Could it BE any hotter? Or our Disney vacation 8-31 to 9-10

[undertheseas]

Our cast:
DH - just turned 40 and very tolerant of my Disney addiction
Me - 34 and a Disney freak
DD - 9 yo princess, very drama queen and loves thrilling rides
DS - 6 about to be 7 pirate, very into pirates and star wars and legos

Background:
This is the third trip as a family, 4th for DH and I. Our last trip was 2 years ago at the same time. We are back for the low crowds and free food!

Thursday, August 30, 2007
DH and I left work an hour early, picked up the kids and went home to load up the car. We put the dogs out, changed clothes and ate at McDonalds before finally hitting the road at 5:15 for Kansas City. We arrived at the Platte City Comfort Inn around 8:00 using their “stay, park and fly” program so we could leave the car in their parking lot while we were gone. It took the kids a long time to settle down and go to sleep, it was at least 10:00.

Friday, August 31
We got up at 4:00 AM to get ready for our flight. We had packed everything we could in the 4 suitcases and just had PJs, toothbrushes, meds, etc in the carry-on. We left the hotel in their shuttle van around 5:20 for the airport. We only waited in line at Southwest for 5-10 minutes to check our bags and then another minimal wait to get through security. Our plane was already there and waiting so we left on time at 7:10 AM and actually arrived in Orlando a few minutes early, around 10:40 local time. We walked to the Magical Express counter where I had a 5-10 minute wait to check in, another 10 minute wait for the bus. We arrived at Pop Century around noon but they were training new cast members so it was a very slow check-in. We dropped off our carry-on bags, put on sunscreen and headed to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived there at about 1:15 PM. We grabbed a Fast Pass for Space Mountain (which was actually broken down at the time and not running) before eating at Cosmic Ray’s.

Cosmic Ray’s – DD had an uncrustable, two sides (I think apple sauce and carrots), cookie and a water. DS had the kids nuggets, fries, grapes, cookie and a soda. DH and I split the chicken and ribs meal, a diet coke and chocolate cake. Once again the chicken and ribs were wonderful and HUGE, it was plenty for both of us and a great bargin. Around $36, 3 counter credits.

We then went to ride Buzz and it was starting to look stormy. We came out of Buzz and it was pouring so we ran next door to the Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor. What a hoot! We loved this new attraction, it was hilarious! DH was picked on when we came in, I can’t remember what they said about him and showed his picture but a few seconds later they flashed him up on the screen again and this time it said “doesn’t think this is funny”. The kids and I loved it, DH too! When we came out there was still a light rain. We headed over to Swiss Family Tree house, a first for the kids who love this movie. Jungle Cruise with all its traditional corny jokes, Pirates of the Caribbean, grabbed a FP for Splash Mountain, Philharmagic, It’s A Small World, and rode Splash Mountain before stopping to eat at Pecos Bill.

Peco’s Bill- Both kids had the kids chicken nuggets with carrots, grapes and a drink. DH and I split the BBQ sandwich, fries, baked beans and diet coke. I think we had peanut butter cake for dessert? Around $25 or 3 counter credits. The sandwich was just OK, the beans and fries were really good. The cake was too rich.

The kids changed into their costumes (Ariel and Captain Jack Sparrow). We walked all the way to Main Street before we were told that we could get a Pirate and Princess Party wristband at the Rose Garden. We got the wristbands, bags for loot and maps and headed over to see Jack. Jack was AWESOME, he acted and sounded just like Johnny Depp! Then we did the Pirate Tutorial, Mack was really great but this Jack wasn’t quite as good as the one at the meet and greet. The tutorial was hilarious, very clever. DS wasn’t chosen to fight Mack but both kids did get to be sworn in as pirates. The Aladdin Tutorial was cute but not nearly as good as the pirate show and took up too much time so we missed all of the princesses. There was too much candy, it was much more crowded than I expected. The only ride we did during the party was PotC. The fireworks were really the best ever, it was awesome! We caught the second parade and headed back to the hotel, we got to the room around 11:45 PM. It had been a very long day!

