Oooooh, Look! They Have A Gift Shop!!! (9/14 - 9/22/07) updated 10/21

[praisehisname]

Well, we're back. It was a very fun, very interesting week... The "plan" got scrapped by the second day, but we still ended up having a great time! For a complete background of how this trip came to be, you can read my pre-trip report, which is linked in my signature. So without further ado...

First, let's re-introduce the cast:

Me (Denise): 38, stay-at-home-homeschooling mom, family organizer and plan-maker, favorite Disney movie is “Lady and the Tramp,” favorite Disney princess is Cinderella, also love Piglet, plus fell in love with Dumbo and Donald this trip

DH (Tom): 44, leader and protector of our family, my best friend (I know it sounds corny, but I truly believe God made him just for me), the most awesome dad, loves Goofy and Mickey Mouse

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/19414/2650726320056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2650726320056639648UZzhcY)

DS (Lee): 13, complete Star Wars freak (I say that in a loving way!), also loves everything pirate-related, obsessed with Legos (would like to design sets someday), thankfully still thinks it’s fun to go to Disney

http://inlinethumb39.webshots.com/18982/2946940930056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2946940930056639648dEfwXm)

DD (Sarah Jo): 11, probably the most generous kid I’ve ever met, would give you her last dollar if you needed it, loves Stitch and Belle

http://inlinethumb08.webshots.com/19463/2223106110056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2223106110056639648yynMPV)

DD (Maggie): 9, loves to surprise her loved-ones with little homemade gifts and drawings, very sensitive about others’ feelings, loves Ariel and Jasmine

http://inlinethumb36.webshots.com/17443/2237388520056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2237388520056639648hylJkp)

Up next...Getting to the airport...

Denise

[ITmickey]

I'm glad you had a great time, thank you for sharing and I'll be waiting for the installments :banana:

[DisneyMissy318]

I just read your Pre-Trip... Feel as if I already know you guys - I liked how you showed all of your pre-trip purchases - now I know what some of the things are that I read about here on the Dis!

We had to cancel our September 2007 Free Dining trip - so I will live vicariously through yours! (Have rebooked for December 2008 - but that is such a LONG way off!)

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

DisneyMissy

[Sneezie]

I knew this was a trip report I had to read when I saw the title :rotfl2: I love it!!! Can't wait to read more. :surfweb:

[winkers]

Thought you could loose me by starting a trip report with a different name, didn't ya??? :)

[praisehisname]

I'm glad you had a great time, thank you for sharing and I'll be waiting for the installments :banana:

:welcome: I hope I can make this an interesting story!


I just read your Pre-Trip... Feel as if I already know you guys - I liked how you showed all of your pre-trip purchases - now I know what some of the things are that I read about here on the Dis!

We had to cancel our September 2007 Free Dining trip - so I will live vicariously through yours! (Have rebooked for December 2008 - but that is such a LONG way off!)

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us!

DisneyMissy

:welcome: I'm so sorry you had to cancel your trip! :sad1: Hopefully the days between now and December 2008 will go quickly!


I knew this was a trip report I had to read when I saw the title :rotfl2: I love it!!! Can't wait to read more. :surfweb:

:welcome: I have Maggie (DD9) to thank for the title, but I'll get to that later...


Thought you could loose me by starting a trip report with a different name, didn't ya??? :)

Darn, you found me. :rolleyes1 LOL Just kidding!

Denise

[winkers]

Darn, you found me. :rolleyes1 LOL Just kidding!

Denise

You can run but you can't hide!:rotfl:

[buffy0214]

Can't wait to read all about itpopcorn::

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14

Tom had to work today until 1:00, but the kids and I could sleep in...Yeah, right! We were so excited, we could hardly eat dinner the night before! We had packed everything except our toiletries yesterday, so we could just do "tweaking" today. After Tom left for work, I showered and cleaned the kitchen. Maggie and Lee were able to distract themselves by watching TV, but Sarah Jo was crawling out of her skin.

One thing I didn't share with you all earlier is that Sarah Jo suffers from Generalized Anxiety and also Mood Disorder, with tendencies toward Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She is in therapy and on medication, and for the most part, she does OK. But when she gets excited about something (or worried) she becomes consumed. Sometimes she becomes antagonistic. There is no distracting her.

So she was pacing, teasing the dog, constantly asking me "what if" questions (what if the plane crashes, what if we forget something, etc.). I pulled out the cards and we sat down and tried to kill some time by playing Kings in the Corners (one of our favorite card games). It really helped.

I knew that Tom would be home by 1:30 and I wanted to have the car packed when he got home. I also needed to drop Raven off at the kennel. So around 10:30, Sarah Jo and I packed up Raven and her stuff and we left.

We got her dropped off with no problem, and I made sure they knew that my mom would be coming to pick her up and not me. They would be closed by the time we got home Saturday and also closed on Sunday. And I didn't want to wait until Monday to see her! So my mom was picking her up and then dropping her off at our house.

On the way home, we ran through the drive-through of Chick-Fil-A and took lunch home. I purposely bought less than I usually would, because I knew we were too excited to eat. It was a good call--we barely finished!

After lunch, Lee helped me load all the bags in the van, and then we just sat and waited until Tom got home...

Denise

[KimAshton]

cannot wait to read more. :)

[tinawv]

Denise, I can tell this is going to be a great TR. Your kids are adorable, and I can't wait too read more.

[MRYPPNS]

... can't wait for more. I could never leave so late in the day, I wouldn't be able to sit still either!:yay:

[dismom9761]

HI! :goodvibes Great start and can't wait to read more.:thumbsup2 Looking forward to seeing how the report got its name...

BTW,my DS10 also has Generalized Anxiety Disorder,Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,and has ADHD.On the day we left I sent him to school for the morning:rotfl2: You can guess how that went.:scared1:

[PrincessFan0809]

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I saw your family in the Magic Kingdom one day last week. We just got back from our trip today. We were at All Star Music from 9-13 to 9-25 and had a BLAST! Can't wait to read more!

[DisneyJo]

Great start Denise, can't wait for more :goodvibes

[disneykibbes5]

I can't wait to read more. I love the title.:rotfl2:

[Goofyluver]

:wave: Hi Denise!!! Nice to see ya back!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

[snowwhite325]

Once I read the title I knew this trip report was for me :thumbsup2
Can't wait to hear what happens next!

[MeMom]

Hey! I'm looking forward to reading all about the great times you had. I'm especially excited, because unlike most, I can see your pictures at work. I don't know what you use, but I wish every else would use the same. Most of the time I just get lots of boxes with those stupid little red x's, and I have to wait until I get home to see the pictures. They filter a lot of stuff here at school.

So, since you know I'm picture deprived here at school, feel free to post lots and lots and lts of pictures to get me through!!! Sometimes between refereeing arguments, hunting for lost pencils, re-doing sloppy assignments, untangling shoes strings, putting pulled teeth in baggies, monitoring bathroom behavior, etc., I get to do a little DISing.

Oh, yeah...I occasionally teach somebody something, too!

[praisehisname]

cannot wait to read more. :)

I can't wait to write more! It takes so long to upload the photos, though...


Denise, I can tell this is going to be a great TR. Your kids are adorable, and I can't wait too read more.

Aw, thanks! I think they're pretty adorable, too! Well, most of the time...


... can't wait for more. I could never leave so late in the day, I wouldn't be able to sit still either!:yay:

Originally we weren't supposed to leave until 7:30! :scared1: So we were pretty excited to be leaving a little earlier!

Denise

[praisehisname]

BTW,my DS10 also has Generalized Anxiety Disorder,Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,and has ADHD.On the day we left I sent him to school for the morning:rotfl2: You can guess how that went.:scared1:

:rotfl2: We homeschool, and I didn't even ATTEMPT to open the books on Thursday or Friday!


Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I saw your family in the Magic Kingdom one day last week. We just got back from our trip today. We were at All Star Music from 9-13 to 9-25 and had a BLAST! Can't wait to read more!

:scared1: Oh, no! You didn't say what day or what part of the park....Does that mean you saw us at a less-than-magical moment???


Great start Denise, can't wait for more :goodvibes

Thanks for coming over, Jo! I'm actually working on getting caught up on your TR today!

Denise

[praisehisname]

I can't wait to read more. I love the title.:rotfl2:

I knew by the beginning of Day 2 what my title was going to be! :rotfl2:


:wave: Hi Denise!!! Nice to see ya back!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!!

Hi Jen! Thanks for coming over! It's going to take me a while to catch up on your TR, but I will--I promise!


Once I read the title I knew this trip report was for me :thumbsup2
Can't wait to hear what happens next!

Small update coming right up!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Hey! I'm looking forward to reading all about the great times you had. I'm especially excited, because unlike most, I can see your pictures at work. I don't know what you use, but I wish every else would use the same. Most of the time I just get lots of boxes with those stupid little red x's, and I have to wait until I get home to see the pictures. They filter a lot of stuff here at school.

I use webshots instead of photobucket, since I already had an account with them. Maybe that makes the difference? :confused3 Anyway, glad you can see the pictures!

I just got done drooling over your pictures of World Showcase. It looked so peaceful and quiet when you were there!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14 (continued)

So when I left off, the kids and I were waiting for Tom to get home from work. I forgot to show you my pile of luggage, so here it is:

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/19651/2852248580056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2852248580056639648rmICmP)

We used lime green duck tape on the handles so we could spot our pieces quickly. You'll also probably notice that there are no Magical Express yellow tags on our bags. Since we were arriving late in the evening, we planned to pick up our own bags. I wanted immediate access to them, so we could get ready for the next morning.

