, was in her own room, and was just waiting on her luggage. All that was good news. At that point, we said we might be there by 5 pm.
:confused3
What were we thinking?

Up next: Day 2, Part 2, the one in which I explain that the Nemo quote reference was due to the fact that we had to keep swimming, that is driving, even though we were sick and tired of it, otherwise we would never make it to WALT DISNEY WORLD!

[kindakrazy2]

Pretty pic!

I hate that feeling of driving forever and not getting anywhere. Hope to read the next installment that you get there safe and sound and on time! :thumbsup2

[jbmom]

Great report! If it's the Ihop I think you are talking about near home, it isn't very good. I was so excited to get one near us and we still drive a little north to eat there since ours isn't as good.

[DISNEY4XMAS]

Sarah I am so glad to that your trip started off to a great start NOT! Poor you nothing worse than sick kids in the car!
As for the IHOP I guess were are there with ya! My DH and I went bowling and to IHOP for our first date! Candlelight bowling (bowling in the dark w/ pin lit up) how's that for hickish... is that a word??? Unfortunatly our IHOP closed and not sure where there is another on in our area!
I am on pins and needles just waiting for the next part of your trip report!!!!

[mvazul]

I have driven around Atlanta once and have visited Atlanta for a long weekend a few years ago. I agree.....the traffic is crazy. And I live in Chicago!! :confused3

Love the picture of the mountains. It looks like it could be in Pennsylvania. Living in Chicago - and Illinois in general - I really miss the mountains.

I'm hoping you were able to make it to POP at a decent time. :thumbsup2

[DisneyMom5]

Oh yikes on the crayon! :eek:

Oh well, these things happen and at least you cleaned it up which is way more then most people would have done.

So I take it she's the artist in the family?!!

Oh, their all regular Van Goghs. And a lot of their art work has become a permanent fixture around here. Heaven help us if we would ever have to sell this place quickly! :eek:

Pretty pic!

I hate that feeling of driving forever and not getting anywhere. Hope to read the next installment that you get there safe and sound and on time! :thumbsup2

That's exactly how it was. And our last day driving home was even worse. Sigh. Maybe next time we can figure out a way to fly.

Great report! If it's the Ihop I think you are talking about near home, it isn't very good. I was so excited to get one near us and we still drive a little north to eat there since ours isn't as good.
The one on Westnedge. We've had pretty good meals there, but I usually stick with pancakes. They had better get that right!
Thanks for reading, neighbor!

Sarah I am so glad to that your trip started off to a great start NOT! Poor you nothing worse than sick kids in the car!
As for the IHOP I guess were are there with ya! My DH and I went bowling and to IHOP for our first date! Candlelight bowling (bowling in the dark w/ pin lit up) how's that for hickish... is that a word??? Unfortunatly our IHOP closed and not sure where there is another on in our area!
I am on pins and needles just waiting for the next part of your trip report!!!!

The good news is the throwing up started early enough that it ended up being such a small thing. Thankfully!

Thanks for reading!

[DisneyMom5]

I have driven around Atlanta once and have visited Atlanta for a long weekend a few years ago. I agree.....the traffic is crazy. And I live in Chicago!! :confused3

I'm hoping you were able to make it to POP at a decent time. :thumbsup2

I agree -- that's saying something! We have avoided going to Chicago for years, because we do not like driving there. Sad, I know.

[oybolshoi]

I can't help but echo what you said ...

"What were you thinking???" :scared1:

I love the drive through Northern Georgia with the "mountains" but after the terrain flattens out I just start counting mile markers. Georgia is one long state ... and then you have to drive through Florida ... which I think is even longer (or at least the drive to Orlando feels longer).

Did I ever mention that Grimace actually wanted to drive to Florida last year to meet up with us at WDW? Her reasoning: she could have stopped at many gas stations and convenience stores along the way to buy scratch-off lottery tickets. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[DisneyMom5]

I can't help but echo what you said ...

"What were you thinking???" :scared1:

I love the drive through Northern Georgia with the "mountains" but after the terrain flattens out I just start counting mile markers. Georgia is one long state ... and then you have to drive through Florida ... which I think is even longer (or at least the drive to Orlando feels longer).

Did I ever mention that Grimace actually wanted to drive to Florida last year to meet up with us at WDW? Her reasoning: she could have stopped at many gas stations and convenience stores along the way to buy scratch-off lottery tickets. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

We have it divided up with a stay in Chattanooga, because ON PAPER, the drive to Orlando from there is two hours shorter than our first day's drive.

Whoo boy, was that not the case this time.

The other times weren't quite so bad.

Oh that wacky Grimmie. Sigh. Good times, good times.

[teresajoy]

I
[DD13 says if people think that is bad, they should have heard your maiden name. Thank goodness you didn't hyphenate!]

***duck and run***

HUH?:confused3

[DisneyMom5]

HUH?:confused3

[Psss, Teresa, it was a joke.
Hinting that Pigbottom is her married name, which is a good thing, as her maiden name was worse.
All this stemming from her quest to hick-i-fy her screen name.
Since you married out of the family name, into a more reasonable family name, you're safe from our mocking. ;)
Sigh, guess you had to be there.]

:lmao:

Got all of Disneygirl's pics uploaded, so an update should be forthcoming.

[oybolshoi]

Could you update soon please?

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: I love irony. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:


PS. Hope you are feeling better now. :hug:

[teresajoy]

[Psss, Teresa, it was a joke.
Hinting that Pigbottom is her married name, which is a good thing, as her maiden name was worse.
All this stemming from her quest to hick-i-fy her screen name.
Since you married out of the family name, into a more reasonable family name, you're safe from our mocking. ;)
Sigh, guess you had to be there.]

:lmao:

.
Guess So! Or, ask Corey to explain! :lmao:
(Pss Sarah, I figured it was suppose to be a joke!)

[DisneyMom5]

Howdy all! We interupt this trip report to bring you some jim-dandy photos that my dd13, "disneygirl," took during our drive.

Just to give y'all a few more visuals.


(Don't worry -- there is no pics of the, ahem, spillage.)

Louisville:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000354-1.jpg


Chattanooga:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000488.jpg

Hmmm...

Tenessee....or Georgia????

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000411.jpg

Uh...

Georgia, definately Georgia:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000548.jpg


My, they grow them big there! GA:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000538.jpg


Fun with pipecleaners, a cheap and easy way to entertain small children:


:thumbsup2



wait for it....



http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000577.jpg

:rotfl2:

:lmao:

:rotfl:

Is that a Florida sign I see before me?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000604.jpg

:cool1: :yay: :cheer2:
and disneygirl's favorite.... :banana:

[DisneyMom5]

Could you update soon please?

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: I love irony. :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:


PS. Hope you are feeling better now. :hug:

For your information I am NOT feeling better. But...I am posting. The things one is willing to do for one's public.

In my day we didn't need dialogue, we had...faces.

Guess So! Or, ask Corey to explain! :lmao:
(Pss Sarah, I figured it was suppose to be a joke!)

:lmao: Yeah, Corey is probably jiggy with it. Oh wait, do they still say jiggy?

[DisneyMom5]

Day 2, Part 2, the one in which I explain that the Nemo quote reference was due to the fact that we had to keep swimming, that is driving, even though we were sick and tired of it, otherwise we would never make it to WALT DISNEY WORLD!

When we left the Hicks, they were on the cursed, never-ending highway of doom that is I-75 in GA.
They had cheated the space-time continuum (sp?) by arriving in Chattanooga much earlier than expected, a feat that would not be repeated on this trip.
There was payment to be made for this dash of grace, and space and time are cruel taskmasters.

They had foolishly and with a crazy moment of hope informed the Bionic SIL that they might make it to Pop Century by 5 pm.
:lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

Little chance of that my friends, little chance of that.... :sad2:

BUT then, like a small beam of sunlight, they saw it....

The FLORIDA BORDER!!!

And with it, the welcome center.

There are palm trees, and maps, and flyers on FL, and ORANGE JUICE samples.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000609.jpg
(pic courtesy of disneygirl)

We were finally in Florida, but as we looked at the map, we realized that our dreams of being at WDW around 5 pm were definately NOT happening.

We cruise down to the toll road. For some reason, that seems to take forever too. Sigh.

And where are all the Disney billboards??? :confused3

So...close...but...yet...so...far.....
(Where's William Shatner when you need him? Maybe he would do the Hicks on Holiday Audio Book!)

Then there it was...I-4.

I confess, although I know that Disney is WEST on I-4, I always get confused when that exit comes up.

And, for some unknown reason, it ALWAYS rains when we get to Orlando.

So in the midst of a horrible downpour John and I are having a, ahem, "discussion" about what exit we need to take.

Mom was like this in the back of the van: :rolleyes1
Did I mention she is a good mom? LOL

Well, in spite of my senior moment, we end up going west. :woohoo:

Now it's just a matter of finding the exit for Pop Century!

When it was getting late, Bionic SIL called again to see where we were.

Well, we’re on I-4 in the middle of a horrible downpour, because apparently they order one of those every time we come to visit.
And we should be there shortly.