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Saturday, September 1, 2007
Up at 6:30 for Early Magic Hour at MGM. It’s really early after such a long day yesterday! We were at MGM by 7:45. This was the first year the kids were tall enough for Rock ‘n Roller Coaster and as it was closing in a few days for refurbishment, we knew if we liked it they needed to get all the rides in they could. Of course the kids loved it, it takes off 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and makes several inversions! And of course it scared the daylights out of me and made me car sick. The others rode it again while I got them FP for Tower of Terror. They did ToT twice and finally ended up riding both major attractions 3 times that morning. Then we went to first aid to get Band-Aids for DH and I, we both received big blisters on our first day. ToT for them again and then all four of us rode RnR before heading to Primetime 50s Café for lunch.

Prime Time 50’s Café - Aunt Claire had the day off but we were “babysat” by Topher who was really funny, especially once he figured out that we like to tease and be teased. He teased DD about liking kisses from boys, he found a 5-year old girlfriend for DS and told me to “zip it” when I reminded the kids to say please and thank you. He held DH’s plate up for everyone to see because it was an example of how to clean your plate except you didn’t have to leave “tongue marks” like that. I hated the collard greens and hid them under my chicken, Topher found it and had to feed me a bite doing the airplane. DD had the pasta and chicken strips meal with yogurt and veggies but didn’t include a dessert so we paid out of pocket for a kid’s sundae for her. DS had the salad, macaroni and cheese and kid’s sundae. DS messed up his drink order and asked for orange juice which he hates instead of orange soda. I took his juice and gave him my Coke and let me say, OJ and my lunch did not mix well! DH had the onion rings (and once again we agreed they are the best ones ever here!), the pot roast, and caramel sundae. I had the fried boursin (I love this!), fried chicken and caramel sundae. The collard greens were not my thing at all, I should have asked to substitute but I didn’t think about it in time. Love this place, it is a definite “must-do” every trip! $77.10 for the adults, $14.30 for the kids or 2 table service meals each and one out of pocket sundae.

Off to Muppets 3-D, saw the Singin’ in the Rain umbrella before going on Star Tours. As we started to leave the Tatoonie store we noticed it was packed because it was pouring rain. We waited for a while but it didn’t show signs of letting up so we put on the ponchos and headed over to Indiana Jones. Because of the rain they only did a partial show and the rain passed by the time they started. We saw the Stars and Cars parade which is my favorite parade! Stood in line for 20-25 minutes for the Great Movie ride which the kids looked like they were scared of the loud gunfire and the alien but they said afterwards they loved it. We did the Chronicles of Narnia exhibit/show, and then saw the High School Musical Pep Rally which DD loved. We did some shopping and ate at Pizza Planet.

Pizza Planet- We shared 3 counter service meals here but we really should have just ordered two, it’s a lot of food. We had one cheese pizza, two pepperoni pizzas along with salads, two chocolate milks, a diet coke, two cookies and a rice crispy treat. $38.25 or 3 counter service meals.

More shopping before we went to see Fantasmic! Back to the hotel around 9:30ish probably.

Sunday, September 2
A non-EMH at Epcot so we got up at 7:10 AM. We grabbed a FP and rode Test Track, DH and the kids rode Mission: Space, then back to TT to use the FP. We headed to Soarin’ which had a 40 minute wait so we got a FP before going to the Living Seas. The new clam mobile ride was awesome! Turtle Talk was cute, DD was picked and then Crush wanted to talk to her “parental units” so we got asked questions too.

Coral Reef - Next was lunch at the Coral Reef where the manager Debbi had prepared special customized menus for DH’s birthday. We were seated by the tank and it was incredible to watch the sharks, turtles and sting rays go by. DD had lobster soup, macaroni and cheese, and the sundae. DS had veggies and dip, mahi mahi and the ice cream sundae. The mahi mahi was very bland and almost rubbery so I didn’t make him eat much of it. DH had crab claw salad, lobster salad and Bailey’s & Jack Daniel Mousse. DH really liked his lunch. The Baileys/Jack Daniel Mousse was INCREDIBLE, we loved it. I had the lobster soup, mahi mahi, and the chocolate wave. The soup was wonderful, bits of real lobster and very creamy and filling which was good because I really did not like the mahi mahi. There wasn’t much to it, it was bland and rubbery and I barely ate any of it. I enjoyed the chocolate wave but I think ice cream would have made it better, it was too rich on its own. The cherries were brutally strong, I couldn’t eat them but DH really liked them. I think there was enough brandy in them to raise your blood alcohol level several points! Grand total was $103.12 for the adults, $9.94 for the kids or 4 table service credits. The atmosphere, lobster soup and desserts made this a place we will go to again.