Tom arrived home right on time. It had been casual day at work, so he didn't even need to change. He just dropped his briefcase and we were off!

The night before, Tom and I had agreed that we were going to try and get through the airport scene without having to tip anybody. So on the way down to the airport, I went over the plan with the kids: Tom was going to drop us and all the bags at the curb and then go park the van. He would shuttle back to the terminal, but since he wouldn't have any bags, no tip needed! Between me and the three kids, we would drag/carry the bags inside to the self-check kiosk. Again, no tipping of skycaps! It worked great! Sorry if that makes us sound cheap, but $20 is $20, right?

After getting our bags checked, I turned around to head to the security line, and here comes Tom. He had made fabulous time getting back to the terminal!

We made our way through security quickly; I was surprised at how un-crowded it was for a Friday afternoon. Tom ran ahead to our gate to get in the "A" line and was #2! Yay! He held the spot with his backpack and sat down on a chair nearby for the 1 1/2 hour wait.

By this time time kids and I were hungry again, so I took the girls down the hall to McDonalds. We ate our food there, and then took some food back to the gate for Lee.

There happened to be a nice empty spot right near the gate, so the kids and I sat down and played some cards.

http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/21085/2593273190056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2593273190056639648rQpXlS)

I have trouble with my sciatic nerve, and sitting on the floor really aggravated it. But we were having fun, so I just popped some Advil and kept playing!

Around this time, an announcement was made that our plane was going to be delayed by about 15 minutes. It hadn't arrived in Baltimore yet. Oh, well. No big deal.

When we saw the plane pull into the gate, we cleaned up the cards and I took the girls for one more bathroom break.

More later...

Denise

[disneyeeyorefan]

Subscribingpopcorn::

[Goofyluver]

:woohoo: You're almost on your way!!!!

[mkluvsmickey]

Great start - I'm looking forward to more! :)

[PrincessFan0809]

:scared1: Oh, no! You didn't say what day or what part of the park....Does that mean you saw us at a less-than-magical moment???




:lmao: It was somewhere in Frontierland. Right at this moment, I'm not even sure what day it was actually. I have my days all mixed up. If memory serves me, you guys were wearing lime green shirts. I recognized your faces right away from your pre-trip report. It was definitely NOT a less-than-magical moment! (Are those allowed at the Magic Kingdom? :lmao:)

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

hi! sorry i never read the pre-trip report but count me in on ur completed trip report, i can't wait to hear more!!!!

[dismom9761]

Good idea with the lime green tape.:thumbsup2

things are going so smoothly...you'll be there in no time...looking forward to more...

[DisneyJo]

I totally agree with the tipping, we always carry our own bags, we went to St Lucia once and were warned that if you get the porters to put your luggage on their trolleys they literally wheel it for about 30 seconds before you're at the exit :eek:

[oh_sachi]

I can't wait for more. :)

Your family seems really nice.

[praisehisname]

Subscribingpopcorn::

Thanks for reading, more coming soon!


:woohoo: You're almost on your way!!!!

And it was a fun flight!


Great start - I'm looking forward to more! :)

Coming right up!

Denise

[praisehisname]

:lmao: It was somewhere in Frontierland. Right at this moment, I'm not even sure what day it was actually. I have my days all mixed up. If memory serves me, you guys were wearing lime green shirts. I recognized your faces right away from your pre-trip report. It was definitely NOT a less-than-magical moment! (Are those allowed at the Magic Kingdom? :lmao:)

Phew! Now I feel better! :rotfl:


hi! sorry i never read the pre-trip report but count me in on ur completed trip report, i can't wait to hear more!!!!

Welcome, more coming right up!


Good idea with the lime green tape.:thumbsup2

things are going so smoothly...you'll be there in no time...looking forward to more...

I'm working on the next chapter right now!

Denise

[praisehisname]

I totally agree with the tipping, we always carry our own bags, we went to St Lucia once and were warned that if you get the porters to put your luggage on their trolleys they literally wheel it for about 30 seconds before you're at the exit :eek:

I'm glad I'm not the only one--I was afraid people would think I was stingy!


I can't wait for more. :)

Your family seems really nice.

Aw, thanks! I'm working on the next chapter now.

Denise

[tinawv]

Can't wait to read about your trip. If you don't mind my asking, where do you live in Maryland? My sister lives in Jamestown, MD, which is right outside of Annapolis. Last year we flew out of BWI for a "sisters only trip". It was a real easy flight out of Baltimore to Orlando. Looking forward to reading more. :)

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14 (continued)

Ok, so we're back from our bathroom break and everyone is lining up to board the plane. The plan was for Tom and Lee to sit in one row, and the girls and I would sit behind them. That way, if Maggie got wiggly, she wouldn't be kicking strangers! :rotfl2: We wanted to try and get the first row for the guys, because Lee's legs are getting quite long and he needed the extra room.

There was only one family pre-boarding, so we were easily able to get rows 1 and 2. I put Maggie by the window and Sarah Jo on the aisle, with me in the middle.

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/18917/2771582130056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2771582130056639648NNZAFW)

Tom and Lee were in front of us. People were pouring into the plane, and everything was going well.......so far......

I have no idea what happened, but all of a sudden Sarah Jo decided that she needed to sit up front with Tom. So she squeezed her way back into the aisle and into the seat in front of her. That should have been the end of it. It wasn't. After she sat down and buckled up, she realized that when you sit in the front row, there is no seat-back tray in front of you. Well, now. That just wouldn't do! Where was she going to put her drink when the refreshment cart came around??? :confused3

Ordinarily, this would have easily been solved by having her come back to the original seat. However.....by this time a somewhat smelly man had plopped himself down in the seat. Keep in mind the flight attendant had announced FOUR TIMES that this was not a full flight and there would be 30 - 40 empty seats. WHY did he have to sit with us???

So, Sarah Jo cried for a little bit, but she eventually settled down. I think the thing that really saved our flight was our AMAZING flight crew! It was a man and a woman and they were hilarious!

When they were explaining how to use the seat belt, the male flight attendance commented that unless you haven't been in a car for the last 50 years, you probably already know how to work one. :lmao:

When they were explaining about the oxygen masks, they pointed out how you should do your own mask and then do your child's mask. The female flight attendant commented that if you were travelling with more than one child, now was the time to choose your favorite. :rotfl2:

Whenever they weren't serving other passengers, both flight attendants went out of their way to talk to the kids and even brought them little activity books and stickers.

Well, we finally landed, only a few minutes late. By this time I was really antsy and ready to get off the plane! We were still taxi-ing toward the gate, but I began to gather my stuff up. I had not taken off my seat belt, but I was just ready to reach for it. All of a sudden, over the intercom I hear:

"Uh uh uh...not yet"

I look around.

"That's right...I can see you. Don't take that seat belt off yet!"

:lmao: :rotfl2:

I laughed and waited until the seat belt light went off!

Up next...Magical Express...

Denise

[praisehisname]

Can't wait to read about your trip. If you don't mind my asking, where do you live in Maryland? My sister lives in Jamestown, MD, which is right outside of Annapolis. Last year we flew out of BWI for a "sisters only trip". It was a real easy flight out of Baltimore to Orlando. Looking forward to reading more. :)

Welcome! We're in Towson, which is about 10 - 15 minutes north east of Baltimore.

Denise

[marivaid]

Lovin your TR !!!

It's so funny about the flight attendants... when we flew Southwest this summer they made the exact same jokes! We were cracking up. :lmao:

Can't wait for more :thumbsup2

[Goofyluver]

You're theeeeerrrrreee!!! :woohoo:

[KathyRN137]

Thought you could loose me by starting a trip report with a different name, didn't ya??? :)


Well, she lost me! But now I'm here :goodvibes

Going back to pg 1 to get caught up now....

Kathy

[tinawv]

Welcome! We're in Towson, which is about 10 - 15 minutes north east of Baltimore.

Denise

I remember seeing the signs to Towson when visiting my sister. She also works in Baltimore at the University of Maryland Hospital. Sorry you got stuck sitting next to the smelly man. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.
:)

[DisneyFan06]

I am loving your report! It is very detailed, funny, and I just love the pictures! I can't wait to hear about your day at the parks! ;)

[Tat2ddisneymom]

I'm here and all caught up! Loving it so far!:cool1:

[DisneyJo]

It's great when the cabin crew are funny, I've read several TR's lately where they've been telling jokes and stuff. So funny about them spotting you and your seat belt and :scared: on the smelly man!!!

[praisehisname]

It's so funny about the flight attendants... when we flew Southwest this summer they made the exact same jokes! We were cracking up. :lmao:

Good flight attendants really do make a difference, don't they?


You're theeeeerrrrreee!!! :woohoo:

I'm sorry I'm dragging it out so long. I just want to remember every detail!


Well, she lost me! But now I'm here :goodvibes

Going back to pg 1 to get caught up now....

Kathy

I wasn't trying to lose you Kathy! Honest! I'm glad you made it over!

Denise

[praisehisname]

I remember seeing the signs to Towson when visiting my sister. She also works in Baltimore at the University of Maryland Hospital. Sorry you got stuck sitting next to the smelly man. Looking forward to reading more about your trip.
:)

That's a great hospital--is she in healthcare or administration? I have an update coming up today!