And then we saw it. Yes people, this could turn out to be a good trip after all, and this is how I know:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000626-1.jpg

:goodvibes


Happy all around, we found our exit, and were anticipating the welcome arch,
which we DID see, but it was a bit blurry due to the rain.


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000627.jpg



This is where the well-placed pic of the entrance of Pop should go, but we were soooo excited, we forgot to take one! :dance3:


By the time we arrived at Pop, it had stopped raining, and we all trooped in to check in.

[I’m pretty sure families with nine members do not fake members to get MORE free dining, but, ok.]

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the Pop Century lobby.
It will always hold a special place in my heart for being the place that unexpectedly brought me to tears on our last trip there.

And waiting in the lobby, was the Bionic SIL and kids. :grouphug:
They still had no luggage, but they were in WDW!

It was 7 pm, and we had no wait to check in.

Our CM was awesome, and within minutes we were off to the room.

Our whole group was in 1154-1157, which was parking lot side of the Lady Bldg, the wing that points away from the Classic hall.

It was an excellent spot, not preferred, but only a few rooms away.

And, we were able park in the parking lot, unload everything quickly from the van, and head off to the Food Court.

Next up: "This is NOT Disney World!!!" said Princess K...

[teresajoy]

Lovin the report Sarah! Is it stupid that I am all excited about reading about you getting to Pop Century?? Or seeing that first Florida sign, or turning onto I-4?? Yah, I thought so! But, I am!!! I can't wait to get back to Disney!!!

And, I read in your sinature that you will be back but don't know when? Well, I hear there will be a very very FUN bunch of ladies there May 3-17, 2008! ;)

[DisneyMom5]

Lovin the report Sarah! Is it stupid that I am all excited about reading about you getting to Pop Century?? Or seeing that first Florida sign, or turning onto I-4?? Yah, I thought so! But, I am!!! I can't wait to get back to Disney!!!

And, I read in your sinature that you will be back but don't know when? Well, I hear there will be a very very FUN bunch of ladies there May 3-17, 20008! ;)

Ok, I am going to assume you meant 2008, not 20008, unless you plan on joining Walt in the cryogenic freezer. :lmao:

Man, there is NO way we're going back any time soon. John needs to complete his degree!

I'll just enjoy it through your eyes! I bet the little kids will be even MORE into it this time. T and L are perfect ages!

Yeah, just writing about seeing the signs makes us happy!

I get a little cheered up thinking about the stuff we'll do and the places we'll eat at when "we go back to WDW." Even though we don't know when!

[oybolshoi]

thanks for the update - it was nice to read that you made it to WDW (and only two hours later than you expected - pretty good!) before I must bid you a fond farewell for the next 10 days or so.

We are headed back to the Mouse again ... to eat and then eat some more. I'm looking forward to catching up on this once I'm home - feel better soon since you don't already. :hug:

[Booknut]

This is my first time reading this report, its been brilliant! What a great family you are! Can't wait to read more :cool1:

[dismom9761]

I just found your report and have read it all.:goodvibes
Your kids are adorable and i look forward to reading more.popcorn::

[DisneyMom5]

This is my first time reading this report, its been brilliant! What a great family you are! Can't wait to read more :cool1:

Welcome! All visitors from the UK are very welcome!
We had such nice visits with guests from the UK while we were at WDW.
I very much enjoy British history and literature (English major, but I tended to avoid the American Lit.), and dh is a history/archeaology student, and he would like a chance to explore England, and the whole area.
We are hoping to do so when the kids are older. :thumbsup2

Oh, and I just noticed you are having your first baby. You're almost there! Yay!
Congrats!


I just found your report and have read it all.:goodvibes
Your kids are adorable and i look forward to reading more.popcorn::

Welcome! I hope you know that my feeling about I-75 and driving in the city of Atlanta does not apply to the good people of Georgia. :rolleyes1

We tend to think our children are adorable too. When they are not being naughty, which they are right this moment. Ahem. :mad:

Anyway....

Thanks for reading!
:wizard:

[DisneyMom5]

thanks for the update - it was nice to read that you made it to WDW (and only two hours later than you expected - pretty good!) before I must bid you a fond farewell for the next 10 days or so.

We are headed back to the Mouse again ... to eat and then eat some more. I'm looking forward to catching up on this once I'm home - feel better soon since you don't already. :hug:

Thanks!
Don't worry, as fast as I am going, I won't be anywhere near finished by the time you get back. You won't miss much. LOL
Have a great trip!

[Flossbolna]

Another great update! I totally understand what a long trip to WDW means as we have to cross the Atlantic ocean! The trip might be a bit shorter in hours, but it seems to go on for much too long anyway!!

Hope you feel better soon! :flower3:

[HeatherSue]

[Psss, Teresa, it was a joke.
Hinting that Pigbottom is her married name, which is a good thing, as her maiden name was worse.
All this stemming from her quest to hick-i-fy her screen name.
Since you married out of the family name, into a more reasonable family name, you're safe from our mocking. ;)
Sigh, guess you had to be there.]

:lmao:

Got all of Disneygirl's pics uploaded, so an update should be forthcoming.
Thanks for explaining this joke so beautifully! I thought it was hilarious, but my usually hilarious sister didn't "get" it! Or, she didn't see the humor in the possibility of a last name that is worse than "Pigbottom"!!

[HeatherSue]

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the Pop Century lobby.
It will always hold a special place in my heart for being the place that unexpectedly brought me to tears on our last trip there.
How pathetic is it that I'm getting tears in my eyes thinking about you getting tears in your eyes the first time you saw the Pop Century lobby. I have such wonderful memories of that place, too!!:grouphug:

[jerseygirl82]

subscribing because fun trip reports like this make my loooooooong almost 1 year wait until my next WDW trip somewhat tolerable...

[DisneyMom5]

Another great update! I totally understand what a long trip to WDW means as we have to cross the Atlantic ocean! The trip might be a bit shorter in hours, but it seems to go on for much too long anyway!!

Hope you feel better soon! :flower3:

Thanks! I am curious how I would do on a trans-atlantic flight. I have only flown short less than 2 hour flights, and I tend to be a little claustrophobic. But I did ok on those flights, and the airplanes that cross the ocean are bigger, right? :confused3

Thanks for explaining this joke so beautifully! I thought it was hilarious, but my usually hilarious sister didn't "get" it! Or, she didn't see the humor in the possibility of a last name that is worse than "Pigbottom"!!

I'm sayin'!

How pathetic is it that I'm getting tears in my eyes thinking about you getting tears in your eyes the first time you saw the Pop Century lobby. I have such wonderful memories of that place, too!!:grouphug:

That's because you know me IRL. And you "get" my WDW thing. :wizard:
You'll have to do the "mandatory family fun trip" every other time and do a dh and kids and you trip to Pop some time.

subscribing because fun trip reports like this make my loooooooong almost 1 year wait until my next WDW trip somewhat tolerable...

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes

[whogirl'smom]

It was so good to come back from WDW and find you had started the official trip report! I feel for you on that ride down--we only have 10-11 hours from Tennessee (depending on whether you go 75 mph or 85 mph if the state troopers aren't out ;) ), but it sure felt like forever getting there. We had one of those downpours in the middle of Jacksonville and all the construction; good times for all going through that!

I have to comment on the hick-name conversation you all were having last week. There really is an Aquanetta out there, no I'm NOT kidding! She was one of the babies I had on my caseload many moons ago. I can only hope she changes her name when she's old enough! We have several of the hick doublename combos on DH's side of the family, though!:rotfl2: (Ok, and a couple on mine, too, I admit..)

Can't wait to see the next update! We stayed at Pop, too and just loved it!

[whogirl'smom]

Oh, yeah, and I love the Vittles-a- Go-Go name for the food report!

[DisneyMom5]

I thought I would throw in an analysis of how long we were actually on the road.

The first day we left MI at 4:30 am, and with motion sickness breaks, potty breaks and a stop at Wendy's we arrived at 2:30 pm, all EDST. That adds up to 10 hours travel time. Mapquest says with NO stops it should be around 10 hours travel time.
:scared1:
I still can't figure that one out.

Now day two, we had hoped to be up in time for the free 6 am continental breakfast. One problem. On Sunday, the free 6 am continental breakfast doesn't start til 7 am. Sigh.

Well, I STILL don't want to leave without it, because 1) it's free, 2) I'm not stopping an extra time to eat breakfast, and 3) look what happened the day before when we didn't eat breakfast. Ewww.

Then there was the extra beds that I had requested, had been charged for, but had never received. The manager had to be called over to remove the charges. That took FOREVER.

So it was really 8 am when we got on the road. Mapquest says the drive to Pop Century from Chattanooga should take about 8 hours with no stops.

Ah ha.

So we stopped a few times for potty breaks, and we had a sit down lunch at IHOP, which went pretty fast, all things considered, but did involve a rather lengthy potty break/multiple diaper change afterward, that took so long that dh decided to drive over to the gas station next door and fuel up.
And he was done before we were. Sigh.
Although having three in diapers last trip was a pain, they were much easier and faster to deal with on potty breaks. Having 8 out of 10 travelers who have to use the bathroom -- and our rule is if one goes, ALL go -- takes A LOT of time.
But I digress...