Afterwards we headed towards the World Showcase to do Kidcot and look around. We stopped for a Grand Marnier slushy in France which was really tasty, like an orange creamsicle with a kick. The kids each had a rainbow flavored Kaki Gori sno-cone in Japan which were good, honeydew seemed to be everyone’s favorite. By the time we got to the American Pavilion, it was looking stormy so we headed back to France where we had a 5:00 ADR at Chefs de France.

Chefs de France – well somehow I’ve misplaced this receipt and it’s a pain because the menu had changed from All Ears and I can’t remember it all or the prices. Anyway, we had a nice table by the window and this was DH’s second favorite meal the whole trip! The kids both had the cheese puff pastry which wasn’t very appetizing; they only ate the ends where there wasn’t any cheese. DD had the pasta and chicken which she really liked and mango sorbet, DS had the hamburgers and red berry sorbet. Both sorbets were wonderful! DH had the escargot cooked in parsley and garlic butter, he LOVED them. I tried one and the initial taste was incredible but I couldn’t get past the chewy texture of the snails so I used my bread to sop up his left over garlic butter. Then he had shrimp and scallops, I think it was in a lemony-butter sauce, and he really enjoyed it as well and said the scallops were done to perfection. For dessert he had the crème brulee. In all this was his second favorite meal of the whole trip, he was thrilled with everything he ordered. I had the cheese plate which was fine, nothing outstanding but it was light and that’s what I wanted. Then I had salmon sitting on a mound of shredded potatoes and in a red pepper sauce. I did not like the sauce so my salmon was good but bland without anything on it, the potatoes were not very good either. For dessert I had the Tarte au chocolat, banane et noix de coco, sauce pralinee (Chocolate tart with banana and coconut, praline sauce with chocolate ice cream). It was OK but nothing spectacular. I wish I had the receipt to see how much this meal was! It was 4 table service credits.

It still hadn’t stormed so we headed back to finish touring the World Showcase. TT had a 40 minute wait so we skipped it and went to M:S. DH wanted me to try the green side which is supposed to be easier so we tried it, it still freaked me out. By this time we were so exhausted we decided to leave without watching Illuminations and got back to the room around 9:30ish.

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Monday, September 3
Early EMH day at Animal Kingdom so we were up at 6:30. We headed right over to Expedition Everest and got a FP. Everyone but me loved it and the line was short so DH and the kids rode it again. Then they did Primeval Whirl with Dad, the kids rode the Triceratops by themselves before we went to Dinosaur. DD still does not like this ride but now DS loves it. Used the FP for EE before seeing It’s Tough to be a Bug. We walked on Kali River Rapids twice before using a FP and then we left the park around 11:00. Back to the resort to change clothes and eat lunch before going to MGM.

Everything POP – DD had cheese pizza, strawberry milk and tie dye cheesecake (which she enjoyed but she later discovered where all that dye goes!) DS had pepperoni pizza, strawberry milk and chocolate cake. DH had cheese steak wrap, chili cheese fries, and carrot cake. I had the turkey ciabatta and a crunch ice cream bar. $52.28 or 4 counter service meals.

Off to MGM where we started with RNR, ToT, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Star Tours, Muppets 3D, Lights, Motors, Action! (it was JAM PACKED), RnR and then ToT twice. While DH and the kids rode ToT the first time, I was waiting at the end where the ride exits into the gift shop. I was waiting by a mother with a young child in a stroller and after a while another woman and child came walking up. The woman, apparently an aunt, starts telling the mother about how the boy “chickened out” and “embarrassed them all” by refusing to ride. The mother and the aunt start belittling the little boy who looked to be 5 or 6, saying he “wasted an hour” of them trying to “talk him into it” and the dad was going to “kick his a$$” when he got off. I"t was embarrassing and there must be something wrong with him not to want to do it and he couldn’t tell them why, he might need counseling." I was so upset, I asked the little boy if he wanted to sit by me and I told him I didn’t want to ride it either. I didn’t know what else to say or do that wouldn’t make things worse for him. My heart was breaking and by the time DH and kids got off I was in tears. I can’t believe how hateful the mother and aunt and apparently the dad were to this poor little kid and it ruined the rest of the night for me. By the time DH and the kids rode a second time, we were all exhausted and decided to skip Fantasmic. We went to the hotel to eat and have what we thought would be an early night but the service was so incredibly slow we didn’t get to our room until almost 9:00.