I am loving your report! It is very detailed, funny, and I just love the pictures! I can't wait to hear about your day at the parks! ;)

I should be to a park day soon!


I'm here and all caught up! Loving it so far!:cool1:

Yeah! Thanks for coming over! I'm almost caught up on yours... :rolleyes1

Denise

[praisehisname]

It's great when the cabin crew are funny, I've read several TR's lately where they've been telling jokes and stuff. So funny about them spotting you and your seat belt and :scared: on the smelly man!!!

Yeah, they really can make your flight more enjoyable!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14 (continued)

I forgot to post this picture that I took as we were getting ready to land in Orlando.

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/18638/2412432580056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2412432580056639648yARQlk)

On the right side of the picture you can see a storm on the horizon. It was very cool how it was contained to that one spot.

Ok, so now we've landed and gotten off the plane. We headed toward the fake monorail and followed the signs to Baggage Claim. Now, I've heard some stories here on the DIS about how difficult it is to find Magical Express, but we found it to be pretty easy. When we got to the bottom of the escalator, there was an employee from ME there. We told him that we needed to pick up our luggage, so he said to go ahead and get that and then come back and he would explain how to get to the check-in counter.

We found our luggage quickly (thanks to the lime green tape!) and made our way back to the man by the escalator. He explained how to get there, and we went on our way. He was very nice, and told the girls to "Have a magical vacation, Princesses!"

Once we got to the ME area, I dumped Tom, the kids, and the luggage in the seating area and went over to the counter. There were about five families ahead of me, but they had several employees at the counter, so it went very quickly. When it was my turn, I got our vouchers stamped and found out what line to get in for Beach Club. There was NO ONE else in our line! At first I worried that maybe we had missed the bus and would have to wait for another one, but they led us right to a bus and we got onboard. There were already two other families onboard, and as soon as we got seated, the bus left.

Here are some pictures I took while we rode to the Beach Club.

http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/20109/2696927970056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2696927970056639648XBTHSe)

http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/17828/2504625800056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2504625800056639648TkFBEB)

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/18561/2396625170056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2396625170056639648dBWjva)

http://inlinethumb55.webshots.com/19190/2589284180056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2589284180056639648bIMiSj)

As you can see, we spread out and everyone sat in their own row!

It began to rain as we drove, but we really didn't care. Our plan was to eat some dinner at Beaches and Cream and go to bed.

The bus stopped first at the Yacht Club and everyone but us got off. Then we went to the Beach Club. It was beautiful, even in the rain! I didn't get any pictures, but it was all lit up and just gorgeous!

Tom told me to take the kids and run for it, and he took care of getting the luggage inside.

Up next...checking in...

Denise

[mkluvsmickey]

Sounds like a great start to your vacation! Love the picture of your daughter holding the sticker - she looks sooooo excited! :yay:

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

oooh!! I didn't know you stayed at the Beach Club..my roommate from college is working the front desk at the hotel (both sides). Actually she just quit b/c of roommate issues in FL and they were working her on 16+ hr shifts which is crazy but I wonder if you saw her. Her name is Amanda from St. Vincent, blonde hair girl. you'll hafta let me know!

[DisneyJo]

Oh wow I'd love to stay at the BC you lucky thing :goodvibes

[ITmickey]

[QUOTE=praisehisname;20991160
:welcome: I hope I can make this an interesting story!



[/QUOTE]

Well certanly you have made it interesting so far... and fun!!! You all look so excited... :cheer2: Will be waiting for your installments with the same anxiety and anticipation that I wait for my paycheck :hyper: :woohoo:

[meloneyb21]

Yay...this is an exciting TP. Can't wait for the rest :cool1: .

[mla1977]

Ugh! smelly passengers!

When we we flying home from New Orleans, the flight attendants announced that it was not a full flight. A couple sat in front of us (the front row) and left the middle seat full. About halfway through boaring and elderly (but able-bodied) woman climbed into the middle of the row and sat down. After trying to convince her to move, they gave up and went to find seats on their own! At least she didn't smell.

[HomeschoolMama]

Sorry to be late to the party... I was reading the PTR, but got really behind on all the reports for a while there... Well, I'm here now! Your family is too cute! :goodvibes

[Goofyluver]

You're home!!! :woohoo:

[buffy0214]

Rats! No Beach Club pics. Maybe later?

[Tat2ddisneymom]

I'm looking forward to those pictures of the Beach Club, too.:goodvibes

[LeeLee2U]

Yeah!!! I'm HERE!!!
Wow!! only 2 other families on the bus!!! When we got there Mon. It was totally packed!!!!!!!!! UGH!!! Wasn't the BEACH club beutifull?!! I loved it!! It was great chasing you down!!! Hee Hee! I'm usuallly not a stalker, but you know the lime green made me go a little crazy!!!
Can't wait for more!!!

[praisehisname]

Sounds like a great start to your vacation! Love the picture of your daughter holding the sticker - she looks sooooo excited! :yay:

She was excited, but she also likes to pose for the camera. So she was hamming it up a bit!


oooh!! I didn't know you stayed at the Beach Club..my roommate from college is working the front desk at the hotel (both sides). Actually she just quit b/c of roommate issues in FL and they were working her on 16+ hr shifts which is crazy but I wonder if you saw her. Her name is Amanda from St. Vincent, blonde hair girl. you'll hafta let me know!

I am almost positive that I drove Amanda crazy everyday looking for Fauna Croc!


Oh wow I'd love to stay at the BC you lucky thing :goodvibes

It was the best! Definitely our resort-of-choice from now on!!!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Well certanly you have made it interesting so far... and fun!!! You all look so excited... :cheer2: Will be waiting for your installments with the same anxiety and anticipation that I wait for my paycheck :hyper: :woohoo:

Aww, thanks! I'm going to try and get another chapter up tonight, in between watching Dancing with the Stars!


Yay...this is an exciting TP. Can't wait for the rest :cool1: .

Thanks, it's great to have you here!


Ugh! smelly passengers!

I just kept telling myself: I'm going to Disney, I'm going to Disney!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Sorry to be late to the party... I was reading the PTR, but got really behind on all the reports for a while there... Well, I'm here now! Your family is too cute! :goodvibes

I'm so glad you're here! It's going to take me forever to get caught up on the reports I'm subscribed to. Missing a week really puts you behind!


Rats! No Beach Club pics. Maybe later?

You know what, I have pics of inside, but I don't know if I took any of the outside of the Beach Club! Whoops!


I'm looking forward to those pictures of the Beach Club, too.:goodvibes

I'll have to check my pictures again. Surely there is something there...

Denise

[praisehisname]

Yeah!!! I'm HERE!!!
Wow!! only 2 other families on the bus!!! When we got there Mon. It was totally packed!!!!!!!!! UGH!!! Wasn't the BEACH club beutifull?!! I loved it!! It was great chasing you down!!! Hee Hee! I'm usuallly not a stalker, but you know the lime green made me go a little crazy!!!
Can't wait for more!!!

Woo Hoo! I'm so glad you came over to read. I really, really enjoyed meeting you and talking with you! Please say you're going to do a report; I want to hear all the details!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14 (continued)

I grabbed the kids and headed for the lobby. When we walked inside, we just stood there for a minute looking around. We must have looked like tourists, because we just spun around with our mouths open taking in the gorgeous view!

After what seemed like forever, I finally made my way over to the check-in desk. There was no line and I walked right up. We had gone ahead and booked a water-view room, so I hadn't put any special requests in our reservation. However, while reading my Passporter on the plane, I realized that not all rooms (even water-view ones) have a full balcony. So while the guy was checking us in, I asked him if we could have a room with a full balcony. He clicked a few buttons and announced that that was not a problem! Just a minute or two later I was holding five KTTW cards and our welcome packet. Off to find our room!

Tom had joined us by this time, so we all headed for the elevators. Our room was 4617, so we got off on the 4th floor.

http://inlinethumb21.webshots.com/21012/2114163100056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2114163100056639648yHGWtr)

Now let me just stop right here and tell you how much we loved this location. The elevators were just steps away from the lobby and literally right next to the Beach Club Marketplace. This is the place where you can buy food, souvies, and get your mug refilled. When you took the elevator up to the 4th floor, our room was about five rooms down on the right. So we had no problem whatsoever letting the kids go fill their mugs by themselves, or sending them to do ours! But what really sold it for us was the inside hallways. Three years ago we stayed at the Poly, and it was really pretty, but you have to go outside to get to your room. It rained a bunch while we were there, and we got wet a lot! Anyway, that's just us.

Ok, so back to our room. I actually took these pictures later in the week, but I'm including them here so you can see our room.

http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/18563/2676186740056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2676186740056639648RyNLWj)

http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/22021/2475044350056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2475044350056639648rgLWLY)

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/20391/2813231330056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2813231330056639648RJJfKB)

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/21512/2741066430056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2741066430056639648ftMrvK)

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/21605/2850231370056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2850231370056639648KONaAw)

This is the view outside our balcony. Sorry about the picture quality--my camera lens was fogging up from the humidity!

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/19296/2614603250056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2614603250056639648WprXHg)

We could see the Boardwalk and the top of the Swan Hotel. We could also see the top of Tower of Terror. Every night we could hear Illuminations and we could see some of the Fantasmic lights.