So you figure all that in, and look at the fact that it was 7 pm when we arrived, it took us ELEVEN hours to get to WDW from Chattanooga.
Yikes!

So when I say we were happy to get to Pop Century....
:dance3: :cool1: :banana: :woohoo: :yay: :cheer2:

You really have NO idea!

Ok, I'll try to get an update done later. I have cancelled all our appointments for today since we still a feel like crud, so maybe I will get to it this pm.

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and here's a teaser:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0198.jpg

And an invite: My food report is also up and running. All are welcome! See link in my sig.

[DisneyMom5]

It was so good to come back from WDW and find you had started the official trip report! I feel for you on that ride down--we only have 10-11 hours from Tennessee (depending on whether you go 75 mph or 85 mph if the state troopers aren't out ;) ), but it sure felt like forever getting there. We had one of those downpours in the middle of Jacksonville and all the construction; good times for all going through that!

I have to comment on the hick-name conversation you all were having last week. There really is an Aquanetta out there, no I'm NOT kidding! She was one of the babies I had on my caseload many moons ago. I can only hope she changes her name when she's old enough! We have several of the hick doublename combos on DH's side of the family, though!:rotfl2: (Ok, and a couple on mine, too, I admit..)

Can't wait to see the next update! We stayed at Pop, too and just loved it!

Hey whogirl's mom -- glad you had a good trip!
Actually, the reason I chose Aquanetta is because my MIL knew one. She's from MO w/ relatives in AR.

Oh, yeah, and I love the Vittles-a- Go-Go name for the food report!

Thanks! You know it has to be vittles for hicks! LOL Hope you get a chance to read it! :goodvibes

[tigger536]

Looove your TR so far! You have a great writing style. And I can't imagine going anywhere with that many kids, much less 7! Wow!

Yes, traffic in Atlanta is crazy. We are always neck and neck with Los Angeles for the worst commute in the nation. So I feel your pain on that one, too.

Anyway, great updates. Can't wait for more!

[dismom9761]

wow!:scared1: on the travel times.

Great picture.:thumbsup2

[Flossbolna]

Thanks! I am curious how I would do on a trans-atlantic flight. I have only flown short less than 2 hour flights, and I tend to be a little claustrophobic. But I did ok on those flights, and the airplanes that cross the ocean are bigger, right? :confused3


They are bigger, but there are also more people around and it feels quite crowded. It always takes me some time after bording to adjust to the fact that I will be trapped in this thing for 10 hours! In my experiences they are quite good in keeping people occupied with drinks, meal, entertainment, shopping and so on, so that it seems like time passes fairly quickly. But still, I always wonder why I do it, especially on the way back when there is no longer any anticipation of a great holiday! I guess that's the same for a long drive, though.

[DisneyMom5]

Looove your TR so far! You have a great writing style. And I can't imagine going anywhere with that many kids, much less 7! Wow!

Yes, traffic in Atlanta is crazy. We are always neck and neck with Los Angeles for the worst commute in the nation. So I feel your pain on that one, too.

Anyway, great updates. Can't wait for more!

You have my respect for living in Atlanta and dealing with that traffic! :thumbsup2

wow!:scared1: on the travel times.

Great picture.:thumbsup2

Thanks! And I am glad you understand my pain. LOL

They are bigger, but there are also more people around and it feels quite crowded. It always takes me some time after bording to adjust to the fact that I will be trapped in this thing for 10 hours! In my experiences they are quite good in keeping people occupied with drinks, meal, entertainment, shopping and so on, so that it seems like time passes fairly quickly. But still, I always wonder why I do it, especially on the way back when there is no longer any anticipation of a great holiday! I guess that's the same for a long drive, though.

That's exactly how all holidays are, no? Good on the way in, bad on the way out. Hey, I can practice my one phrase of German on you! LOL
It sort of applies to me, if I were a man named Herr Fischer. LOL

[Please forgive the spelling and grammar, I only know how to say it, not write it.]

Ahem.
"Herr Fischer had feber un smertzen. Er es kronk." LOL

That's a handy phrase to know, no? LOL

Anyway, hoping to get another installment out soon!

[Backstage_Gal]

Subbing!!!!!!!! I am only on page 4, but this is a really funny report, so I am in for the ride!

[MadiMouse]

It took FOREVER.
Especially around Atlanta.
No offense to any Atlanta residents, but how do people survive in that traffic?!? Yikes.


Yes, yes, the traffic is horrible here. :) Somehow you just get used to it...I guess. I moved away for some years for undergraduate and swore that I would never move back and guess what??? I am here with my dh who is originally from Cali (went to GT for undergrad) and the traffic really doesn't bother him!!! WHAT? So, I am not offended...just enjoying this TR. I am waiting for more!!!!!!!!!

[teresajoy]

Thanks for explaining this joke so beautifully! I thought it was hilarious, but my usually hilarious sister didn't "get" it! Or, she didn't see the humor in the possibility of a last name that is worse than "Pigbottom"!!


PSST....Still don't.

[teresajoy]

That's because you know me IRL. And you "get" my WDW thing. :wizard:
You'll have to do the "mandatory family fun trip" every other time and do a dh and kids and you trip to Pop some time.


Oh Sarah! It isn't mandatory! Actually, for awhile we didn't think Heather was going this time. :sad2:

[teresajoy]

Oh, and here's a teaser:
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0198.jpg

And an invite: My food report is also up and running. All are welcome! See link in my sig.


Thems sum cooot kidins!

Why is John not sporting Mickey Ears???

WHOA! I just noticed, if you are ALL in the picture, who is taking it??? Freaky.

[DisneyMom5]

Subbing!!!!!!!! I am only on page 4, but this is a really funny report, so I am in for the ride!

Welcome! You will have plenty of time to catch up, because I have been sick and not updating very quickly. :thumbsup2


Yes, yes, the traffic is horrible here. :) Somehow you just get used to it...I guess. I moved away for some years for undergraduate and swore that I would never move back and guess what??? I am here with my dh who is originally from Cali (went to GT for undergrad) and the traffic really doesn't bother him!!! WHAT? So, I am not offended...just enjoying this TR. I am waiting for more!!!!!!!!!

I think they only bring out the extra traffic to upset my dh. :rotfl2:

PSST....Still don't.

:lmao: Oh, you crack me up.

Oh Sarah! It isn't mandatory! Actually, for awhile we didn't think Heather was going this time. :sad2:

Oooops, I forgot you were on here. :rolleyes1
I wasn't implying that the family fun trip was undesirable, just that some time she could get her dh to stay onsite. :thumbsup2

Thems sum cooot kidins!

Why is John not sporting Mickey Ears???

WHOA! I just noticed, if you are ALL in the picture, who is taking it??? Freaky.

Thanks! Since you know them IRL, that's a complement. :goodvibes

Mickey ears? Did you notice that his blue shirt is not even a mickey shirt? (Or is that what you meant?)
Rule #1 with John -- he would like you all to believe that he doesn't play well with others, and that he's "not into the Disney thing."
[He actually loves it!]
I tried to point out that he looked odder NOT matching us, but he wouldn't buy it. Sigh.

Some guy volunteered to take one with each of our cameras. Disney people are good people! :wizard:

[dburg30]

You got me on the hicks dining so might as well see how hicks vacation.

[DisneyMom5]

You got me on the hicks dining so might as well see how hicks vacation.

You're right, you might as well take a walk on the wild side. :lmao:
Whoo, I crack myself up.

You'd probably think we are pretty boring once you get past the seven kids thing. Oh well, you use what you got. :thumbsup2

Welcome!

[DisneyMom5]

When we last left the Hicks they had reunited with the Bionic SIL and kids, and had gotten to their excellent parking lot view rooms, as requested.

We were so happy to have our Tickets to the World in hand, and after un-packing we headed off to the Pop Century food court to break in our Free Dining.
popcorn::

Here I must pause to tell a little side story involving the Bionic SIL.
As many of you know, the weeks preceding our trip were extremely stressful due to the illness of my MIL.
Well, as bad as it was for me (insomnia), it was worse on SIL.
She bore the brunt of the experience, as I am home with all my kids an unable to go to the hospital every day.

When it was clear that the Inlaws were not going to be able to travel with us, but that our trip was still a go, she and I proceeded with our planning and packing.
They did not leave home until the day after we left, as they were flying.

Well, nerves must have gotten the best of her, because she also had three incidents of car-sickness on the way to the airport...all her, all while driving.

Then their flight was delayed by 40 minutes, but the pilot managed to shave 20 minutes off the flight time, so they made it to Orlando almost on time.

She was still feeling a little peak-ed, but better when we arrived.
In the meantime, Stitch Jr had also been ill.
We began to fear it was an epidemic. :sick:

But, no, thankfully, it was just a bit of excitement and motion-sickness combined.
:thumbsup2

Consequently, they did not stay long at the food court.

So Pocohantas Jr stayed a while with us, and we had a good time.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0157.jpg

Food court legos

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0575.jpg

Food court "those thingies that look like yo-yos but roll up and down a curved stick thing."