Everything Pop – DS had the cheeseburger basket, powerade and tie dye cheesecake. DD had nachos, powerade, worms in dirt. DH had the salmon meal, powerade and worms in dirt. I had loaded nachos, milk and plain cheesecake. The food was just OK, the service was horrendously slow. We didn’t write down how much this all was (mine and DD’s was $26.31). 4 counter service meals

Tuesday, September 4
EMH at Epcot so we got up at 6:30. We walked onto Test Track twice, they did M:S, Soarin’ and then the clam mobiles at the Living Seas. We watched the diver feed the fish which was really neat, left to use a FP to Soarin’ before going back to LS to watch the dolphin presentation. My camera just couldn’t seem to get good shots of this which is a shame because DS was picked to come up and help. By now it was after 12:00 and we were hungry. DH was craving a beer in Germany so we agreed if the oompha band was playing at the Biergarten we’d eat there and cancel our Mama Melrose on our last night. We took a boat over to Germany but the band wasn’t scheduled for another hour so we ate at the Lotus Blossom in China.

Lotus Blossom – We tried to split 2 meals here because we had early dinner reservations but DH was hungry so he went back for another meal, the kids split theirs and had some of mine too. 2 orders of orange chicken, one order of shrimp fried rice, 3 sodas and 3 caramel ginger ice creams. The meals were fine, typical Americanized Chinese food, but the ice cream was a little strange to me. $30 or 3 counter service meals.

We rode Maelstrom, Gran Fiesta, grabbed a FP to TT, they did M:S. We saw Ellen’s Energy Adventure which was neat. The Character Spot was very packed so we skipped it and saw the Muppet Mobile Lab which was awesome! I hope it comes back. We rode the monorail to the Polynesian to eat at ‘Ohana.

‘Ohana – We arrived right on time for our reservation and we were seated about 5 minutes later. I ordered an adult drink “sunken treasure” which was very good but also kind of high at $10 (after tax and they added the 18% gratuity). It was the usual set menu of course: Fried Wontons served with peanut sauce, chimichurri sauce and harissa, Mixed greens with a honey-lime dressing, spicy-sweet and sour shrimp, Honey-coriander chicken wings, skewers of Marinated Sirloin Steak, Asian Barbecue Pork Loin, Mesquite Grilled Turkey and Hawaiian Pork-sausage with pineapple terriyaki glaze; Maui Scalloped Potatoes, Stir-fried Vegetables and 'Ohana bread pudding a la mode with Bananas Foster Sauce. The food was just OK and the service wasn’t great so we’ll skip it next trip. $10 in a special drink, $95 or four table service credits.

We went to the MK where we rode PotC, Splash once and got SOAKED, BTMRR twice because it was practically walk on, Goofy’s Barnstormer, the Indy cars, Buzz, and saw Wishes from Main Street. We were back at the hotel at 11:00.

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Wednesday, September 5
Non-EMH day at AK so we got up at 7:30 and were at the park for the opening. We did EE walking on twice, Dinosaur, EE twice again using a FP once, then KRR twice before seeing ITTBAB and leaving to go back to the resort. Showered and left for Downtown Disney, we arrived at Wolfgang Puck Express around 1:15.

Wolfgang Puck Express – This was a very good lunch and a bargain! We split a couple of pizzas because we were having an early dinner but one pizza for all four of us would have been enough. We had the Tuscan veggie pizza and the 4-cheese pizza, the cheese pizza had tomato and basil on it and was INCREDIBLE. We also shared one brownie and DH had the crème brulee. The mango tea was also very good, I loved it. $32.70 or 2 counter service credits.

We went to Goofy’s where the kids made marshmallows covered in chocolate and M&Ms but they could only eat a few bites because it was so rich. It would have been a waste of money.... but oh yeah, free snack credits! Next we went to the Lego store so DS could spend his birthday money, then World of Disney for our trip pins and my mug, Once Upon a Toy for the My Little Pony and Potato Head boxes. I went to the Christmas store and scrapbook store while DH stuffed the Potato Head box. Then it was a 50 minute bus ride (!!!) to the Grand Floridian, causing us to be 10 minutes late but we still got a window seat at Narcoossee’s.