One of the things we really loved about our room was that it was a connecting room. Therefore, there was a clear spot in front of the connecting door that we used as a shoe and backpack pile! There was a TON of storage space. A few weeks before our trip, I started getting really nervous about the five of us in one room. I shouldn't have worried. We had plenty of room. Plenty. There were shelves under the sink large enough for all of our toiletries. And we didn't even use some of the dresser drawers, even though we completely unpacked!

Lee went around and found all the cool touches that had been left for us.

http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/11253/2965794260056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2965794260056639648GNQJmT)

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/18504/2877505150056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2877505150056639648EGCZpc)

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/21753/2520468100056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2520468100056639648rgXIRz)

Can you see the Mickey head in the soap?

At this point, Tom was really crashing. He is Type 2 diabetic and hadn't eaten since lunch. It was now after 9:00, and he needed to eat! So we headed down to the lobby to find out how to get to Beaches and Cream.

To be continued...

Denise

[marivaid]

OOOOOOOOH I CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THESE PICS!

We'll be trying the BC this December and I am even more excited now that I've seen your pics of the rooms. I'm just in love :love: with those bedspreads.

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

great update!! I'm so excited for you that u stayed at BC. How big is the day bed?? We saw the Great Hotels show on the travel channel and wondered how big it was. My family mom dad and 20 yr old brother are looking to stay there sometime during my college program and my brother and I usually use the bunkbeds at WL so I was wondering how big it actually was, could I as a 22 yr old sleep on it? We stayed at Poly when I was 15 and it was fine then so I was just curious about the BC one.

Thanks :)

..and that is crazy that you ran into amanda..i feel so bad she had to quit but she was getting 16 hr shifts day after day and the staff wasn't treating her very nicely but she has said nothing but positive things about the guests.

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Good update!:thumbsup2 I love those pictures!! That looks like such a nice place - I'm gonna have to stay there sometime. The view from your room is awesome!:goodvibes

[puggymom]

Wow, am I late, I recently found your pre-trippie and finally made my way over here.

You are off to a great start, I love the BC! Nice score on the room!

I love B&C, best burgers on property!

[Goofyluver]

WOWEEEE! Beautiful room! Next time, I'm catching a ride in your luggage...since the rooms are so roomy and all! ;)

[dismom9761]

Great update!:thumbsup2 The room and view are awesome.:goodvibes

[kaybird]

Laughed at the foggy pictures, have lots of them in and out of air conditioning! Somehow the world looks as if we were in a dream!:rotfl:

[praisehisname]

OOOOOOOOH I CAN NOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THESE PICS!

We'll be trying the BC this December and I am even more excited now that I've seen your pics of the rooms. I'm just in love :love: with those bedspreads.

You will love it there! We can't wait to go back!


great update!! I'm so excited for you that u stayed at BC. How big is the day bed?? We saw the Great Hotels show on the travel channel and wondered how big it was. My family mom dad and 20 yr old brother are looking to stay there sometime during my college program and my brother and I usually use the bunkbeds at WL so I was wondering how big it actually was, could I as a 22 yr old sleep on it? We stayed at Poly when I was 15 and it was fine then so I was just curious about the BC one.

Lee is 5'10" and he said it was fine. He said it was better than the one at the Poly. I hope it works for your brother!


Good update!:thumbsup2 I love those pictures!! That looks like such a nice place - I'm gonna have to stay there sometime. The view from your room is awesome!:goodvibes

If you ever get the chance to stay there, do it! Hope you're feeling better from your surgery. :hug:

Denise

[praisehisname]

Wow, am I late, I recently found your pre-trippie and finally made my way over here.

You are off to a great start, I love the BC! Nice score on the room!

I love B&C, best burgers on property!

Welcome, I'm glad you're here! As you'll find out later, we fell in love with B&C, too!


WOWEEEE! Beautiful room! Next time, I'm catching a ride in your luggage...since the rooms are so roomy and all! ;)

That would have been fun to have you along! Hope Jon's feeling better. :hug:


Great update!:thumbsup2 The room and view are awesome.:goodvibes

Thanks, we really loved it there! I just hope we haven't set ourselves up to be disappointed if we can't afford it every time!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Laughed at the foggy pictures, have lots of them in and out of air conditioning! Somehow the world looks as if we were in a dream!:rotfl:

It was so frustrating to think you're getting this great shot and then the lens fogs up! :sad2: Lee, Sarah Jo, and I wear glasses, and the same thing would happen! It was awful!

Denise

[jcc0621]

I just found your Trippie today. Can't wait to hear more. popcorn::

[praisehisname]

Friday, September 14 (continued)

So we headed down to the lobby, on our way to Beaches & Cream. Of course, we had to stop in at the Beach Club Marketplace first. I wanted to get mugs and check out the general layout of things. I grabbed five mugs and paid. The CM explained that there was a sink next to the soda fountain so that we could wash out our mugs and use them right away. :thumbsup2 That is exactly what we did.

As we were walking to Beaches & Cream, we passed by the pool area. It was closed because it was storming, but it looked like a lot of fun. We couldn't wait to try it out!

There was a CM outside the door to B&C, and she told us it would be about a 25 minute wait. I took the kids next door to the arcade and just looked around a little. They were all three chomping at the bit to buy an arcade card, but I managed to convince them to wait. We never did end up back there again. Oops!

After about 10 minutes or so, we were seated.

http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/21083/2893805950056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2893805950056639648QhtdBb)

It was a lot smaller than I had thought it was going to be. But it was soooo good!

Tom had the roast beef sub, which was served warm with au jus for dipping. All the rest of us got cheeseburgers. We all shared two orders of onion rings. We weren't using the dining plan for this meal, and we had our mugs, so we didn't order drinks. The burgers were so good, definitely the best I have ever had! I had every intention of taking pictures of our food, but most of the time someone would start eating before I could get the camera out!

Lee really wanted to order ice cream, but by the time he finished his burger he changed his mind.

I still needed to unpack, so we paid the bill ($53.39 including tip) and headed back to the room.

The kids turned on the TV to watch Disney cartoons while I unpacked, and then we all settled down to bed. We were all so tired, I think we fell asleep pretty quickly!

Up next...Animal Kingdom!

Denise

[mkluvsmickey]

Beaches & Cream sounds great. I've always wanted to try those burgers everyone raves about.

Can't wait to hear about Animal Kingdom!

[HomeschoolMama]

Ohhhhh! So the arcade has a card you use. Duh... I guess I can stop collecting all those quarters! :laughing: I already have a few M&M containers with pennies and 2 quarters for all the pressed pennies, but I guess I could use more!
:thumbsup2

[dismom9761]

Glad that Beaches and Cream was good,I have been wanting to try it.:thumbsup2

Looking forward to AK...popcorn::

[jnykly]

Beaches and Cream is one of our faves!!! We first ate there on our honeymoon 11.5 years ago and it is still good! YUMMO!! :thumbsup2

[Goofyluver]

Nummy nummy! I reeeeaaallly want to eat there!!

[Tat2ddisneymom]

There was a CM outside the door to B&C, and she told us it would be about a 25 minute wait. I took the kids next door to the arcade and just looked around a little. They were all three chomping at the bit to buy an arcade card, but I managed to convince them to wait. We never did end up back there again. Oops!
Denise

This sounds like the perfect excuse to start planning another trip!!:lmao:

Can't wait to hear about Animal Kingdom!!

[keahgirl8]

I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip! I really enjoyed reading the pre-trip report!

[KimAshton]

waits patiently for more. :)

[DisneyJo]

Great room, what a beautiful view :thumbsup2

I really want to try B&C next trip it sounds delicious :goodvibes

[nts4wdw]

I am so glad I found you!!:cool1: The Beach Club looks so beautiful! It's definitely on our future "to try" list. Glad you liked Beaches and Cream. As you can see from my signature, we liked it too. But no kitchen sink? Wimps!!!!!!!!:lmao:

[scottny]

Just found your report today and read it all tonight and it is great. Love the narration and the pics. can't wait to hear more.

[KathyRN137]

Sounds like you got a perfect room; don't you love when things work out like that?? :thumbsup2

Looking forward to your family's day at the AK...


Kathy

[disneyfanforlife]

Just found your TR. I love it so far. I can't wait for more. I love the pics.

[SkyGirl]

Really enjoying your TR! Can't wait for more! :thumbsup2

[Avojeo]

I am loving your trip report!!! I just read your pretrip report this morning and loved seeing your purchases.....

Can not wait for more popcorn::

[JulieAnn]

Great trip report! We are homeschoolers also and headed back to Disney in two months!!!!:cool1: :cool1:

Can't wait to read more...

[Carrieannew]

Hey Denise! Sorry I am just getting over here now. Great job so far! Love all the photos. So jealous of the beach club.

[praisehisname]

Beaches & Cream sounds great. I've always wanted to try those burgers everyone raves about.

Mmmm, we still talk about how good those burgers were!


Ohhhhh! So the arcade has a card you use. Duh... I guess I can stop collecting all those quarters! :laughing: I already have a few M&M containers with pennies and 2 quarters for all the pressed pennies, but I guess I could use more!
:thumbsup2

We took 5 M&M containers of pennies and quarters for the pressed penny machines, but we didn't use them all. I did use some of them for laundry.....oops, I'm giving stuff away!


Glad that Beaches and Cream was good,I have been wanting to try it.:thumbsup2

Definitely try it! They were the best burgers ever!!!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Beaches and Cream is one of our faves!!! We first ate there on our honeymoon 11.5 years ago and it is still good! YUMMO!! :thumbsup2

I'm so glad we tried it!