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0158.jpg

It was late, so we decided to skip the pool that night and head to bed.

Some of the kids decided to bunk with grandma, which was fine by us, and the rest started to settle down. But when I went in to check on their progress, Princess K looked like she had a bone to pick with me.

:mad:

“This is NOT Disney World!!!” said Princess K.

“Yes it is,” said I.

“No, it is not!”

“Why do you say that?”

“WHERE are the rides? WHERE are the PRINCESSES?!?”

“Well, the rides are at the parks, and it is past the princesses bed times as they have to get a good night’s sleep so they can have breakfast with you tomorrow.”

“OH!” said Princess K with VERY big eyes, and she plopped down and went to sleep.

Whew, glad that crisis was avoided.
I didn’t know there was a theory among four year olds that their parents might try to pull a fast one and not really take them to WDW when they say they will.

John and I tried to settle down for the night, but apparently we inherited the NOISY air conditioner, AND the leaky faucet.
I decided to report the sink in the morning, as it wasn’t too bad, and didn’t figure out it was the AC that was making the noise until later in the week.

It wasn’t long before the 6 am alarm was going off.
We had no trouble waking up the girls, as they were prime for seeing the princesses!
The boys, on the other hand, were not interested in the least in those foofy princesses.

Our ADR was for 8:40 am, and I was uncertain how long it would take us to get to Epcot and then how long it would take to walk across the park, so we left REALLY early, probably around
7:30. Well, apparently there is no line at that time in the morning, and the bus to Epcot is really quick, because we got there really fast.


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0166.jpg

Sorry if some of these pics are duplicates of my food report, but they show the empty park really well.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0164.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0167.jpg

For full details of this meal, you can visit said food report.

But here are a couple of funny pics:

Mom (I had promised you a pic of Mom!)

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0178-1.jpg

The boys who don’t like princesses but can’t take their eyes off of them

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0173.jpg

The cool ceiling decorations

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0177.jpg

We managed to get out of the restaurant around 9:30, I think, and decided that although getting to Soarin’ early was a priority, it might be a good idea to hit Test Track on the way.

Next up:
Day 3, part 2 - And then something really exciting happened...

[Piglets Mommy]

Thanks for the updates! I can't wait to check out the food report, too!

[jbmom]

I love the picture of the boys checking out the princesses! That is so funny.

[dismom9761]

Great update!:thumbsup2

That is so sweet about Princess K.:love: She's watchin' you, mama....

Lovin all the pics!:thumbsup2 That was one of our favorite meals and I even got a pic of my DS10 with a princess....:goodvibes

[Pixiedust34]

Your trip report rocks! I can't wait to read more!

You have a beautiful family. I know that not everyone was able to travel together, but I'm glad that you were able to round up those who were able to travel and you enjoyed your trip. Everyone looks so happy. I love the princess dresses and all of the matching shirts! :goodvibes

Just keep swimming....:fish: :fish: :fish: (Read: just keep writing! :) )

[Ashley Kees]

Sarah I am so glad to that your trip started off to a great start NOT! Poor you nothing worse than sick kids in the car!
As for the IHOP I guess were are there with ya! My DH and I went bowling and to IHOP for our first date! Candlelight bowling (bowling in the dark w/ pin lit up) how's that for hickish... is that a word??? Unfortunatly our IHOP closed and not sure where there is another on in our area!
I am on pins and needles just waiting for the next part of your trip report!!!!

LOL!! My husband and my first date was Lasertag and IHOP! As a matter of fact, he got me home late for curfew that night because of all you can eat pancakes!! :rotfl:

[whogirl'smom]

Hope SIL was able to get her appetite back for all that great food! We really like the Pop food court. Although the chicken mediterranean flatbread was a little "olive-y" so I put some honey mustard on it and it was :thumbsup2 !

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hicks, warped sense of humor and lots of literary references? I had to check a second time just to make sure I had not written this TR. :lmao:

I am in awe of any woman who can keep one husband, all those kids , not to mention in laws happy at one time!! :worship: :worship: :worship:

Slightly Goofy who is settling down in expectations of more!! popcorn::

[PrincessV]

Oh my gosh - this is 2,362 kinds of funny! Approximately. ;)

Loving your TR and I'm SO in for the rest of the ride! popcorn::

[Disneyland_Mama]

Ok, so I literally read the first 3 lines of the 1st post and I'm in, baby! :banana:

Your TR was recommended by my dear DIS friend, V, so here I am. I'll be back, gotta go back and read it now. :surfweb:

ETA: Bravo!! :worship: I thought I was a saint taking on our crew of 10 in August!
Your TR is so high-larious, I actually read it out loud to DMom and we sat giggled for a good couple of hours. :lmao:

BTW, the Princess breakie looks nice, I will have to plan that one for next year! :thumbup2

[SkyGirl]

This is so great! You have a wonderful writing style and such a great sense of humor -- and adorable kids!

Looking forward to more!:cool1:

[pezheadmeg]

Just spent an hour catching up on it all. You're a brave soul Sarah.

By the way I work in Hicksville, NY, and we haven't had a cow or any actual farms around here since we started the whole notion of suburbia.

[DisneyJo]

What a great TR, V told me to read it too :rotfl2: You'll have to start paying her :rotfl:

What a long journey, there's me thinking 9 hours in a plane is bad!!!

Great photo's so far, can't wait to read more popcorn::

[DisneyMom5]

Thanks for the updates! I can't wait to check out the food report, too!

All are welcome over at the old feeding trough, I mean food report! LOL

I love the picture of the boys checking out the princesses! That is so funny.

Aren't they hilarious?

Great update!

That is so sweet about Princess K. She's watchin' you, mama....

Lovin all the pics! That was one of our favorite meals and I even got a pic of my DS10 with a princess....

Wow, your son is so much more secure in his manliness than mine are! LOL
I bet in a couple of years they will be ALL about the princesses. ;)

Your trip report rocks! I can't wait to read more!

You have a beautiful family. I know that not everyone was able to travel together, but I'm glad that you were able to round up those who were able to travel and you enjoyed your trip. Everyone looks so happy. I love the princess dresses and all of the matching shirts! :goodvibes

Just keep swimming.... (Read: just keep writing! :) )

Thanks Kelly! :goodvibes
Watch for the SL backpack in some of our pics!

LOL!! My husband and my first date was Lasertag and IHOP! As a matter of fact, he got me home late for curfew that night because of all you can eat pancakes!!

Wow, that is like the Hick dream date! :thumbsup2

Hope SIL was able to get her appetite back for all that great food! We really like the Pop food court. Although the chicken mediterranean flatbread was a little "olive-y" so I put some honey mustard on it and it was !

She does recover nicely, I assure you.

Hicks, warped sense of humor and lots of literary references? I had to check a second time just to make sure I had not written this TR.

I am in awe of any woman who can keep one husband, all those kids , not to mention in laws happy at one time!

Slightly Goofy who is settling down in expectations of more!!

Oh Linda! :goodvibes
We just appreciate complex humor, even when it is about Hicks. LOL
[Side affect of being avid readers, I'd wager.]
If you are enjoying my report, you REALLY need to check out all the reports by OyBolshoi (Brenda). Priceless! I could only hope to attain to her level of trip report.

Oh my gosh - this is 2,362 kinds of funny! Approximately. ;)

Loving your TR and I'm SO in for the rest of the ride! popcorn::

Wow! :cool2:
That's a complete dramatization, of course, but you get the point. [Gotta love the Gecko!]

Ok, so I literally read the first 3 lines of the 1st post and I'm in, baby!

Your TR was recommended by my dear DIS friend, V, so here I am. I'll be back, gotta go back and read it now.

ETA: Bravo!! I thought I was a saint taking on our crew of 10 in August!
Your TR is so high-larious, I actually read it out loud to DMom and we sat giggled for a good couple of hours.

BTW, the Princess breakie looks nice, I will have to plan that one for next year!

Three lines? Wow! You know, your English teachers always tell you to hook your readers at the beginning. I like to believe I do that.
[I suspect it's actually a bit more of the freak factor -- check out this hick with seven kids -- but that works too!]

This is so great! You have a wonderful writing style and such a great sense of humor -- and adorable kids!

Looking forward to more!

Thanks! :goodvibes

Just spent an hour catching up on it all. You're a brave soul Sarah.

By the way I work in Hicksville, NY, and we haven't had a cow or any actual farms around here since we started the whole notion of suburbia.

HICKSVILLE?!? :worship:
Wow. We may have to make a pilgrimage.

What a great TR, V told me to read it too :rotfl2: You'll have to start paying her

What a long journey, there's me thinking 9 hours in a plane is bad!!!

Great photo's so far, can't wait to read more

V -- you rock! Thanks for sending over all your friends!

I think that riding 9 hours in a plane with all of them WOULD have been bad. By the 3rd bout of motion sickness they would have been landing the plane to kick us off. LOL

The weird thing is, a lot of people have no concept of how big the United States is. If we drive 9 hours south, we can be in Chattanooga, TN, which is 3 states away. If we drive 9 hours north, we are still in Michigan.

Europeans always have laughed at how we measure distance in hours, not miles/km. I suppose driving 9 hours in Europe would get you a few countries over! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading all. Hoping to get another update up in the next day or so.

[BTDTGB]

Just through the first few pages and I have openly laughed several times. I need to reply just to make sure I don't loose this one until I finish reading it. Great Job disneymom5 or is it 7? Guess the you've been posting here for a while.;)

[DisneyMom5]

Just through the first few pages and I have openly laughed several times. I need to reply just to make sure I don't loose this one until I finish reading it. Great Job disneymom5 or is it 7? Guess the you've been posting here for a while.;)

LOL, Yup, I signed up here before I found out I was pg with #6.

I just leave my name the way it is, because I have met so many people here that know me by that. :goodvibes

That's what I get for using such an uninspired user name. :rotfl:

Thanks for reading!

[Backstage_Gal]

Welcome! You will have plenty of time to catch up, because I have been sick and not updating very quickly. :thumbsup2



Sorry you have been sick, hope you feel better by now.

I am all caught up, great report. Hope you get around to update soon. Although I suppose having 7 kids might be a hinderance to time for said updates :laughing:

[MadamMim]

ETA: I really love TN. We usually stay at Chattanooga on our trip down to WDW. We are hoping to make a future trip just to explore that area. Really beautiful.




May I suggest that you stop over in Pigeon Forge? Dollywood is hick paradise! (We used to go when I was a kid and now my parents live in a nearby town and have annual passes.) My dad's a UP-er from Ishpeming and proudly considers himself a hick, so reading your report is a bit like reliving my childhood. :) Well done! :cheer2:

[DisneyMom5]

May I suggest that you stop over in Pigeon Forge? Dollywood is hick paradise! (We used to go when I was a kid and now my parents live in a nearby town and have annual passes.) My dad's a UP-er from Ishpeming and proudly considers himself a hick, so reading your report is a bit like reliving my childhood. :) Well done! :cheer2:

I've heard that PF and Dollywood is kind of fun! Thanks for the recommendation. :goodvibes

Say "Yah" to your dad for me. Do they do the "Sow-nah" in Ishpeming?
LOL
My mom's cousin married a UP-er, and has lived in Houghton for years, so we get a bit of the UP flavor when they visit.

Just read your degree(s). My dh would be like :worship: .
Military History has to be his favorite (today, LOL).
He did a dig on Ft. St. Joseph here in Michigan, which dates to 1690 and was both French and British, depending on who won at the moment. Loved it!
He is about 4(?) classes away from his BA in Anthropology. It's his retirement plan to complete his MA and find a way to dig (teaching if necessary.)
Are you studying in the UK?
That would be awesome. I am just fascinated by a show here called "Battlefield England" or something like that.
Dh would LOVE to travel to the UK. It's on the list of things to do someday.
He also has a hankering to hit the ancient areas too -- Greece, Rome, Isreal, Egypt.
Anyway, enough about all that. I'd love to hear any input you might have on his career.
Thanks for reading!

[kindakrazy2]

Love it Sarah! Great update! Too funny on your DD thinking there was some great consiracy afloat to just convince her she had been to Disneyworld! :rotfl: THe pic of the boys checking out the princesses is priceless! :lmao:

[SlightlyGoofy]

I have a bil who is so cheap that he once took his daughter (age 4) to a merry go round at a local mall and convinced her that she was at Disney World. She is 14 now and still not really sure if it was or not. She plays half a dozen instruments, is an honors student, speaks several languages and is involved in a million sports so it says a lot about her not being 'spoiled'. BTW, said bil is a millionaire but his wife and daughter think he is poorer than dirt.:confused3


I have been to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg a million times and can attest to the fact that it is truly 'hick' territory. Where else can you trout fish from your motel room deck or want to?

Slightly Goofy

[DisneyMom5]

Part - I can't remember what part it is, but we're still on Day three, the first day in the parks, at Epcot --
And Then Something Really Exciting Happened!

So when we last left the Hicks, they had just left the Princess Storybook Breakfast --
Where the vittles are pretty good and the Princesses and Good and Purty.

We were running a little bit behind schedule, because we had to wait on them there princesses to get around to meeting us. :confused3

It was a bit after 9:30 am.

Instead of heading over to Soarin', as originally planned, we decided to head over to Test Track, which was arguably closer and potentially not as crowded.
We figured we'd have to pick up fastpasses for Soarin' anyway, so the extra time wouldn't really hurt.

We discussed it amongst ourselves, and Mom did not want any part of Test Track, so she volunteered to stay with the two littlest.

At this, Danger Boy (ds8) decides that if Grandma is not riding, neither is he.

Danger Boy, for all his bravado, is askeered of everything. :scared1:

We have made a family agreement that every trip, each person tries something new to ride.
Danger Boy originally chose Test Track, but now faced with the actuallity, he backs out. :sad2:

So they make themselves comfy on a bench and we head in, pausing only to make sure Princess K is tall enough.

Princess K surprises us on this trip.
Although we knew that Danger Boy was actually a scaredy cat, we had NO idea that K was a daredevil! :eek:

We walk right through the line of Test Track, and are escorted right into a staging room.

At this point, I have noticed something unusual.

There are several official looking people hanging around, including a few in BABY BLUE SHIRTS AND VESTS!!!

I am GEEEEEEEKED! :woohoo:

No one around me realizes who these people are.
But I... I who spend WAY too much time on the DIS, realize that they are the illustrious Dream Team.

Too many people in the room to get a night in the castle, thinks I.

It has to be something smaller, like hats, lanyards OR....

Suddenly, one of the Team welcomes us and says they have some safety info. ;)

No, not really. They just want to tell us that we have won...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000649b.jpg

(sorry so blurry!)

Yup, that's right, we got DREAM FAST PASSES! :cool1:

As soon as the Team members lined up in front of us, I started jumping up and down. :yay:

John and the Bionic SIL started looking at me like I was nuts.

But once I explained what we were being handed, they were all smiles.

We proceeded onto Test Track, and really enjoyed it, especially Stitch Jr., and Princess K.

Here is John,The Inquisitor, and myself, along with two, absolutely bored, complete strangers in the back seat.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/image96.jpg

I think the safety belt is slimming, no?

And here is: Back seat - Disneygirl, Princess K, and Pochahontas Jr.
Front seat: Bionic SIL, The Chef, and Stitch Jr.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/image93.jpg

The Chef, although brave enough to go on rides, prefers to experience them with both eyes covered. :rotfl:
And look at Princess K! What a trooper! She would prove to be almost as brave as Disneygirl this trip. :cheer2:

And the best part of every thrill ride was Stitch Jr. yelling "THIS....IS....AWE-SOME!!!" LOL

So we got off the ride, and went to find those left behind.

Excited, we tried our best to explain to my mom, the woman who has never been to WDW, never ridden a ride at WDW, never even waited in a line at WDW, what these magical pieces of blue plastic like material were.

She took our word for it. LOL

We sauntered over to the Land, cocky now, dream fast passes in hand.

LINE?!? We don't need no stinkin' line! WE have FAST PASSES!!!

Well, of course, not ALL of us have fast passes. This might be a fatal flaw in our plan.
We convene a mini-hick high council, and decide that John and The Chef will sit out, after gettin Fast passes for later, and watch Bitsy and Babycakes.

The rest of us would ride Soarin' with our DREAM FAST PASSES, then do the rest of the Land attractions while waiting for their fast passes to come due.

This worked splendidly.
The only glitches --
Princess K who LOVED Test Track, went hysterical on Soarin',
and Mom, who I thought would like it, decided half way through that it was making her dizzy, and repeatedly asked how much longer.
:rolleyes1

I LOVE this ride, and Bionic SIL and kids did too. It ended up being one of their favs.
They moved back to MI from CA 2 years ago, so they loved seeing the CA sights.

We gathered up our crew, and headed for Living with the Land.

I really like this ride, and especially now that the spiel is automated.
My kids first trip they were just amazed at the green house.
So we usually make it a point to ride this one.

When we got off, it was pretty close to time for John and the Chef to ride Soarin', so we made arrangements to meet them by the main entrance to the pavillion.

We decided to see Circle of Life. We were kind of hoping to sit and wait for the next show, but we happened to walk in just as they were calling for last seating.
I had never had a desire to see this. And having seen it, I have the desire never to see it again.
The best part, is while walking out, I hear Stitch Jr. say under his breath "Well THAT was a waste of time." :lmao:
Not to mention it was sooooo LOUD. What is it with Disney and having the volume to a point that you can hardly take it?

Anyway. We still found ourselves with plenty of time to waste.
So we decided to get a snack.
The Seasons food court is pretty well set up, with a lot of interesting food choices.
We decided just to get a few sodas and chips to share, using our snack credits.

At one point, I think before we ordered, while we were seating everyone, we realized that Danger Boy was not with us. :sad2:

I looked around the food court, and sure enough, there he was, kind of zigging and zagging around, looking for us.
We started yelling for him, but he couldn't tell where we were, and started running around crazy like.
One of us finally caught up with him
Thus fulfilling the prediction that he was the one most likely to get lost,
AND prompting a discussion about STANDING STILL if you get lost.