Narcoosee’s - Wonderful dinner, the best of the trip again! Dinner took over two hours because there were long waits between courses. DD had the fruit cup, filet mignon, s'mores and apple juice. DS had the pineapple juice (which was tasty), salad (it was supposed to be Caesar but she kindly just had them put lettuce, grape tomatoes and ranch dressing), filet and s’mores. DH had an appetizer I don’t see listed on All Ears, it was fried oysters, mussels, lobster and calamari. It was good, I don’t like oysters or mussels so I wasn’t very impressed. He had the whole lobster and key lime crème brulee again and again, he loved them both. (Do you see a trend of crème brulee?) I had almost the same thing as last trip too: the calamari (very yummy), the surf and turf (oh so good) and this time the almond-crusted cheesecake with Lambert cherry sauce and the Sleeping Beauty sugar background. AWESOME! Very much worth the 8 table service credits, dinner would have been $250.00.

We arrived at the MK and watched Spectro in the circle in front of the train station and then left for Pop, we got to the room at 10:00.

Thursday, September 6
Woke up at 6:30 for EMH at the MK. We were let into the park before 8:00 but we had to wait in Tomorrowland for the rope drop. We walked onto Space Mtn twice, did Buzz where DH got the highest score possible 999,999! He was thrilled! Then I took DD for the one and only time to Stitch’s Great Escape (which is the worst attraction in WDW and I refuse to do it more than once). Tea cups, Pooh, Snow White twice, Carousel twice and once with Mary Poppins, Philharmagic and Peter Pan. We tried going to the Barber Shop but in 35 minutes the line barely moved and there were still 5-6 people in front of us. Lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern which was one of the best meals our whole trip I thought.

Liberty Tree Tavern – we had an evening ADR for here but DH wasn’t too excited about the menu and the kids didn’t care about the characters. Both kids that the chicken noodle soup (very good), macaroni and cheese and ice cream sundae (I wish there was more variety on the menus for the kids desserts). DH had the crab cakes (awesome), pot roast (incredible and huge portions), and Butter Griddled Pound Cake (served with warm pecan caramel sauce and vanilla bean ice cream). I had the Declaration Salad because I was hot and wanted something light, then the Fresh from the Harbor (cider-cured salmon on griddled pumpkin bread, spaghetti squash, field greens with butternut squash vinaigrette, very very good!) and the Chocolate Liberation Cake (warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce and cherry Chambord ice cream, TO DIE FOR!!) Probably my second favorite meal of the trip, a definite must do next time. $89 or 4 table service credits.

Finally our first trip on the riverboat, it was always being refurbished when we visited before. Then Splash Mtn, BTMRR was too long of a line and it was too hot to wait, PotC where I got into it with an older lady. She sat in front of us and many times she leaned back to take flash pictures right in DD’s face. I first made some comments to DH under my breath and then finally I told her to stop. She and her friend insisted they did nothing wrong until I said they announced no flash photography on the ride, then they said they didn’t hear that but the one lady had told her friend about how the ride was different now so she had obviously ridden it before. I don’t usually mind flash photography but it was ruining the ride for my daughter, the camera was right in front of her. Next DD rode Aladdin, and then our first ever Dole Whips! Then DD and I did the tree house again but DS was coughing so he and DH just waited for us. Jungle Cruise and then first aid for medicine for DS’s cough. Laugh Floor, Buzz, Space Mtn where we also got a “surprise FP” to Carousel of Progress so we did that for the first time, and back to Space Mtn. We ate dinner at the Pinocchio Haus where we sat watching the ITASW boats and DD waved the whole time.

Pinocchio Village Haus – DD had the cheese pizza and chocolate cake; DS had chicken strips and cannoli; DH had the turkey Panini with apples, I had the turkey panini and cannoli with a snack credit of Figaro fries. The food was fine, the cannoli was too rich but the Figaro fries were delish! DS and I came to $26, DH didn’t write down his and DD’s.