Nummy nummy! I reeeeaaallly want to eat there!!

December 2008! :thumbsup2


This sounds like the perfect excuse to start planning another trip!!:lmao:

:lmao: Well, if you say so!

Denise

[praisehisname]

I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip! I really enjoyed reading the pre-trip report!

Thanks, glad to have you here!


waits patiently for more. :)

I'm going to work on an update for tomorrow!


I really want to try B&C next trip it sounds delicious :goodvibes

Definitely try it next August!

Denise

[MeMom]

Good early morning! Looks like you've gathered quite a following of readers here. I'm enjoying the report and the pictures.

Beaches and Cream has been on our to-do list the last two trips, but it still doesn't have a check by it. We'll get to it eventually. I just booked our all-family summer 2008 trip, so if we get to it when we have a gang with us, we'll probably do right by Dis law and get a Kitchen Sink. I'll look forward to a great burger, too.

I dream of someday sitting out on a balcony at Disney World and just soaking in my happy place. It'll be a while before I'll be able to stay any place nice enough to have a balcony, but it will happen in time. For now, I'm happy to be going often, staying value, and visiting the nicer places for dining, shopping, and picture taking.

Keep it all coming. You know we love lots of pictures to keep us there even when we're not really there.

[praisehisname]

I am so glad I found you!!:cool1: The Beach Club looks so beautiful! It's definitely on our future "to try" list. Glad you liked Beaches and Cream. As you can see from my signature, we liked it too. But no kitchen sink? Wimps!!!!!!!!:lmao:

I'm glad you found me, too! And about the kitchen sink--I love ice cream, but all those flavors together is a little much for me!


Just found your report today and read it all tonight and it is great. Love the narration and the pics. can't wait to hear more.

Thanks, and welcome! It's good to have you here!


Sounds like you got a perfect room; don't you love when things work out like that?? :thumbsup2

We did get a perfect room! Although now I'm afraid we're a little spoiled by the deluxe resorts!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Just found your TR. I love it so far. I can't wait for more. I love the pics.

Thanks--it's great to have you here!


Really enjoying your TR! Can't wait for more! :thumbsup2

Thanks so much! I'm going to get an update out today!


I am loving your trip report!!! I just read your pretrip report this morning and loved seeing your purchases.....

Can not wait for more popcorn::

Welcome! I'm planning on updating today!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Great trip report! We are homeschoolers also and headed back to Disney in two months!!!!:cool1: :cool1:

You're going to have so much fun! I'm a little jealous that you'll get to see all the Christmas decorations! Someday I'd like to go at Christmas...


Hey Denise! Sorry I am just getting over here now. Great job so far! Love all the photos. So jealous of the beach club.

Hey Carrie! I'm just amazed that you have time to DIS with everything else you've got on your plate. So good to have you here!


Good early morning! Looks like you've gathered quite a following of readers here. I'm enjoying the report and the pictures.

Beaches and Cream has been on our to-do list the last two trips, but it still doesn't have a check by it. We'll get to it eventually. I just booked our all-family summer 2008 trip, so if we get to it when we have a gang with us, we'll probably do right by Dis law and get a Kitchen Sink. I'll look forward to a great burger, too.

I dream of someday sitting out on a balcony at Disney World and just soaking in my happy place. It'll be a while before I'll be able to stay any place nice enough to have a balcony, but it will happen in time. For now, I'm happy to be going often, staying value, and visiting the nicer places for dining, shopping, and picture taking.

Keep it all coming. You know we love lots of pictures to keep us there even when we're not really there.

Hi MeMom! Thanks for reading! You will definitely have to make it over to Beaches & Cream. And as far as balconies and all that, I'd stay value in a heartbeat if it meant not going otherwise. We were just fortunate enough to get free dining, so we splurged a little more to upgrade our resort. :thumbsup2

Denise

[LeeLee2U]

I almost missed out on B&C. DH ate there a couple of times I think after Dialysis while the rest of us were in the parks. On our last day I ran in there and got a malt and Ice cream to go. In fact I finished my malt right megore ME rolled up to take us away.:sad1: DH had brought me up a shake one day and it was soooooo goooood I had to get me a double chocolate malt to go home on. Chocolate helps with sadness and pain you know and I was feeling the symptoms 'cause we were leaving.:sad2:

Keep it coming!!!

[praisehisname]

Saturday, September 15

Today was our first park day, and according to "The Plan" we were going to Animal Kingdom. We were to spend the whole day there, and then bus over to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey's.

Well, that's what "The Plan" was.

Here's what really happened.

The night before I had set a wake-up call for 6:30. Animal Kingdom was opening at 9am, and I told everyone that we were walking out of our door at 8am. I wanted to be there for rope drop!

Now one thing about my kids is that everything has to be fair and equal. I know I was probably this way growing up, but it drives me crazy! Surely they know by now that I love all of them more than they can imagine and nobody is going to get forgotten? So we had a schedule of who was going to answer the wake-up call each day. We also had a schedule of who was going to select the Mousekeeping envelope each day. (I had printed and filled enough Mousekeeping envelopes for each morning of our stay while we were still at home.) Today was Maggie's day to answer the wake-up call and Lee's day to choose the Mousekeeping envelope.

So, the phone rings and Maggie answers it. It's Stitch. I thought the kids would go back to sleep while Tom and I got showered and got ready, but they were up to stay. I tossed their ziploc bags of clothes on the bed, and Tom and I got ourselves together.

Today was our Mickey-head tye-dye shirt day!

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/23488/2208135020056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2208135020056639648yOjLeT)

The girls and I ate pop tarts that we had brought from home. Lee doesn't like pop tarts, so he went down to the Marketplace to get some crackers. I also sent along my mug for him to refill! :thumbsup2

Right on schedule, we walked out the door and down to the bus stop at 8am! We waited less than five minutes and a bus arrived! The bus stopped first at Blizzard Beach (no one got off) and then continued on to Animal Kingdom.

Now let me ask you this: Blizzard Beach was scheduled to open at 10am that morning. It was 8:05am. Why didn't the bus driver check to see if anyone was even interested in going there? We could have skipped it and gone straight to Animal Kingdom. :confused3

When we got off the bus, it was around 8:15ish. It looked like we were one of the first group of people to arrive. It was pretty empty and quiet.

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/23787/2032765830056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2032765830056639648DHKMRU)

Maggie was itching to pin trade and she spotted a CM a few feet away. I walked over with her and she traded with him.

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/23217/2612344610056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2612344610056639648ARbiFE)

After they traded, the CM said to Maggie, "Do you know what you are?"

Maggie: No

CM: You're my first pin trade of the day!

Maggie: Cool

CM: Well, that deserves a special prize.

And he handed her a set of the Tinkerbell pixie-dust pins. You know, the one that has "One for you" and "One to give." (Can you believe I forgot to take a picture of it???) She was thrilled and tucked it away in her bag. Every day after that, she was on a mission to be the first pin trade of the day! It never happened again, though.

As we turned around to head toward the gates, I spotted Wes Palm!

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/23909/2321386590056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2321386590056639648cwmCdt)

I dragged everyone over and hoped that we would be spotted. We were! Wes rolled over to us and started talking. He made lots of funny comments about our matching shirts.

"Did Dad do the laundry?"

"Is it true that the family who dresses together stays together?"

The kids had a blast talking with him! Lee was scoping out the area, but he never did find the CM who was doing the talking. :confused3

By this time A LOT more busses had arrived, so we headed over to get in "line" at the gates. It was hot! I pulled out the Misty Mates and Maggie ran over to the water fountain and filled them for us. They were nice and they felt good, but I had a problem with mine leaking. So I dumped it out and ended up not using it the rest of the trip.

Before too long, the opening show started.

http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/23272/2262414620056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2262414620056639648bzSRid)

http://inlinethumb64.webshots.com/21119/2414828590056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2414828590056639648YCsSdW)

http://inlinethumb56.webshots.com/21687/2501691850056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2501691850056639648SzCDGO)

It was a really cute show. Right before it ended, Tom whispered to me that he and Lee were going to "run" to Expedition Everest for fast passes, and then get in the stand-by line. The girls and I would follow as quickly as we could and join them in line.

To be continued...

I'm sorry if this update was too long. Let me know if you would rather have shorter updates.

Denise

[praisehisname]

I almost missed out on B&C. DH ate there a couple of times I think after Dialysis while the rest of us were in the parks. On our last day I ran in there and got a malt and Ice cream to go. In fact I finished my malt right megore ME rolled up to take us away.:sad1: DH had brought me up a shake one day and it was soooooo goooood I had to get me a double chocolate malt to go home on. Chocolate helps with sadness and pain you know and I was feeling the symptoms 'cause we were leaving.:sad2:

I totally agree--chocolate is a wonder drug! I'm glad you got your malt!!!

Denise

[scottny]

Great update. I thought it was a perfect length. Loved the pics.

[MRYPPNS]

I'm sorry if this update was too long. Let me know if you would rather have shorter updates.

Too long??? No way !!! I love every detail. More please popcorn::

[winkers]

I'm finally caught up! I love flying southwest. I find the flight attendants are generally pretty funny and a little more relaxed. Plus I like picking my own seat.............ok, that sounds kinda funny but you know what I mean.:) As for the stinky guy plopping down right next to you..............that would have driven me nutts! I was once stuck between 2 very fragrant men on a 5 hour flight. My nose still hasn't recovered.