A tidbit that would come in handy later in the week for one unlucky hick.

But I digress.

We catch sight of John and the Chef going up the stairs and wave them down.
We are ready to head over to see Nemo and friends at the Living Seas.

Next up: "Don't worry, it's just like Stich, with fish..."

[DisneyMom5]

Love it Sarah! Great update! Too funny on your DD thinking there was some great consiracy afloat to just convince her she had been to Disneyworld! :rotfl: THe pic of the boys checking out the princesses is priceless! :lmao:

They keep us entertained, no?

I have a bil who is so cheap that he once took his daughter (age 4) to a merry go round at a local mall and convinced her that she was at Disney World. She is 14 now and still not really sure if it was or not. She plays half a dozen instruments, is an honors student, speaks several languages and is involved in a million sports so it says a lot about her not being 'spoiled'. BTW, said bil is a millionaire but his wife and daughter think he is poorer than dirt.:confused3


I have been to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg a million times and can attest to the fact that it is truly 'hick' territory. Where else can you trout fish from your motel room deck or want to?

Slightly Goofy

Evil BIL! I can't even plan a WDW trip without telling my kids, I get too excited and they can figure out what I am doing on the computer. They are way too savvy. LOL

Trout fishing from our room deck? Be still my heart. Why in the world have we been wasting all our time at WDW? :laughing:

[dismom9761]

Great update!:thumbsup2

My DD3 is fearless too.:goodvibes She even rode TOT...

Lovin' all the pictures.:goodvibes

YAY:yay: Dream fastpasses!:cheer2:

[PrincessV]

Yup, that's right, we got DREAM FAST PASSES! :cool1:
WOO HOO!! :cheer2:
The Chef, although brave enough to go on rides, prefers to experience them with both eyes covered. :rotfl:
:rotfl: I can relate - my DS does the same thing!
A tidbit that would come in handy later in the week for one unlucky hick.
Uh-oh...

[DisneyMom5]

Great update!:thumbsup2

My DD3 is fearless too.:goodvibes She even rode TOT...

Lovin' all the pictures.:goodvibes

YAY:yay: Dream fastpasses!:cheer2:

Thanks! You'll have to wait and see if Princess K (4yo) braved TOT or not. :rolleyes1

WOO HOO!! :cheer2:

:rotfl: I can relate - my DS does the same thing!

Uh-oh...

So you caught the foreshadowing....:thumbsup2

Thanks again for sending over the crew. They are a great bunch!

[PrincessV]

Thanks again for sending over the crew. They are a great bunch!
My pleasure! Hey, when I find me some funny TR, I like to share :thumbsup2

[SlightlyGoofy]

DisneyMom5, your son is one smart cookie. He is using Grandma like the canary in the mine. If she does not die he thinks it is safe for him. My grandson did the same thing on our trip. He knows I am the biggest chicken of all time and he refused to ride anything I would not ride. We did the Transit thing and he freaked out mid ride and came over by me where I made a 'magic circle of love' that made his dad shake his head in dismay. We loved it though. Now that he is a hunky 16 year old he would make to make a circle for me. He is now insisting that I ride the most dangerous ride of my life, in his car with him at the steering wheel. :scared1:

Did it ever occur to you that the Dream Team looks for families as large as yours to give the passes to just to make room in the line for the rest of us? :rotfl: I am glad you got them as it sure did make your day a lot better. Those can only be used that one day, am I right?

If you think trout fishing from your motel room deck is cool you would love what my bil once did. He lives in a trailer on a mountain and one morning he stepped out (in deer hunting season) and shot a deer before breakfast. When he went out to check there had been another, smaller one, behind and he got both of them with one bullet. Round my parts we eat the meat, along with squirrel, rabbit and some eat more exotic fare such as possum. I know hicks. I are one. Now that I have a bit of cash I am more a Mountain William than a Hillbilly though. :thumbsup2

Slightly Goofy

[teresajoy]

some time she could get her dh to stay onsite. :thumbsup2

Watch out for flying pigs when that happens! :lmao:


Thanks! Since you know them IRL, that's a complement. :goodvibes
You know, I think they get cuter every time I see them!


Mickey ears? Did you notice that his blue shirt is not even a mickey shirt? (Or is that what you meant?)
Rule #1 with John -- he would like you all to believe that he doesn't play well with others, and that he's "not into the Disney thing."
[He actually loves it!]
I tried to point out that he looked odder NOT matching us, but he wouldn't buy it. Sigh.

Some guy volunteered to take one with each of our cameras. Disney people are good people! :wizard:

Silly girl, yes, that is what I meant! John sounds a lot like Brian. He likes to complain about me "making" him go to Disney every year, but he LOVES it! He thinks it's a well kept secret, but most people know it!

And yes, Disney people ARE good people!



I have been to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg a million times and can attest to the fact that it is truly 'hick' territory. Where else can you trout fish from your motel room deck or want to?

Slightly Goofy

NOBODY tell my husband ab out this motel!!!!!


No, not really. They just want to tell us that we have won...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000649b.jpg

(sorry so blurry!)

Yup, that's right, we got DREAM FAST PASSES! :cool1:



COOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!

I had never had a desire to see this. And having seen it, I have the desire never to see it again.

You done made me spit coffee out of my nose!!!!!

[lisalonglash]

the most entertaining trip/food report I've seen yet on the boards! LOL What a hoot :rotfl2:

I've been to Dollywood and yes, it was ... um ... enlightening to a Canadian city girl to hear such gems as "honey, now done go get the veHICle cuz the young'uns need to git home" and "oh no, we're plumb right out of pickle juice" (huh?) LOL

I promise never to type (or say) "eh" if you promise to keep writing reports! It's the best of both worlds for me - tres humourous writing and great food porn! :banana:

You have a beautiful family! Love those matching shirts (OT, we're having a Grand Gathering next year at WDW. I can't think of a really good "slogan" to put on the shirts!)

Oh, and my husband is the same when it comes to any non-European trip - egads, not Disney LOL

[HeatherSue]

Food court "those thingies that look like yo-yos but roll up and down a curved stick thing."
Princess K looked like she had a bone to pick with me.

:mad:

“This is NOT Disney World!!!” said Princess K.

“Yes it is,” said I.

“No, it is not!”

“Why do you say that?”

“WHERE are the rides? WHERE are the PRINCESSES?!?”

“Well, the rides are at the parks, and it is past the princesses bed times as they have to get a good night’s sleep so they can have breakfast with you tomorrow.”

“OH!” said Princess K with VERY big eyes, and she plopped down and went to sleep.



LOL about the yo-yo-like things! Tessa thought the same thing when we went on our last trip ( she was 3). She was really pouty and we didn't even know why. Then, on the bus ride to Magic Kingdom, she spotted the castle and exclaimed "This IS Disney World!" I think she thought Disney world was just the hotel (as cool as Pop Century is, it's no Magic Kingdom).

There are several official looking people hanging around, including a few in BABY BLUE SHIRTS AND VESTS!!!

I think the safety belt is slimming, no?

The Chef, although brave enough to go on rides, prefers to experience them with both eyes covered. :rotfl:

We started yelling for him, but he couldn't tell where we were, and started running around crazy like.
[/B]

OOOOHHH!!!!! Wow!!!! How Cool about the fast passes!!!

Yes, I find you to look quite trim in the safety belt.

:rotfl2: about The Chef!

:rotfl2: I'm so sorry that I'm finding the image of him running around all "crazy like" to be quite humorous. :lmao:



I promise never to type (or say) "eh" if you promise to keep writing reports!

You forget, we live up here in Michigan and are known to say "eh" ourselves- eh?

[DisneyMom5]

My pleasure! Hey, when I find me some funny TR, I like to share

You know, you're just encouraging me with all the attention and flattery. Your bribe is in the mail.

DisneyMom5, your son is one smart cookie. He is using Grandma like the canary in the mine. If she does not die he thinks it is safe for him. My grandson did the same thing on our trip. He knows I am the biggest chicken of all time and he refused to ride anything I would not ride. We did the Transit thing and he freaked out mid ride and came over by me where I made a 'magic circle of love' that made his dad shake his head in dismay. We loved it though. Now that he is a hunky 16 year old he would make to make a circle for me. He is now insisting that I ride the most dangerous ride of my life, in his car with him at the steering wheel.

Did it ever occur to you that the Dream Team looks for families as large as yours to give the passes to just to make room in the line for the rest of us? I am glad you got them as it sure did make your day a lot better. Those can only be used that one day, am I right?

If you think trout fishing from your motel room deck is cool you would love what my bil once did. He lives in a trailer on a mountain and one morning he stepped out (in deer hunting season) and shot a deer before breakfast. When he went out to check there had been another, smaller one, behind and he got both of them with one bullet. Round my parts we eat the meat, along with squirrel, rabbit and some eat more exotic fare such as possum. I know hicks. I are one. Now that I have a bit of cash I am more a Mountain William than a Hillbilly though.

Slightly Goofy

"Canary in the mine." :rotfl:
Grandma would be a bad one, because she has never really been on ANY rides in her lifetime. But she did find some she LOVED in WDW. Y'all will just have to wait to see which ones.

My dd will be driving in a couple of years. :scared1:

So the dream team gives US passes to get us out of the way. Brilliant. I think they should continue that policy. :thumbsup2

TWO deer with one bullet. That's pretty amazing.

I don't eat anything that is a fuzzy woodland creature. Blech.

Didn't know about Mountain Williams. Hmmm....

PBS had a great documentary on the other week that was called "People Like Us." It was about class levels in America. I thought it was fascinating.

It's amazing how much of "class levels" is NOT economic! Some of the "rednecks" at the "Redneck Olympics" had plenty of money.
Anyway, it was very interesting. I highly recommend it.

Watch out for flying pigs when that happens! :lmao:
You know, I think they get cuter every time I see them!
Silly girl, yes, that is what I meant! John sounds a lot like Brian. He likes to complain about me "making" him go to Disney every year, but he LOVES it! He thinks it's a well kept secret, but most people know it!
And yes, Disney people ARE good people!
NOBODY tell my husband about this motel!!!!!

You done made me spit coffee out of my nose!!!!!

You mean H doesn't like to go to WDW! :eek:
Wow, that's brutal.

Thanks on the cute comment. It depends on the day. I usually find them cute, but it lessens the naughtier they get. LOL

Brian just likes being far away from here. LOL That's what John likes.

You think Brian would buy you a timeshare at the Trout Fishing Deck Motel?

Sorry about the coffee spitting. You never can tell what people will find nose-spitting funny. :rotfl2:

the most entertaining trip/food report I've seen yet on the boards! LOL What a hoot :rotfl2:

I've been to Dollywood and yes, it was ... um ... enlightening to a Canadian city girl to hear such gems as "honey, now done go get the veHICle cuz the young'uns need to git home" and "oh no, we're plumb right out of pickle juice" (huh?) LOL

I promise never to type (or say) "eh" if you promise to keep writing reports! It's the best of both worlds for me - tres humourous writing and great food porn! :banana:

You have a beautiful family! Love those matching shirts (OT, we're having a Grand Gathering next year at WDW. I can't think of a really good "slogan" to put on the shirts!)

Oh, and my husband is the same when it comes to any non-European trip - egads, not Disney LOL

Thanks! That is quite a compliment.

Pickle juice?!? I'm not sure I want to know. LOL

Like Heather says below, we're from Michigan. Eh is very common. That and Yah. Have you ever seen the movie "Escanaba in da Moonlight" ? There is a fine line between a Canadian and a Yooper.

I highly recommend disneyshopping.com for inexpensive matching t-shirts. They had sizes up to 4X on those mouse shirts.
Watch for discounts AND free shipping.

LOL about the yo-yo-like things! Tessa thought the same thing when we went on our last trip ( she was 3). She was really pouty and we didn't even know why. Then, on the bus ride to Magic Kingdom, she spotted the castle and exclaimed "This IS Disney World!" I think she thought Disney world was just the hotel (as cool as Pop Century is, it's no Magic Kingdom).

OOOOHHH!!!!! Wow!!!! How Cool about the fast passes!!!

Yes, I find you to look quite trim in the safety belt.

:rotfl2: about The Chef!

:rotfl2: I'm so sorry that I'm finding the image of him running around all "crazy like" to be quite humorous. :lmao:

You forget, we live up here in Michigan and are known to say "eh" ourselves- eh?

The running around crazy would have been a lot more humorous if we had not been franticly trying to catch him. LOL

Thanks for reading all!

[SlightlyGoofy]

"Canary in the mine."
Grandma would be a bad one, because she has never really been on ANY rides in her lifetime. But she did find some she LOVED in WDW. Y'all will just have to wait to see which ones. Being a coal miners daughter, w/o the musical talent I know from canaries. Confidence in ones grandma is good, whether misplaced or not."

My dd will be driving in a couple of years. Do what I did and my dd is now doing figure out how they cannot start until Spring. No new drivers in winter allowed in my family!

So the dream team gives US passes to get us out of the way. Brilliant. I think they should continue that policy.I can see your point of view. :laughing:

TWO deer with one bullet. That's pretty amazing.Even for my neck of the woods that is good.

I don't eat anything that is a fuzzy woodland creature. Blech. You do when you are in a large family and have known this way of eating since you were born. Not anymore though. I am still capable of going out and shooting/fishing for my dinner should I have to though. Country gals will survive!

Didn't know about Mountain Williams. Hmmm....:laughing:

PBS had a great documentary on the other week that was called "People Like Us." It was about class levels in America. I thought it was fascinating.Heck, we even watch the same shows! We are edumacated hicks.

It's amazing how much of "class levels" is NOT economic! Some of the "rednecks" at the "Redneck Olympics" had plenty of money.
Anyway, it was very interesting. I highly recommend it.Redneck is a lifestyle not a class. I do not like what SOME folks have made of being redneck though. Redneck is down to earth folks to me NOT ignorant hateful 'ist' type folks who seem to thrive on being jerks.

Out to bag trash. Fun never ends!!

SG/Linda

[lisalonglash]

Thanks! That is quite a compliment.
~ It's true!

Pickle juice?!? I'm not sure I want to know. LOL
~ I don't want to know either, but if you'd seen the man saying it, you'd have run like we wanted to LOL

Like Heather says below, we're from Michigan. Eh is very common. That and Yah. Have you ever seen the movie "Escanaba in da Moonlight" ? There is a fine line between a Canadian and a Yooper.
~ OK, I had to look Yooper up as I've never heard the term before! Looks like Yooper is spoken only on the East Coast, so no Yoopers here on the West Coast :rotfl2:

I highly recommend disneyshopping.com for inexpensive matching t-shirts. They had sizes up to 4X on those mouse shirts.
Watch for discounts AND free shipping.
~ I would LOVE to order stuff from disney.com, but their free shipping is only for Americans, and their shipping costs to Canada are calculated on the hugely unfair premise that Canada is an international destination when shipping from the US! So, if I was to buy $20 worth of stuff, I'd have to pay $50+ in shipping costs - rudeness, I tell you! :sad2:

Have a wonderful day!

[SlightlyGoofy]

lisalonglash, maybe you could strike a deal with one of our elderly folks who comes your way for cheaper pharmaceuticals and you can help them smuggle their drugs out while they smuggle in your Disney stuff? Is that not what 'fair trade' is?

I agree with you that is a bummer. Wish I could help but I am too far from the border.

Slightly Goofy

[lisalonglash]

lisalonglash, maybe you could strike a deal with one of our elderly folks who comes your way for cheaper pharmaceuticals and you can help them smuggle their drugs out while they smuggle in your Disney stuff? Is that not what 'fair trade' is?

I agree with you that is a bummer. Wish I could help but I am too far from the border.

Slightly Goofy

LMAO!:rotfl2: Surely that sort of transaction is included under NAFTA or something, right? :rotfl:

PS: Did you get my PM about your son's cool green mickey on his hair? :yay:

[mindyd]

Hi,

I just read the whole report and am loving it WOOHOO for the passes too bad you all didn't get them.

[DisneyJo]

Whooohoooo on the FP's shame they don't give them to your whole party though!

Love your TT photos, we had boring passengers with us as well you almost want to tell them to have fun they're at Disney :rotfl2:

[wvgoofyfan]

What a great trip report! Just got caught up! Loving your style!

Post an update soon :surfweb:

[SlightlyGoofy]

It is a dreary day here. Great day for reading but I had to go to the dump etc. instead. After I clean upstairs I might have time to read though. Incentive, I need incentive! :thumbsup2

lisalonglash, NAFTA is exactly what I was thinking of. You must have PM'd someone else as my son is so tall that he could not see a Mickey on his head without a ladder. :rotfl2:

DisneyJo, there are some folks who are just unbearably shy and come across as being bored or unfriendly. I try to smile and engage folks but you just cannot please everyone. Good thing is that there are few who cannot be coaxed into smiling back at DW since the kinds of folks who choose to go there are generally outgoing folks, like YOU!!

SG/Linda

[DisneyMom5]

My dd will be driving in a couple of years. Do what I did and my dd is now doing figure out how they cannot start until Spring. No new drivers in winter allowed in my family!

That's the plan! Her b-day is not until spring, so I don't plan on starting the process until AFTER she is 15. I'm a mean, stingy mama, I know.

PBS had a great documentary on the other week that was called "People Like Us." It was about class levels in America. I thought it was fascinating.Heck, we even watch the same shows! We are edumacated hicks. I have seen shirts that say "I are Hom skooled." We're not quite that bad. LOL



~ OK, I had to look Yooper up as I've never heard the term before! Looks like Yooper is spoken only on the East Coast, so no Yoopers here on the West Coast

There are NO Yoopers on the East Coast of anything, except for the East Coast of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Yoopers are people from the U. P. (UuuuuP ers) They tend to be a Michigan/Canadian blend, with an awful lot of Scandinavian thrown in.
And might I add the NOT being able to order from Disneyshopping.com would probably be the deal breaker if we were offered a move to Canada.
I'm just saying.


Hi,

I just read the whole report and am loving it WOOHOO for the passes too bad you all didn't get them.

Thanks! Well, since they didn't want to ride, it's only fair they miss out. :rolleyes1

Whooohoooo on the FP's shame they don't give them to your whole party though!

Love your TT photos, we had boring passengers with us as well you almost want to tell them to have fun they're at Disney :rotfl2:

Thanks! Aren't the pics fun? We never purchase them, so I wish they would put all rides on the photopass.

What a great trip report! Just got caught up! Loving your style!

Post an update soon :surfweb:

Thanks! I am hoping to get back to updating. Been a crazy week. New stuff is up on the food report if you are following that.

It is a dreary day here. Great day for reading but I had to go to the dump etc. instead. After I clean upstairs I might have time to read though. Incentive, I need incentive! :thumbsup2

SG/Linda

I get to "pre-read" all of my kids books. We use a literature based curriculum, Sonlight(.com), and I enjoy the books as much as they do.
It's nice to have an excuse to curl up with a book, especially as it gets colder out! :goodvibes

Thanks for sticking with me all of you. Hoping to update soon!

[DisneyMom5]

Still Day One...
--will this trip report NEVER end--
Part Blah Blah:
Entitled:
"Don't worry, it's just like Stich, with fish..."

When we last left the Hicks they had finished up Living with the Land,
and were headed off to see if they could catch them a Large Mouth Bass
at the Living Seas with Nemo and Friends.

:eek:

No, I jest, they were just going to look at the purty fish.
And talk to a turtle.
No, really.

We parked the stroller
-- ok, I get it, the buildings would be REALLY crowded with strollers, but sheeeeeesh, what a pain --
and headed in the door.

Nemo had been posting wait times, according to reliable sources, but it was under 10 minutes to get in.
I am not sure how to bypass the clam-mobiles,
though I thought I heard you could,
but it might be handy if you had already seen them,
because the hold-up is the loading those things.

Now, I must warn you about what I am about to say next.

***WARNING - what you are about to read may quite possibly be POLITICALLY INCORRECT.***
Do not say you were not warned.

The people in front of us were taking a bit of time.

There was absolutely NO ONE in front of them.

Yet, we were SLOOOOOOWLY walking around the queue.

Why???

Well, because there were two people on ECVs/scooters.

But...
you say
...you need to have pity.

It is such a pain to have to get around on a scooter.

Oh, I agree.

What was irritating was NOT the scooter business, per se.

It was the fact that BOTH of these ladies had to stop every 1 1/2 feet and take a picture.

:confused:

And that's NOT an exaggeration.

Again, pics alone, not a problem.

You can always politely say "may we go around you?"

But the get the scooter going, stop the scooter, get the camera, take the picture, start the scooter, stop the scooter....

Block the whole line in the process....

:scared1:

You get my point.

Thankfully, this situation did yield one humorous tidbit.

When they finally got up to the point of getting on the clam-mobiles,
the one woman looks at her teenage son and says:
"What is this? Is it scary? It looks kind of scary!"

To which her son replied:
"Don't worry. Remember Stitch? It's just like that, only with fish."

:lmao:

We're not quite sure what he was trying to say, but we thought it was hilarious that he was comparing the clam-mobiles scariness level to Stitch (assuming the attraction at MK).

Anyway, we finally get on the clam-mobiles with only one casualty.
Mom didn't realize the walkway was moving.
She did get on the ride, but not without stumbling a little.
From that day on, all moving walkways were greeted with the whole group yelling back at Mom "MOOOOVING WALKWAY!"

I think she appreciated our thoughtfulness. :rolleyes1

The clam mobiles are pretty cool, actually.
You follow Nemo as his friends and family attempt to locate him...again.

The animation, combined with live fish, looks pretty cool.

We decided to see how long it would be until the next Turtle Talk with Crush.

The wait was only a few minutes, so we lined up.

May I just say, I am amazed sometimes at what attracts attention to people.
Is it an inherent obnoxiousness?
A winsome smile?
That deer in the headlights look?
Random acts of kindness?

Well, whatever it is, Stitch Jr must have bathed in that week, because his streak was just about to start.

All the kids sat up front, and during the talk, Crush tells a CM who to take the microphone to.
(This technology is awesome, if you have not been, you really should check it out.)
Sure enough, Stitch Jr. was picked, to learn some surfer turtle speak.

We were pretty excited to have one of our group picked.
:cool1:

After the talk, we headed upstairs to see more of the aquariums.
We stumbled onto the dolphin training session.
We have seen this before, and it is also very cool.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000639a.jpg

And, wouldn't you know, though we had only arrived minutes before, Stitch jr was picked to assist the trainer?

Some kind of lucky, that kid!

Here are some fish photos, all by Disneygirl:


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000640.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000644.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IM000646.jpg

For some weird reason, I didn't take many pics after breakfast. I think I was much too focused on having everyone's first day go smoothly.

We finished up looking at the fish, saw a bit of a demonstration by a diver, and then decided it was time to move on.

The AC had been nice, but it was time to head back out into the brutal heat, because there were Disney places to go, Disney people to see.

Next up: The Rest of the Stuff We Did at Epcot....

[DisneyMom5]

Happy Halloween!!!

Hope everyone has a great day!


http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0202.jpg

[PrincessV]

We parked the stroller
-- ok, I get it, the buildings would be REALLY crowded with strollers, but sheeeeeesh, what a pain --
I'm with ya. Back in the recession-era 90s, strollers were allowed in all the buildings. Of course, they were those steel monstrosities that offered little protection from the searing sun and had the turning radius of a Hummer. I guess it's a trade-off. :rotfl:

From that day on, all moving walkways were greeted with the whole group yelling back at Mom "MOOOOVING WALKWAY!"

I think she appreciated our thoughtfulness. :rolleyes1
I'm sure! :rotfl2:

[lisalonglash]

Reply to SlightlyGoofy:

Yep, you're right. I was thinking of Goofyluvr LOL As for the shipping charges, I think I'm just going to zip across the border and go shopping for the morning in the next couple of weeks (for Lego and DVDs - WAY cheaper in the US still, strangely). As for Disney stuff, I'm going to suck it up and go to our local Disney Store and hope against hope that they'll have some items on decent sales LOL Or I'll just go to the Seattle Disney Store... Decisions, decisions... lol

[lisalonglash]

There are NO Yoopers on the East Coast of anything, except for the East Coast of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Yoopers are people from the U. P. (UuuuuP ers) They tend to be a Michigan/Canadian blend, with an awful lot of Scandinavian thrown in.
And might I add the NOT being able to order from Disneyshopping.com would probably be the deal breaker if we were offered a move to Canada.
I'm just saying.

Sorry, you're absolutely right :thumbsup2 Upper Peninsula it is! The disneyshopping.com shipping issue hurts, but at the current exchange rate, I'm OK with it LOL

Great update! Love your writing style :wizard:

[DisneyMom5]

I'm with ya. Back in the recession-era 90s, strollers were allowed in all the buildings. Of course, they were those steel monstrosities that offered little protection from the searing sun and had the turning radius of a Hummer. I guess it's a trade-off. :rotfl:


I still have my original 1994 stroller, but its a single. You think the turning radius on those are bad, try a double. Oy.

There are NO Yoopers on the East Coast of anything, except for the East Coast of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Yoopers are people from the U. P. (UuuuuP ers) They tend to be a Michigan/Canadian blend, with an awful lot of Scandinavian thrown in.
And might I add the NOT being able to order from Disneyshopping.com would probably be the deal breaker if we were offered a move to Canada.
I'm just saying.

Sorry, you're absolutely right :thumbsup2 Upper Peninsula it is! The disneyshopping.com shipping issue hurts, but at the current exchange rate, I'm OK with it LOL

Great update! Love your writing style :wizard:

This is turning into quite a geography lesson, no?

Thanks for your continued support! :goodvibes

[DisneyMom5]

IN honor of the holiday, I thought I'd post my pumpkins. I always try to go with a theme. This year is Monster's Inc. I am not really happy w/ the Boo pumpkin, but I like the rest.
Enjoy!

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0611.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0610.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0609.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0608.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0607.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0606.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/IMG_0605.jpg

[lisalonglash]

This is turning into quite a geography lesson, no?

Thanks for your continued support! :goodvibes

I have to say that I, a Canadian city girl, have learnt much from both this TR and your FR. I think I'm getting edumacated just reading about your adventures! Of course, it helps that your writing style is really entertaining! :banana:

OMG, those pumpkins are great! I admire your artistry! Stick figures is more my speed, so I just let my boys cut whatever shapes they wanted into the pumpkin last night LMAO

[mindyd]

Wow your pumpkins look great I would be to embarrased to post mine we didn't go creative this year.

Happy Halloween!

[HeatherSue]

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0611.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0610.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0609.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0608.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0607.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0606.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b341/disneymom5/th_IMG_0605.jpg

I LOVE these Sarah! We usually drive by your house around Halloween just to see your cool pumpkins up on the front porch. But, we haven't been over that way this year. Thanks for saving me a trip! ;)