Next we rode ITSW so we could wave at the people who took our spot. Splash wasn’t working, BTMRR was too long of a wait again and surprisingly so was PotC so we did Laugh Floor again. Buzz was broken down so we did the Tomorrowland Indy cars, Tea Cups, Snow White, Carousel, and finally Dumbo during the fireworks. It was different seeing them from behind the castle but I didn’t like it, you couldn’t get the full effect because they were either shot off by the castle or behind Ariel’s grotto so you had to keep turning your head. It made for a late night getting a bus too; it was after 11:00 before we got back to the hotel. The kids didn’t go to sleep until 11:45.

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Friday, September 7
It was a Little One’s Magic Hour at the MK so we got up at 6:30. I forgot to put sunscreen on the kids and DD remembered once we were at the bus stop. DH ran back to the room while we continued on to the park and he met up with us later, what a life saver! I had seen so many people with horrible burns. The kids rode the carousel with Chip and Dale, then DD asked Stitch to ride Dumbo with her so they did, it was so cute! The kids both played games like hide-and-seek/follow the leader with Peter Pan, Wendy and Hook. DS and Hook both cheated a few times. Then DD wanted to ride the Tea Cups and asked the Mad Hatter to ride with her which he did so that was another magical moment. After that we rode Buzz, saw the Laugh Floor where they did a story about Monsters Inc and DS was Mike W (“with one i/eye”) and DD was Boo. Then we went to the Barber Shop and waited for an hour before all of us got our hair colored and pixie dusted. We took the monorail to Epcot and got to ride up front. We got a FP to Soarin’ and ate at the Sunshine.

Sunshine Season Food Fair – DD had the kids chicken leg with mashed potatoes, powerade and it didn’t have a dessert. DS had the ham sandwich, powerade and chocolate mousse cake. DH had the pork chop, powerade and gave his chocolate cake to Kelsea. I had the turkey muffuletta, a coke and key lime pie. DH didn’t know the bakery items counted as a dessert so he missed out on good choices. The key lime pie tasted fizzy, almost as if it had soda in it? $50 or 4 table service credits.

Soarin’, then it was raining and with our newly dyed hair we went back in to watch Circle of Life and when we came out the rain had stopped. I didn’t realize the character spot was not the same as the place to get the free Visa photo so we stood in line at both places to see almost the same characters, that took 1.5 hours altogether. Living Seas to do Turtle Talk and the clam mobiles before heading to Canada for our ADR at Le Cellier.

Le Cellier – Both kids had the cheddar soup which they didn’t care for, DD had the pasta and DS had the hot dog (very Canadian!), both had the ice cream sundae for dessert. DH tried the seared tuna for an appetizer but neither of us cared for it. He had the mushroom filet which he said was good but no taste of mushroom and then the Canadian Club cake. I had the Asian shrimp which was good, the BBQ filet but with the sauce on the side which I’m glad I ordered it that way because it didn’t need the sauce, and cherry almond shortcake. The dessert was very dry and I couldn’t finish it but the steak was great. $138 or 4 table service credits plus $15 out of pocket for pirate punches with a light up Hook and Tinkerbell. It was a good meal but took too long between courses, another 90 minute meal.

Afterwards it was a gorgeous evening and not hot at all, we walked around the World Showcase. TT had a 40 minute wait so we skipped it, they did M:S. I spent 45 minutes in line to get my free Visa photo and almost missed Illuminations. The kids were asleep by 11:00.

Saturday, September 8
EMH morning at MGM so we were up at 6:30 again. The kids were sad that RnR was closed but they rode ToT 4 times, once the cast member let them ride the elevator back up to get right back in line. We were hungry this morning so we stopped at Starring Rolls for a bagel and cinnamon roll before the Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, Muppets 3D and this time the full Indiana Jones show. Lunch at the Backlot which was packed, everyone else must have had the same idea.

Backlot – DD had the kids chicken nuggets meal which we paid out of pocket for. DS had the chicken strips, a soda and strawberry parfait. DH and I both had a double cheeseburger with fries and a frozen coke, he had the parfait and I had a marble cheesecake. $42.30 for 3 counter service meals and $4.25 for one out of pocket meal.

We saw Beauty and the Beast with Four for a Dollar opening, I just love them! ToT four more times in a row, did some shopping in the rain, then Sounds Dangerous. I ran to Guest Relations to print our boarding passes on Southwest and it started pouring. I met DH and the kids at Mama Melrose, they had gotten a little wet because I had all of the ponchos in my backpack.