I love the pictures of the BC. I'm too cheap to ever stay there, so it's great to see what it looks like.

You're updates would never be too long!

[DisneyJo]

I totally agree about the buses, why can't the drivers ask???

How cool that your DD was first pin trade of the day, that's one to remember for next trip :rotfl2: So who'd she give the other pin too?

[Hedy]

Who's Maggie give the pin to?

[mkluvsmickey]

Great update - not too long at all. :) Love that Wes Palm - funny! :lmao:

[Goofyluver]

OMGoodness! I almost missed this update! UPDATE YOUR TITLE!!!

I want to see Wes Palm! Too cute!

And great shirts!

So...who got the other pin?????

[jcc0621]

Great update. What a great way to make sure all the kids are included by designating days for the phone and the mousekeeping envelopes.

[marivaid]

Great update ! Your shirts are so cute - sure must have made it easier to find each other in a crowd :)

[dismom9761]

Great update! and I agree with everyone else-perfect length.:thumbsup2

:yay: for Maggie on getting the special pins.:goodvibes

Can't wait to hear about EE-I love that ride!:woohoo:

popcorn::

[KathyRN137]

popcorn:: Hey, when will this intermission be over??


Kathy

[keahgirl8]

Too long??? No way !!! I love every detail. More please popcorn::

I second that emotion! :cool1:

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Great update, not too long at all. How cool for you guys to get there so early and then for your DD to be the first pin trade of the day. Sounds like fun. Can't wait to hear more.:goodvibes

[LeeLee2U]

I second that emotion! :cool1:
Me too!! Oh WAIT!!!! That's me three!!!!!!!!!


Keep it coming!! And oh yeah, Who DID Maggie give that other pin to???

[praisehisname]

Great update. I thought it was a perfect length. Loved the pics.

Thanks!


Too long??? No way !!! I love every detail. More please popcorn::

I'm working on another update now!


I love the pictures of the BC. I'm too cheap to ever stay there, so it's great to see what it looks like.

Thanks! And like I told MeMom, if it wasn't for Free Dining, we wouldn't have stayed there either! So we may never be back to BC again. At least we enjoyed it while we had the chance!!!

Denise

[praisehisname]

How cool that your DD was first pin trade of the day, that's one to remember for next trip :rotfl2: So who'd she give the other pin too?
Who's Maggie give the pin to?

You'll have to keep reading to find out! :confused3


Great update - not too long at all. :) Love that Wes Palm - funny! :lmao:

He was very funny! Last trip we didn't get to see him, so we were glad to see him this time!

Denise

[LeeLee2U]

:yay: An update!! I'll be checking back in a little while!! :goodvibes

[praisehisname]

OMGoodness! I almost missed this update! UPDATE YOUR TITLE!!!

Oops! Thanks for the reminder!


Great update. What a great way to make sure all the kids are included by designating days for the phone and the mousekeeping envelopes.

That's one way of looking at it, I guess. Sometimes it stresses me out, though, trying to make sure everything is fair. :sad2:


Great update ! Your shirts are so cute - sure must have made it easier to find each other in a crowd :)

You are absolutely correct--it was so easy to find each other with our shirts. On the days we didn't have matching shirts, it was a lot harder!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Can't wait to hear about EE-I love that ride!:woohoo:

I could have ridden that all day! :thumbsup2


popcorn:: Hey, when will this intermission be over??
I second that emotion! :cool1:

I'm working on it right now!

Denise

[justanotherprincess]

subscribing -- love the title!

[praisehisname]

Great update, not too long at all. How cool for you guys to get there so early and then for your DD to be the first pin trade of the day. Sounds like fun. Can't wait to hear more.:goodvibes

It was cool to get there early on our first day, but you'll see as the week goes on that it wasn't so important anymore! :rotfl2:


:yay: An update!! I'll be checking back in a little while!! :goodvibes

I got a little sidetracked, but I'm still working on it!

Denise

[praisehisname]

subscribing -- love the title!

Welcome, great to have you here!

Denise

[disneykibbes5]

Great Update. I agree it was the perfect length. I can't wait to hear about EE. I still have not ridden it. I have been to WDW twice since it was open but the first time I was six months pregnant and the second time I was sick and we ended up not going to AK. I am really looking forward to riding it in Feb.

[praisehisname]

Great Update. I agree it was the perfect length. I can't wait to hear about EE. I still have not ridden it. I have been to WDW twice since it was open but the first time I was six months pregnant and the second time I was sick and we ended up not going to AK. I am really looking forward to riding it in Feb.

You will love EE! When in February are you going? I'm going for a long weekend with my grandfather February 1 - 4.

Denise

[LeeLee2U]

Where are you staying for your Feb trip? And If I haven't mentioned it before I think it's great you are going with your grandfather!!!:goodvibes

[praisehisname]

Saturday, September 15 (continued)

The girls and I made our way to Expedition Everest, occasionally peering over the crowd to see if we could still see Tom and Lee. Having the tye-dye shirts really helped us to spot each other! When we made it to EE, the guys were standing there with five fastpasses. The stand-by line was only 10 minutes, so we decided to go ahead and ride before we headed over to the safari.

Now, Lee doesn't do many rides. I think it's my fault. Maybe. When he was six, we were vacationing at Ocean City, Maryland. I took him on a roller coaster and did not tell him that it went backwards AND upside down. :rolleyes1 He still has not forgiven me for that!

So, even though I knew he wouldn't ride, we got five fastpasses anyway. That way one of us could have an extra ride! :thumbsup2

We gave Lee the camera and my cell phone and the rest of us got in line. Actually we didn't get in line; we ran through the que because there wasn't any line! I would have liked to see the cool exhibits, but that would mean standing in line... Halfway through, Maggie chickens out. :sad2: So we called Lee and told him that Maggie was coming back and they could just hang out and wait for us in the dump shop.

When we got up to the loading area, we asked the CM if we could wait for the front row. They had a special line just for people who wanted the front car. We were second! When it was our turn, Tom and Sarah Jo took the very front seat, and I sat behind them.

Oh. My. Gosh. I loved this ride!!! It was way better than I ever expected!!!

Sarah Jo got these pictures:

http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/20750/2914035410056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2914035410056639648iZqkgB)

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/20687/2275523690056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2275523690056639648rplJqw)

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/23353/2928623510056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2928623510056639648kJuzkK)

When we got off, we tried to redneck our photo, but I couldnt get Sarah Jo's camera from her in time. After that, I knew to have it ready before we got off!

The stand-by line was still only 10 minutes, so we decided to ride again. Sarah Jo decided that once was enough for her, so all three kids went to wait in the dump shop. Flame away if you want, but I know my kids and I knew they would be OK together.

Tom and I waited for the front again, and I was amazed how much better it was in the front seat compared to the second row. We got these pictures:

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/23646/2256655000056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2256655000056639648gfpBRo)

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/22189/2377426400056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2377426400056639648WiJEmG)

Lee tried to get one of us coming down the hill, but it's a little blurry:

http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/21151/2179441030056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2179441030056639648DGArEZ)

We rednecked our photo, but it didn't come out very good. We got better as the week went on, though!

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/21148/2295754840056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2295754840056639648tCurZh)

I would have been content to stay there and ride EE all day, but the kids wanted to move on. So we did. Actually, we went ahead and gave our fastpasses away, because I wasn't going to ride without the kids again. We had a very hard time finding someone who would take the fastpasses! They must have thought there was something wrong with them!

And here's where we threw "the plan" out the window. We were supposed to head to the safari now. But it was hot. Very hot. And the girls were whining. :sad2: They wanted to go ride the "fun" rides in DinoLand. Lee really wanted to ride Dinosaur, and he hadn't gotten to ride anything yet, so we headed over that way. I didn't care if we skipped the safari. We'd done it before, and there were other things we wanted to do more.

On the way to DinoLand, I suddenly knew what my trip report was going to be called. Every time we passed a shop, Maggie would announce, "Oh, look! They have a gift shop!" She's my shopper, and she had saved all her birthday money and allowances since June for this trip. And it was burning in her pocket!

We passed a couple trying to get a picture, so we offered to take one for them. Then they offered to take one of us.

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/24105/2446510240056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2446510240056639648LQcwYA)

We got to DinoLand and took these pictures:

http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/20971/2765892810056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2765892810056639648Zhxfyu)

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/23673/2190572480056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2190572480056639648ZQYMtU)

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/22927/2181315320056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2181315320056639648WUFMOV)

Next up...DinoLand continued...

Denise

[praisehisname]

Where are you staying for your Feb trip? And If I haven't mentioned it before I think it's great you are going with your grandfather!!!:goodvibes

I originally had us booked at the Poly, but I just switched it yesterday to the Yacht Club. My grandfather is mainly interested in World Showcase, and we're planning on spending most of our time there. We will go over to Magic Kingdom one day, though.

Denise

[winkers]

Who ever thought up putting gift shops everywhere was a freakin genius!!:lmao:

I love EE! I didn't get to ride it last time so now I have to go back.

[LeeLee2U]

I originally had us booked at the Poly, but I just switched it yesterday to the Yacht Club. My grandfather is mainly interested in World Showcase, and we're planning on spending most of our time there. We will go over to Magic Kingdom one day, though.

DeniseAND...It's connected to the BEACh Club!!! You know than influenced your choice!!!
I love Yacht and Beach club. I think the Yacht is a good choice! If my mom and Dad ever go that is where I told them they need to stay. Plus they would be going for EPCOT andThat walk right up to EPCOT is WONDERFULL!!!

[DisneyJo]

Denise I can't see your photos just red X's :sad1:

[Hedy]

Great EE pics!

[mkluvsmickey]

Love the EE pictures! I will definately need to ride in the front sometime!

We will be in WDW Feb 1-4 also. :)

[MeMom]

Awesome EE pictures! You have a fine family there. You are very blessed!

[puggymom]

I love EE and no flames here, I will have my 74yo Mom next time and I plan on parking her on a bench somewhere so I can ride at least once;)



I originally had us booked at the Poly, but I just switched it yesterday to the Yacht Club. My grandfather is mainly interested in World Showcase, and we're planning on spending most of our time there. We will go over to Magic Kingdom one day, though.

Denise

What are your dates for Feb. I am there with Mom 2/10 - 2/15.

[scottny]

great update and love the pics. especially the EE pics.

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Oh, nice!!!!! - front seat on EE. That must have been great! Those are EXCELLENT pictures from on the ride!

What you did to Lee - not telling him that the rollercoaster went backwards and everything - that's EXACTLY what I do to my husband to get him on the rides. He gets really mad, but gets over it eventually.

My gosh, if your kids were closer together in height, I would swear they are triplets. They look so much alike. Especially around the eyes.

Nice installment. You're really on the ball lately with these. Can't wait to hear more.:thumbsup2

[Tink rules]

Denise I can't see your photos just red X's :sad1:

See if this helps...

right click your mouse and then scroll down and click on Show Picture... sometimes it works..

[DisneyJo]

The pictures are there today :yay: Wow it always amazes me when people manage to get ride photos I'm always hanging on for dear life :rotfl2: Great photos, love the family one :goodvibes

[praisehisname]

Who ever thought up putting gift shops everywhere was a freakin genius!!:lmao:

Definitely! And it's soooo frustrating shopping with Maggie because she is so afraid to commit. Just when she thinks she's decided on something, something else will jump out at her. :sad2:


AND...It's connected to the BEACh Club!!! You know than influenced your choice!!!

You know it! P.S. I've fallen a little behind in your report, but I'm still reading! As soon as I get caught up, I'll comment. :thumbsup2


Great EE pics!

Thanks!

Denise

[praisehisname]

We will be in WDW Feb 1-4 also. :)

Cool! Did I already ask you where you're staying?


Awesome EE pictures! You have a fine family there. You are very blessed!

I am blessed, and I try to remember that on the rough days!


What are your dates for Feb. I am there with Mom 2/10 - 2/15.

I'll just miss you. :sad1: We're there 2/1 - 2/4. Just a quick weekend.

Denise

[praisehisname]

great update and love the pics. especially the EE pics.

Thanks!


What you did to Lee - not telling him that the rollercoaster went backwards and everything - that's EXACTLY what I do to my husband to get him on the rides. He gets really mad, but gets over it eventually.

I know! When I read that chapter on your trippie the other day, I was thinking, "Hmmm, that sounds so familiar!" :lmao:


See if this helps...

right click your mouse and then scroll down and click on Show Picture... sometimes it works..

Thanks for the help!

Denise

[praisehisname]

The pictures are there today :yay: Wow it always amazes me when people manage to get ride photos I'm always hanging on for dear life :rotfl2: Great photos, love the family one :goodvibes

I'm glad you could finally see the pictures. I was worried I did something to mess them up! Tom and Sarah Jo got the ride pics (actually most all of our vacation pics!). I'm too caught up in the moment to worry about taking pictures! But later I love to look at them...

Denise

[praisehisname]

Saturday, September 15 (continued)

We decided to split up in DinoLand. Lee really wanted to ride Dinosaur, but Sarah Jo and Maggie did not. I could go either way, so Tom took Lee and I took the girls. Because of this, I have no pictures of what the girls and I did. :confused3 Tom took the good camera, and I was having too much fun with the girls to worry about getting Sarah Jo's camera out!

The first ride we hit was Primeval Whirl (or Hurl-a-Whirl) as we like to call it. It was a walk-on. :thumbsup2 Sarah Jo and I did this back in 2004 and loved it. At the time, Maggie was too short, so this was her first time. We got a car all to ourselves and had a blast! I can't do the Teacups because of the spinning, but for some reason I don't have a problem with PW. :confused3

After that, we went over to Triceratops Spin. Another walk-on. :thumbsup2 I chose to sit this one out. The sun was really beating down, and I needed a shady spot. So the girls went together, arguing the whole time about who was going to control the up and down and who was going to control the tilting. :sad2:

Tom called then and said that he and Lee were done at Dinosaur, so we met up at one of the pin carts. Here is their redneck ride photo:

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/23752/2308105900056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2308105900056639648DknpkA)

Lee claims he was looking for something he dropped on the floor, but we know the truth! :eek:

Maggie did some pin trading, and then we decided to make our way over to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. It was only about 10:45am, but we wanted to beat the crowds, plus we were hungry!

We took these pictures on the way.

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/23660/2070547820056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2070547820056639648TUxNlQ)

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/21225/2672836890056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2672836890056639648IoalSD)

http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/22848/2332898820056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2332898820056639648WzymUs)

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/23631/2368073590056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2368073590056639648UWJyPj)

Now, this was our first time ever using the Dining Plan, but the DIS had prepared me! I had printed menus at home, and I knew what we were allowed to have. Before we got up to the counter, I found out what everyone wanted. There was no one in line, so Tom and I walked up to order while the kids went and found us seats. When we were done ordering, the CM said, "Wow, you guys are the first people I've seen in a long time that actually knew what you were doing!" :thumbsup2

Maggie got the hot dog kids meal with grapes and chocolate chip cookie. She ate all the grapes, the hot dog without the roll, and saved the cookie for later.

http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/24321/2028059320056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2028059320056639648BPeftc)

I got the Smoked 1/2 Chicken with baked beans and corn muffin. The chicken was good, but a little dry. The beans were too sweet for my taste. The corn muffin was good, but I was just too hot to eat all that food.

http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/22340/2761394540056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2761394540056639648yzjGcJ)

Lee and Sarah Jo each got the 1/2 Slab of St. Louis Ribs with baked beans and corn muffin. They both agreed that the ribs were fantastic. Neither one touched the beans or muffin.

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/24682/2383109720056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2383109720056639648SYQkjl)

Tom got the Smoked Pork Sandwich with baked beans and corn on the cob. He ate every bite of everything! We don't have a picture of this meal for some reason.

For dessert, Sarah Jo and I each got Key Lime Pie. Yummo!

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/23611/2093898920056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2093898920056639648fdaATB)

Lee got chocolate cake, which he saved for later.

http://inlinethumb53.webshots.com/24308/2952563610056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2952563610056639648mLAJmu)

Tom got frozen lemonade (no picture) and ended up sharing it with all three kids.

The total for this meal would have been $63.23, but we had Free Dining! Oh yeah!

Up next...more gift shops and Festival of the Lion King (maybe)

Denise

[KathyRN137]

And here's where we threw "the plan" out the window....



Hey, that's okay! "The Plan" is just there as a guide; it's always best to be flexible. (But of course, we Moms know that already!) ::yes::

Looking forward to more....


Kathy

[HomeschoolMama]

Thanks for the tip on the ribs vs. chicken. We're headed to eat at the Flame Tree too.

Well, whatever he may have dropped is gone now, I bet! :lmao: Too funny!

[DisneyJo]

Wow I can't believe you ate all that food :faint: We used to struggle with 2 meals between the 4 of us :rotfl2:

Oh I totally believe that your DS was looking for something on the floor at Dinosaur ;) :rotfl:

[LeeLee2U]

I can see that Lee is definatly looking at the floor!!!;)
And WOW Ya'lls meal is a replica of what we got! We didn't care for the beans, but oh boy was that Key Lime pie YUMMY!!!!

And Thank you for reading my report!!!!:goodvibes I totally understand aobut catching up. I'm just now catching up on the ones I missed during our trip!
Hope you are having a Blessed Sunday!! :goodvibes

[scottny]

great update. I love dinosaur.

[dismom9761]

Great updates!:thumbsup2

I love all the pictures and I am dure Lee was looking for something too.:rotfl2:

[Goofyluver]

2 great updates!!!! :woohoo:

Soooo...we'll have the dining plan when we go next. Is there things you can't have??

[SkyGirl]

Your TR is wonderful and is only making myself and my daughter even more excited for our trip to come!!

Loved the EE pictures!

:thumbsup2

[LeeLee2U]

Just checking in!!!!:goodvibes

[Tat2ddisneymom]

How did I miss this update the other day? Sorry about that!

That chocolate cake looks really good. We ate at the Flame Tree before, but for some reason I don't remember the chocolate cake, and trust me, that's one thing I would remember if I would have gotten it! So, did the ducks bother you for food?:rotfl:

[praisehisname]

Hey, that's okay! "The Plan" is just there as a guide; it's always best to be flexible. (But of course, we Moms know that already!) ::yes::

I really had to keep reminding myself of that--the plan is just a guide. This is OUR vacation. It was hard to let go, but it really was for the best!


Thanks for the tip on the ribs vs. chicken. We're headed to eat at the Flame Tree too.

I would definitely eat at Flame Tree again. :thumbsup2 I just wouldn't get the chicken.


Wow I can't believe you ate all that food :faint: We used to struggle with 2 meals between the 4 of us :rotfl2:

You have to remember that I have a teenager who eats as much (sometimes more!) than his dad!!! But we still didn't eat everything. Most of it though! ;)

Denise

[praisehisname]

And WOW Ya'lls meal is a replica of what we got! We didn't care for the beans, but oh boy was that Key Lime pie YUMMY!!!!

Mmmm, wasn't that good pie??? A piece of that would really hit the spot right about now!


great update. I love dinosaur.

Thanks for continuing to read!


Great updates!:thumbsup2

Thanks for reading! I'm only on page 48 of your TR, but I'm determined to catch up!

Denise

[praisehisname]

Soooo...we'll have the dining plan when we go next. Is there things you can't have??

It was more like, I knew my rights, kind of thing. I was familiar with what certain items were classed as snacks, what came with a counter service meal, etc. They are changing the dining plan a little bit for 2008, but I haven't really researched it all yet.


Your TR is wonderful and is only making myself and my daughter even more excited for our trip to come!!

Thanks! Your trip will be here before you know it!


Just checking in!!!!:goodvibes

I'm going to try and get an update out today. Hopefully.

Denise

[praisehisname]

How did I miss this update the other day? Sorry about that!

That chocolate cake looks really good. We ate at the Flame Tree before, but for some reason I don't remember the chocolate cake, and trust me, that's one thing I would remember if I would have gotten it! So, did the ducks bother you for food?:rotfl:

No problem--you've had a lot going on at your house!!!

We never ended up eating the chocolate cake :scared1: so I don't know if it was good or not. But....later in the week we had counter service chocolate cake that was so good I might have licked the bowl :rolleyes1 Any ideas?

The ducks were definitely hanging around, but they didn't bother us. Maybe because we were there early. Maybe it got worse as it got more crowded?

Denise

[dismom9761]

[
Thanks for reading! I'm only on page 48 of your TR, but I'm determined to catch up!

Denise[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
Thanks,Denise!:goodvibes

[praisehisname]

Saturday, September 15 (continued)

So we have just finished our lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Yum!

You might remember that things weren't going exactly as planned, we had given up the safari in order to skip right to DinoLand. But I think I was handling it pretty good. I kept telling myself that we were tweaking "the plan" to fit our family. That it was OK to not follow "the plan" word-for-word. But when the four other members of my family announced that they had no desire to see Festival of the Lion King or Nemo, and that they would rather just go back to the hotel and spend the afternoon at the pool....well, I started to lose it. I really, really wanted to see one of those shows.

So my wonderful husband offered to take all three kids back and swim with them so that I could stay and see the show.







Nope, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to watch it alone. I wanted them with me. So I sucked it up and said, "There's always next time."

On the way out, we stopped by the Island Mercantile (yep, another gift shop!). We bought some pressed penny albums and got our first pennies of the trip. Maggie spent some of her money on a stuffed Yeti and a Pluto hat.

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/22786/2575643410056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2575643410056639648OfdWyO)

We got our first photopass card and had this picture taken:

http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/25952/2094524200056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2094524200056639648zRqgSv)

Just as we were about to head to the bus stops, Maggie decided that she would like to get some autographs and pictures at Camp Minnie Mickey. I volunteered to stay and take her around. Tom, Lee, and Sarah Jo headed back to the resort. They got a second photopass card and had these pictures taken on the way out:

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/24698/2533229630056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2533229630056639648gexmJQ)

http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/23238/2780092420056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2780092420056639648JLsxZv)

Sarah Jo took this one with her camera:

http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/21666/2502161880056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2502161880056639648pkjtXs)

They got these pictures on their way back to The Beach Club:

http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/23475/2898947880056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2898947880056639648YdiaDW)

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/23801/2175059880056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2175059880056639648MrSyoA)

http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/24626/2952783380056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2952783380056639648VsYbOP)

http://inlinethumb43.webshots.com/25130/2166324930056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2166324930056639648XBzgtI)

So Maggie and I headed down to Camp Minnie Mickey. I was sort of apprehensive about how long the lines were going to be, but there was maybe two families there! The place was deserted! We were able to walk right up to each character and they really took their time with Maggie.

The first character we saw was Donald.

http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/22899/2461908150056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2461908150056639648elwtoV)

http://inlinethumb16.webshots.com/25807/2764467530056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2764467530056639648AufvUM)

As we were finishing up with Donald, the handler said that she noticed Maggie was a Pluto fan. Then she told us that Donald was going to be done in 10 minutes, and that Pluto would be coming out. She said if we went and saw all the other characters and then came back, Pluto would sign Maggie's hat. Cool!

The next character we visited was Goofy.

http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/24388/2338724100056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2338724100056639648nVbbTz)

http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/23384/2680180990056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2680180990056639648JYBGxH)

Next we saw Minnie.

http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/24844/2177548890056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2177548890056639648QvxGpe)

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/23405/2373966780056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2373966780056639648fWNsDT)

The last pavilion was Mickey.

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/25400/2967609180056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2967609180056639648OVFKXf)

http://inlinethumb03.webshots.com/23554/2765280710056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2765280710056639648UQxIQj)

Then we headed back to the first pavilion to wait for Pluto. There was one last family finishing up, so we sat down on a bench to wait. The handler saw us there and called us over to be first in line!

In no time at all, Pluto came out.

http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/24120/2141347140056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2141347140056639648sAzUgj)

It was so cute--Pluto saw Maggie's hat and started doing a little dance and acting so excited. Maggie loved it! She handed him her hat, and sure enough, he signed it for her.

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/23710/2053934900056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2053934900056639648qPMjzu)

http://inlinethumb24.webshots.com/9815/2358387960056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2358387960056639648qZOwyk)

With all the autographs and photos done, Maggie and I headed to the bus stop. She must have thanked me a dozen times for staying and taking her around.

Outside the gates we saw Chip 'n Dale, but the lines were pretty long. Maggie saw that the racoon from Pocahontas was free, so she ran up to him.

http://inlinethumb09.webshots.com/23176/2679484360056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2679484360056639648CqthBG)

We were both hot and sweaty, so it was definitely time for a swim! We had to wait for about 10 minutes for our bus to arrive. While we were waiting, we saw a CM walking from the parking lot toward the gates. She looked like she was coming back from a break or maybe just coming on duty. But she walked right up to Maggie and presented her with a "Fairy Tale Fantasy" pin!

http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/24300/2704848230056639648S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2704848230056639648HXuSsG)

We had a quiet bus ride back, and were excited about swimming until we had to get ready for dinner.

Next up...Stormalong Bay...aaaaaaahhhhhh...

Denise

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Too bad you didn't get to see Nemo or FOTLK. Both are things I've wanted to do, but have never made it to. Did you get to do them later on in the week?

The picture of Maggie and Pluto holding their ears is precious. Those photopass ones look like you have an ominous cloud looming over you.

And chocolate cake from counterservice that was so good you could have licked the bowl, I'm going to guess it was Cosmic Ray's in the MK. They've got the best chocolate cake!

[LeeLee2U]

Awww I cab;t believe you missed FOTLK and Nemo!!:sad2: But that was a sweet Mom to take aggie @ and see the characters. AK was the one place we didn't do any characters. Yep I know I just gave away something on my TR, sot hose of you that are reading this and my TR, just forget you read it!!! ;)
How cool of Pluto and the CM.:cool1: And yes it was nice of your DH to offer to take the kids by himself. But I'm like you, I wanted mine with me too.
Great Pics and I can't wait for the rest!!

[scottny]

how shocking no one wanted to see those shows. Looks like a fun time with the characters anyway.
Ooh stormalong bay I love that pool.
great pics.

[jcc0621]

What a great mom to volunteer to take DD to meet the characters while the others went back to the hotel. Although, if it was me I would have taken her to see the FOTLK too:rolleyes1

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

nice updates!!! we saw the nemo show when we were there in May and thought it was a waste of time. I guess it's just because my brother and I are older and were in the "lion king, little mermaid, beauty and the beast" generation. We LOVED the lion king and thought that was worth it!!

...i cant wait to hear aobut the pool...i'm still hoping my dad will change his mind in feb and let us stay there and pay the 250 a nite instead of 150 for 2 rooms at POP but we'll see lol.

[MeMom]

Great pictures and report! Keep it coming. Love the Flame Tree cornbread! Looks like everyone is having a ball!

[dismom9761]

Sad taht you didn't get to see the shows.:guilty: Love all the pictures of Maggie with the characters in their Safari clothes.:thumbsup2 Can't wait to read about stormalong bay-hope you have pictures.popcorn::

[DisneyJo]

Love the photos, it's great to have the signatures on them and how sweet of the CM to say about pluto :goodvibes

Can't believe they didn't want to see the shows though :sad: As you said next time :thumbsup2

[Beana9802]

Joining! Your girls are beautiful! :) Great story so far!

[eyeheartgoofy]

I've just found your trip report and have really been enjoying it! I can't wait to read about Storm Along Bay! I've always wanted to stay at the Beach Club!

[Tat2ddisneymom]

Merry
Christmas!!!

Hope to see you here again soon!

[winkers]

The pictures of your dd with the characters are so cute!

[DisneyJo]

Hope all's well and you write some more soon :goodvibes