Mama Melrose – We had the Fantasmic dinner package because with Night of Joy at the MK, I was afraid it would be packed (and it was). DD had the salad, cheese pizza and ice cream, DS had the salad, pepperoni pizza and ice cream. DH had the calamari (which was nothing like Narcoosee’s, more rubbery and it was just the rings), the Spaghetti Fra Diavolo (with clams, calamari, mussels and shrimp, tossed in a spicy Marinara sauce) and Crema Limone (no sugar added lemon custard topped with fresh whipped cream with berries). DH realized after he ordered that it said marinara sauce which he does not like but it was too late to change his order. It turned out he liked it because it was pretty spicy. He also enjoyed his dessert. I was the one that picked this place and I was pretty disappointed. I ordered the Artisan Breads and Spreads (freshly baked breads served with an arugula and chive pesto, sun-dried tomato, roasted vegetable and roasted garlic spreads) which was fine but it should be free in an Italian restaurant! Then I had the Penne Alla Vodka (with pancetta and sweet onion, finished with tomato basil sauce, cream, vodka and pecorino romano) which was good but the sauce didn’t seem to stick to the pasta very well. Finally, I had been looking forward to Tiramisu for weeks but it was a big let down, the flavor wasn’t very strong so it was bland. We won’t be eating here again.

After dinner we walked around, saw the Animation show and then used the Fantasmic! dinner package special seating so we could get out of the theatre fast. The kids were in bed asleep around 10:30.

Sunday, September 9
Our last day! We were up at 6:30 for the Little One’s Magic Hour at the MK and to finish packing. In all the hurry I forgot sunscreen again! We couldn’t get a 1:00 check out so we dropped off the suitcases and laptop at the resort. We saw a lot of the characters and DS really wanted to ride with Stitch but Stitch already had found someone to ride with. We rode Dumbo, the Carousel, Peter Pan, Snow White, ITASW, Space Mountain, Laugh Floor, Buzz twice (and I finally got over 500,000 points!), BTMRR, Splash Mtn and PotC before we ate lunch at the Main Street bakery.

Main Street Bakery – DD had an uncrustable, apple juice and worms in dirt. DS had the ham and cheese sandwich, a soda and rocky road brownie. DH had the turkey and brie sandwich, strawberry and cream shake and cheesecake. I had the turkey and brie sandwich, a soda and apple turnover. The turkey and brie sandwiches had craisins in them too, I loved it but the wheat bread was very thick. $32.40 for the kids and I, DH didn’t write his down.

We then did some shopping and used the last 7 snack credits on candy at the Confectioners. We left the park at 12:30ish, refilled our resort mugs and got our luggage. We took the ME bus that was waiting at around 1:35, through airport security at around 2:45 and sat down at our gate. As soon as we did, it started pouring down rain. I got up to get a better phone signal and noticed a lot of luggage sitting on the tarmac, some of it was covered by tarps but not all of it. Our flight left on time at 4:45 and we got to KC around 6:45. Sure enough, two pieces of our luggage were SOAKING wet and some of the dirty laundry in them too. We waited for the hotel shuttle, and then ate at Dairy Queen before DH drove us home. We got home around 11:00, we were all exhausted!

[undertheseas]

That was our trip in a nutshell. It was MUCH hotter this trip than 2 years ago and it really zapped our energy. The kids didn't have a stroller this time which slowed us down too. The crowds were definitely heavier, keeping us from doing everything we wanted. We never waited more than 15 minutes but we did skip some rides to avoid lines. Test Track in particular seemed to always have a long line. Soarin's FP line was sometimes the same wait as standby which is really weird. Sometimes the streets were full of people but the rides had no lines. The free dining was WONDERFUL but you have to be prepared to wait, most sit down meals took 90 minutes. (As a side note, I didn't notice that we had a note until we got home offering a bounce back free dining for next Sept but we would have had to have put down a deposit before we checked out). We only saw a few people receiving any dreams but we did see several dream cast members walking around.

Well that's it! It took months to plan, 11 days to do it all and about a week to write this! I will try to add photos later. Will we go back? YOU BET! Just not next year. We want to head out East to hit Cedar Point, Washington DC, Chicago, the coast, etc. (so if you have any info on those areas please let me know HA!) We love Disney but we are also ready to go somewhere else on vacation :scared1: Shocking I know! But we will definitely be back to the Happiest Place on Earth! :love: