A Series of Fortunate Events-Late Jan 2008 now with Pics

[fleagle]

My family and I just returned from an 8 day trip to Disney World. We planned it at the last minute which is very much unlike me... but I got all excited one day and just booked the thing.

The result was as it always has been: a really wonderful vacation for my family of 6. (Me, DW, DS (turned 13 on the trip), DD (11), DD (5) and DS (2)

However, this trip would prove to be our most challenging. Not just for the sheer size of our crew, but because Disney World was holding some surprises for us!

[fleagle]

I had not planned for this! Literally.

Our family's last trip to Disney World was in December of 2006. It was fantastic! Our new son's first trip at about 18 months old. Perfect weather, perfect crowds, perfect everything. (Sounds like every other Disney trip we've ever taken)

Then came 2007 which is the least favorite year of my 39 thus far. The centerpiece of the year was that my father passed away. He was diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in May and he passed away at the end of June. (Quick note: don't smoke. Ok? Thanks!) I am the only child who lives locally, so I am now the sole caregiver for my mother. I consider this an honor, but it is not without its challenges.

I had hoped to surprise my family with another December trip in 2007, but everything that happened got me away from it. My wife suspected that I was thinking about it and she got her hopes up... but then I had to disappoint them. I just didn't think I could pull it together. So... no trip. :(

However, shortly after the New Year, I was talking to my oldest son (12... now 13) about his exam schedule. He is in middle school but takes two HS classes that have actual exams. Through a fluke, his exams were going to be on a Tuesday and then a Wednesday (which was a half day). This was followed by Thursday/Friday when he had half days, but nothing pressing and then school was closed Monday/Tuesday.

I immediately thought: It is a shame we didn't plan a Disney trip!

Just then it occurred to me that my son would be turning 13 in the same week. Honestly, it made me cry. If I learned one thing in 2007, it is that time won't wait for you. My son is growing up, and I have precious little time with him. My oldest daughter is almost 12... plus we have two little ones who are WONDERFUL ages for a Disney trip.

So I just booked a trip... right that minute.

[fleagle]

As I've seen elsewhere on the message boards, for some reason, early 2008 has been quite crowded at Disney World.

I sure found that out! Because there are 6 of us, our resort choices are limited. With our youngest being 2, this was our last trip of him not really counting in our numbers though. So we have a couple of options.

Our last trip we stayed at the Poly and LOVED it (I was surprised to love it.) So I tried there... NOPE. I was redirected to the Wilderness Campground Cabins. I could do that, but my wife is not the wilderness type.

At this point, I got off the internet and just called for guidance. I was told that my only real option was the Contemporary in the South Wing, not the tower. That seemed ok... Right on the monorail is perfect for us with the little ones (even though we usually rent a car anyway) I got a little nervous when the agent started listing the disclaimers: lots of construction, conventions going on, some food service disruption.

I wasn't too worried though. My main concern at the time was that there was absolutely NOTHING else I could book on property. So I figured I'd better jump on it. I'm very glad I did. In subsequent days I checked online to see if anything had opened up, and I was unable to even book a room for TWO at most resorts!!!

I sat my family down and told them the news. Boy was I the hero of the day! They were so excited. With the jumping around and the tears, I knew I had made the right decision... and we were off and running.

[fleagle]

For our previous trips, I've planned as much as 6 months ahead. Now I had 16 days to plan! We've taken so many trips that its kind of like riding a bike, but anytime you do anything with 4 kids, it is an undertaking.

I quickly abandoned my plan to drive and just gave in to the cost of flying us all down. It essentially gave us two extra days at Disney, and I wasn't about to put a price on that.

Once I had everything booked, I started looking around websites and message boards to get a sense of what I need to know for our specific dates. I happened across a message post about the Disney CMO contest with Careerbuilder.com. When I mentioned it to my wife, she said "you HAVE to enter!" So, now I was planning the trip and a video! Fun! (seriously... I mean Fun!, like, it was actually fun.. not "Fun!" like "what a pain!)

It seems like the days zoomed past and before I knew it we were on D Day. I stayed up the night before the trip editing my video for the CMO contest. It took about an hour to upload on Wednesday afternoon... just in time to walk out the door to the airport!

[fleagle]

Our two year old had flown on our last trip to Disney, but he was pretty much still a baby and I doubt he even remembers it. He was a very good traveler.

This time, not so much! He spent the first 15 minutes on the plane yelling "I wanna get out of here!" What a great start to our trip!!! I was counting my cash figuring I would be buying drinks for the 5 rows in front and 5 rows behind us. Luckily, he actually settled in by the time we took off. Good work Mommy!

We got to MCO at around 8:30. I knew the kids would be wiped out, so I had booked a hotel near the airport, just so we could get some sleep. The forecast for the next day was 75 degrees and sunny. Just a PERFECT day, so we all went to bed tired, excited and happy.

[momof2boyz12]

Great start. Can't wait for more. I am anxious to see how your CMO video turned out. I was going to apply, but chickened out at the last minute.

[fleagle]

Our home is near Busch Gardens Williamsburg and we have Platinum Passes which means we get into SeaWorld for free... so since our check in wasn't until 3:00, we headed over there. The plan was to feed the dolphins, see two shows and then go for early check in... which is just what we did.

It was a really beautiful day weather-wise. We just couldn't wait to get to Disney World. The kids were very excited to be staying at a new hotel even though I was prepared (thanks to these boards) that the Contemporary might seem more like a "hotel" than the places we had stayed before.

We made it there with no issues other than our excitement. Check in was quick and the room was really nice and really big! However, the way they made the room really big was to take out almost all means of storing anything. Two drawers for a family of 6 was pretty rough!!! However, if I had been traveling for business, I couldn't think of a better room.

Then came the first "Unfortunate Event." Part of the construction at the Contemporary involves shuffling restaurants around. Because of this, there is no "food court" type restaurant right now. NO problem! Except that one of my kids (and wife's) favorite things are the refillable mugs. We always buy one for everyone and they are our first souveniers each trip.

NO FOOD COURT = NO MUGS!!! My wife actually cried about this.

But... we were off to the Magic Kingdom. In the first moment off of the monorail it struck me that there sure were lots of people there. We always travel off-season and so we have rarely had a day when the park has been packed. This was a Thursday... and I was thinking... uh oh! No rooms available, plus packed park and I wish I had done more planning!!!

We rode a few rides, including Buzz... the little guy's favorite, which he refers to as pyeew, pyeew (ie. laser gun sound). We got pretty tired pretty quickly from battling the HUGE crowds, so we headed back to the hotel.

[wilma-bride]

Great start - shame about your wife not getting her refillable mug. Bet your family loved you when you told them you were all going to Disney though - what a great husband and Dad :thumbsup2

[Mickeefan]

I'm subscribing! Looking forward to more!

[fleagle]

We woke up on our first full day of Disney very excited. The kids slept very comfortably in the VERY comfortable beds at The Contemporary.

Another tradition (besides the mugs) is that each child gets at least one morning to answer the phone and hear the wake up call from Mickey (or whichever character is on duty that morning.) Our 5 year old was due for the call on this first day. I woke myself up at 6:30 to get the camera ready for the 6:45 call. The phone rang... here comes the magic!!!! NOTHIN'! Just a quick clip of music and nothin'.
http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_1.png Lizzy waits for the call

So... I called back to get another wake up call... surely there was a glitch in the system. Nope... out of luck. Day two starts with a thud.

The plan for the day was to head to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop, then take a nap... then head to Epcot. It was a beautiful morning at The Magic Kingdom! As would continue to be the theme, it was VERY crowded, even at 8:30 AM as we waited.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_3.png Waiting for the drop

By the time we could get to Dumbo, there was already a pretty long line, so we moved around Fantasyland a bit while the older kids went to get Fast Passes for Space Mountain. While we were walking, I noticed a character greeting cast member setting up a line across from the Pooh ride.

I figured Pooh was on the way! So we were first in line and the little ones were PUMPED.

Now... some back story. I don't know how many other 39 year old men are familiar with who Darby is... but I have a two year old, so I know that she is a Super Sleuth who works with Pooh and Tigger. What you all may not know is that my two year old informed us a few months ago that he was going to marry Darby.

I asked the CM which characters were coming and she said Pooh and Tigger. Awesome! So... imagine our surprise when Pooh and Tigger came out with a FRIEND. IT WAS DARBY!!!! My son FLIPPED. He was so excited. We figured that was as good as the trip was going to get...so we just decided to fly home. KIDDING!

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_2.png My future daughter in law

[Phibbles]

So... imagine our surprise when Pooh and Tigger came out with a FRIEND. IT WAS DARBY!!!! My son FLIPPED. He was so excited. We figured that was as good as the trip was going to get...so we just decided to fly home. KIDDING!

:lmao: :rotfl: :banana:

I love those moments. Good story so far. I am hoping for a big surprise along the way.

popcorn::

[dallasdisneymommy]

I'm loving your trip report! Can't wait for another installment. :surfweb:

[wilma-bride]

Oh my, my DS would have an absolute fit if he saw Darby on our trip. He is so in love with her. He loves the Super Sleuths and has asked for a magnifying glass for his next Birthday so he can become a Super Sleuth in our house :rotfl:

[Phibbles]

Oh my, my DS would have an absolute fit if he saw Darby on our trip. He is so in love with her. He loves the Super Sleuths and has asked for a magnifying glass for his next Birthday so he can become a Super Sleuth in our house :rotfl:

I wonder if they added them to the Play-House disney show when they updated it last month?

[MagicAllison]

I'm loving your trip report so far! I also have a 2 year old so you're getting me geared for some pyeew pyeew at the Magic Kingdom! :laughing: I'm right there with your wife on the resort mugs! :sad1: That would be a major bummer!

[fleagle]

I wonder if they added them to the Play-House disney show when they updated it last month?

Yep! (Trip Report preview here!) We saw the show on our trip and the Super Sleuths are on the case!

[MousekaMaddi]

lovely fun report, more please:lovestruc

[fleagle]

Quick note: I have TONS of photos which I will add to these posts soon. They are HUGE files and I need to shrink them down first...

Back the report!

After the Darby visit, my son was really fired up. But as those of you with 2 year olds know... what goes up, must come down. After a few more rides and more fun, he crashed. Hard. So we decided we'd better head back to the hotel.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_5.png Wiped!

At this point I was LOVING the Contemporary for being the first stop on the monorail line. Of course, we had to walk to the South Wing, but all in all it was a quick trip back. Just a quick stop on our way back to refill our mugs.... oh, nevermind.

It was about 70 degrees out but fairly windy. So, while the little guy napped, my wife and other kids went to the Contemporary Duck Pond. I mean, the Contemporary Pool. They had fun, but my wife was frozen in the wind.

Quick side note: My wife has something called Cold Induced Urticaria. This basically means that she is allergic to cold. If you put a square ice cube on her arm, she will develop a perfectly square, one inch high hive on her arm. It is as weird as it is real. She just has to take a claritin before going out in the cold and she's fine. And yes... its an actual condition. Isn't that odd?

Anyway, so it actually mattered that she got cold at the pool, but she had taken her allergy medicine, so no worries. The kids were, of course, indifferent to the cold wind. I used the time in the room to re-group, because I realized I'd better get my plan together to deal with those crowds.

When D woke up, I called down to my wife and she brought the kids back. We decided to head over to Epcot. The kids really wanted me to ride Soarin' and they love the World Showcase (and the little passport stamps you can do).

As was becoming a theme, we just barely missed the monorail to the TTC, so we had to wait quite a while. We got to the TTC and just barely missed the monorail to Epcot. Waited again... no biggie, but sheesh, we usually have better luck.

I thought maybe everybody was at the Magic Kingdom and that's why the crowds were so big there. My thinking was that if they were all at the Magic Kingdom, then Epcot would be empty... right? OH, no sir!

As we walked through the turnstiles and toward the Global Golfball, I noticed that there were only 10 or so strollers by the stroller rental place. There are usually HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS of strollers lined up. I thought "Oh Crud" (yes, exactly that word ;) )

As we wheeled our way into the park, the signs showed that there were ZERO more fastpasses available for any of the fastpass rides. This was a full 4 hours before close. Yikes.

I told the kids we would come back for Soarin' (90 minute wait) another day and that we should just go do their passports around the World Showcase. Off we went!

We went to the right and entered Canada where we saw the two bears from Brother Bear. Even though he's never seen the movie, Little Man D demanded that he see the bears. So, we lined up. After waiting 15 minutes, we were informed that the bears would be going on a break in a few minutes and that only one bear would be coming back. Somehow we managed to hang in there and were the last folks to see both bears. Whew! Meltdown avoided.

[fleagle]

We headed into England, and it seemed like the entire population of the United Kingdom was there. We found the passport station, and it looked like it would be about 30 minutes JUST to get a passport stamp. YIKES!

At this point, we decided to punt. There was just no way that the kids were going to make it. I thought it was better to get back to the hotel and rest than to battle the crowds and wear ourselves out.

Right before we left, we stopped to see the Beatles-type band. There is a picture I'll try to post where you can see the band... but in the foreground, you can see my DW and she is just absolutely WIPED. So I think leaving was the right call. Our youngest danced for a minute and then we hit the monorail.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_6.png A Hard Day's Day

On our way out, we were directed out a gate to the left. However, in order to get to the monorail station, we actually needed to go to the right. Problem! When we went out of the gate, we went past the bag check station. So, in order to get to the monorail, we had to get all of our bags searched again. (The cherry on top of a rough day sundae!)

And... the time it took for us to get searched was just exactly enough time to allow us to get to the top of the monorail platform... in time to see the monorail pull away.

Finally back to the hotel. It was probably our least favorite day ever at Disney. That's bound to happen. (Some day has to be the worst). But I went to sleep anxious that it might not get better.

[fleagle]

Before I went to sleep, I called the front desk about the wake up call for the next morning. She told me that to get the character wake up call, you had to call the front desk... if you used the computerized one, you just got the music.

So, I was happy that my five year old would get to hear from Mickey in the morning.

RING... RING.... NOTHIN'

Uh oh. Could we be in for another rough day?

[fleagle]

It was early entry day at Hollywood Studios, so we headed that way, hopeful that we could beat some crowds.

I thought things would be breaking our way because it looked MUCH less crowded. Of course, it was 8 AM... so you would think so!

I went over to pick up our stroller for the morning. As I filled out the card, I wrote that the stroller was being used by the Schwartz family (instead of our actual last name). I told my family that the Schwartz family must have been the ones that had the bad day on the day before... because our family ALWAYS has a good time. From that point on, any time something went wrong... we would yell "SCHWARTZ" and everyone would laugh.

Our most important quest was to see Lights, Motors, Action. When we visited in December '06, my son was really fired up to see it so we built our plan around it. Unfortunately, when we approached the theater, we were told that there were no shows that day due to some technical problems. My son was disappointed then, so I wanted to be sure he saw it this time.

[MagicAllison]

I hope we don't see crowds like that when we're there :eek: I didn't know about the wake-up call thing. Thanks for the tip! :thumbsup2

[fleagle]

I think the wake up call issue may just be at the Contemporary. Wherever else we have stayed, it has been a character wakeup no matter what. That's why we were so surprised and disappointed.

[fleagle]

Another thing that we wanted to do for the first time was the Backlot Tour. So we headed there first. On the way, we heard some music coming from behind a fenced in area. Then a big announcement... Ladies and Gentlemen, the Power Rangers! That was very cool! They were on their way to some other place, but they drove past us as we headed to the Backlot tour.

When we got there, we were told that it would take about 45 minutes for the tour, plus about a 10 minute wait in front of that... I wasn't sure that we wanted to take that much time right at the start of the day. I thought it might be nice to sit on a tram for a while once we were more worn out.

So, we had yet ANOTHER new experience in Muppet Vision 3D. I don't know why we hadn't ever made it in there, but for some reason, we always missed it. It was VERY cute and the kids especially enjoyed it.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_7.png Outside of Muppetvision

I had a special surprise in mind for our 2 year old... but I needed to kill a little time, so I suggested that my wife take the kids to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground while I waited in line at the special surprise. On our way to the playground we heard... Ladies and Gentlemen... The Power Rangers! They pulled up right in front of us and we got to see them do their special, super hype karate moves.

After they played for a bit, my wife brought the kids over to where I was waiting.... just as they arrived... VVVVVRRROOOOOOMMMM came from behind the fence. And out came my son's ALL TIME, NUMBER ONE FAVORITE: Lightning McQueen. He began to SHRIEK... McQueen, McQueen... K-CHow...K-Chow!!!! Super cute. Mater was there too.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Blog/Blog_files/shapeimage_1.png

After we saw lightning, we heard (I'm not kidding) Ladies and Gentlemen... The Power Rangers! We were so tickled that we watched them do their bit again and Lizzy got her picture taken with the Pink Power Ranger.

[fleagle]

We headed back up the New York Street where we saw Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. It was a little sad as people were just walking past them, not even looking. I think their show times might be a little long as they were out for 30 or 45 minutes at a time. We stopped and got pictures... somewhat out of excitement... but also.. somewhat out of pity! They were super nice.

We sent the big kids to see Sounds Dangerous while the little ones got to see the Little Einsteins. We had heard that the new Playhouse Disney show was going to open on Monday so we planned to come back and see that before we left.

After they got back, we zig zagged back to the Backlot Tour. As we headed back down the New York street... Ladies and Gentlemen... The Power Rangers! I am not making that up!!! Those guys are the hardest working kids in spandex.

We took the Backlot Tour which was very cool. I definitely recommend it. It was a little chilly, so they skipped the audience participation part of the show with the water.

We had a 12:10 reservation at Momma Melrose's for lunch. Wow! What a nice restaurant! The food was excellent and our little guy LOVES spaghetti, so he was in heaven.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_9.png A good bowl of "yummy spaghet."

The Lights, Motors, Action show was at 1:20... so we headed straight there after lunch. Ladies and Gentlemen... The Power Rangers!!! No time... THOUSANDS of people pouring into the theater.

The show was WOW!!! Definitely worth the wait and I highly recommend it. Those guys can flat out drive. I was exceptionally impressed.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_11.png BOOM!

Next: DD makes the show!

[fleagle]

I've got a ton of photos... but I don't know how to post them... can anyone help me out? Do I have to post them online somewhere else so I can link to them?


edit... nevermind... read the tech forum... now I just cant get the photo site to load up.. I'll work on it!

[Floridagram]

Great report, I am really impressed to have so many details from a man!
I hope to hear at the end that it was a wonderful trip and worth it. I am sorry you had more than your share of less than magical moments.

[fleagle]

Thanks! Stay tuned... it was a rough start to the trip... but it was Disney! How could it not get better???

I've got the photo thing figured out... so I'll go back and edit in the photos.

[fleagle]

After the Motors show, we figured that we had better head back for some rest as we had the Princess and Pirate Party that night. It was going to be a long day and we had already had a really good time.

As we exited the theater... you guessed it! Ladies and Gentlemen, the Power Rangers.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_15.png Go, go Power Rangers!

Our intention was to get back to our hotel for a nap... BUT we ran into a major detour. We saw the In the Can Productions car heading down the street. There was no way we were going to miss their show. They are hilarious.

My daughter and I walked quickly ahead and practically walked step for step with the car until they parked. We took a seat where I thought the show would take place. As it ended up, we were a little far stage left, but really close.

After the two assistants welcomed the great Alberto Dante to the proceedings, he announced that the company needed a new secretary. When he said "are there any nominations?" I nudged my daughter. Page Turner saw my nudge and nominated my DD! So, she joined the show and answered the phone throughout. Very funny and absolutely made her dream come true.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_8.png My girl: Secretary for In the Can!

Now, my daughter is 11, so she tried to pretend to be embarrassed, but we all knew that she was totally thrilled. It made her day. After a really bad first day, Day Two was really awesome!

Next: Pirates and Princesses

[fleagle]

I was HUGELY excited for the Princess and Pirate Party at the Magic Kingdom. We had attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in 2006 and it was our favorite thing ever... so I had high hopes.

Of course, Disney did not disappoint. The only threat to our good time was that literally for the FIRST time EVER at Disney for us, there was almost a certainty of rain. I think we had been there a total of 50 days before this and had never been rained on. So I was prepared for another new experience.

Our youngest was fired up to put on his new pirate costume and hit the park!

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_10.png Captain D... scourge of the drive through fish filet.

It hadn't occurred to me until just now that I kept calling our youngest "Captain D" which is a famous fast food fish chain. But he was a fine pirate.

The girls had pirate princess ears and my oldest son had his Dead Men Tell No Tales cap on. So we were clearly on the side of the pirates. My wife and I didn't dress up because it was enough to just get the other ones out the door. As I've mentioned... we're like moving a regiment.

The event was really great with stations all over the park for the kids to collect beads and gems in a bag they handed out at the gate. Our biggest challenge wasn't getting the treasure... it was keeping the bags. They were black and in the dark, we kept misplacing them.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_13.png Captain D fashions an eye patch for me using his treasure bag.

Because the event has a limited number of tickets, I expected lighter crowds. They were definitely lighter than they had been... but they must have sold every ticket because it was still a challenge to get around.

At one point we were lined up to get some treasure. It wasn't a long line, but it would take about 3 minutes to get through. After we had waited our turn and were about to get our treasure, my wife and I both noticed a man who was clearly telling his 7 year old daughter to just cut into the line. We probably could have just let it go, but people not speaking up is the cause of lots of the problems in the world today. So, my wife politely said to the man, "Sir, the line begins back there."

Had he not been trying to cut into the line, I would imagine he would have said, "what?" Instead, he said "I'm not talking to you..." Which I translated as roughly "you caught me." I know people jump lines.. but c'mon buddy... teaching your 7 year old that the rules don't apply to her? Maybe he was training her to be a pirate.

In any case, we got to ride quite a few rides and then we lined up for the parade. I took the little ones to a candy store in Frontierland while my wife took the older ones to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Just as they walked away, the rain started. Not too bad, so we poncho'd up and carried on.

The parade was EXCELLENT, even in the rain and the kids really enjoyed it.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_12.png Pirate Princess Ally waits for the parade.

After the parade passed us, we followed it down the street and then walked into Fantasyland. Because the parade was still going on, we had time to ride Pooh, Buzz, and visit the Laugh Floor before heading out... a full 14 hours after we had arrived at Hollywood Studios in the morning.

The second day had been as wonderful as the first day had been difficult. And we had one more piece of magic to come. Since our first trip when our two oldest were 4 and 3 years old, we have a monorail tradition.

If we manage to get in a monorail car all by ourselves, we have a "Party In the Car" which consists of everyone singing the song we wrote about it and dancing in their seats. (I often dance with all around the car)

So.. sure enough, we were all alone in the monorail car and the party was on! Of course, nobody is dancing in the picture I have, but that's because the Party in the Car is a private tradition. (Nobody wants to see my dancing, I assure you!)

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_files/shapeimage_14.png Par-tay!

[fleagle]

When we got back to the hotel, I headed to the front desk to ask about the wake up call. The following morning was my oldest son's 13th birthday and I wanted to be 100% sure that we got the birthday morning wake up call. He may be a teenager, but I know he was looking forward to it.

The person at the front desk was a trainee from Scotland and he had another CM helping him out. I explained that we hadn't gotten our character wake up calls for the previous days and that the next day was an important one. If it wasn't possible, I wanted to tell my son in advance.

As I explained the problem, I got really choked up! This was a little embarrassing, but I said, "I know this is a silly thing to be so concerned about, but its something very special to us." This poor new CM was probably wondering why he came all the way from Scotland for this!

They said they would set it up and that there should be no worries.

In the morning... RING.. RING.. and my son answered the phone... AND....
NOTHIN'... oh no!!!! Then... a little music.... then a CM from the front desk got on the phone and said, is Forrest there? (um... that's his name.) He said, My name's Forrest, Forrest Gum... wait.. that's a different one. He actually said, this is he.

She said.. hold on. It was clear that she put the phone up to a recording of the birthday announcement from Mickey. The sound was poor, but he could hear what the basic gist of it.

At first, I was miffed that it was a third day of disappointment. But then it occurred to me that the front desk folks had really gone above and beyond to make something happen for my son. So I was really grateful for that!

Next: Birthday Breakfast at Chef Mickey's!

[fleagle]

We had asked my son where he would like to have breakfast on his birthday and he chose Chef Mickey's which was great as it was right there in the hotel. It was extra great because the only reservation I could get 3 weeks in advance was for 7 AM. Yikes! Good thing we didn't have to go far!

Chef Mickey's is always fun and has been something we've done on almost every trip. We got visits from all of the characters and several came a couple of times. The most important visit was from my son's favorite, Goofy.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_2_files/shapeimage_1.png The Goof!

After breakfast, we headed to the car to visit the Animal Kingdom. I went to get the stroller while my wife took the kids to get Forrest's birthday button. I'm always interested in how kids of that age act like they don't want things like that... but how much they love it.

We headed up toward the tree of life, with a stop to visit with Lilo and Stitch.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_2_files/shapeimage_3.png

Our first stop is always the Safari because we have had very good luck seeing animals early in the morning. Of course, this particular morning it was only 45 degrees... so we might have done better to get fastpasses and visit when it warmed up a bit.

There were very few animals out. I have a 200 mm lens for my camera that I had brought along, but there wasn't much to shoot. I managed to get a couple fo decent shots along the way including a shot of the male lion that I really like.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_2_files/shapeimage_4.png

Our driver had quite a few problems speaking to Wilson, whose radio seemed to be jammed. Luckily, they managed to catch the poachers anyway!

After the Safari, we headed up to see the gorillas and other animals along the walking trail.

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Everyone was a little thirsty after our walk, so my wife went to get a drink for everyone. Of course, at AK they don't have straws or lids. However, with a 2 year old, you just have to have a lid. So, she bought the only drink you could buy with a straw and a lid... a monstrosity with gorillas on top!

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Within 30 seconds, the lid was loose and sent the whole drink crashing down. The CMs at the drink stand were nice enough to refill it.

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We headed to Dinoland so that the kids could write Primevil Whirl. We also had a family midway games contest where we won some stuffed animals. With 6 of us playing, we were guaranteed our own medium or large prize every time... so it was like buying a decent sized stuffed animal for 12 bucks each time we played. However, we took on one lady with 5 of us against only her in Whack A Mole and she won the prize! We congratulated her and played again after she left... she was obviously a professional.

On our way to see the Nemo show, we saw some Streetmosphere jugglers. They were very good, including one guy who did an amazing stunt on some paint buckets and rolling cans.

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[DISgeeksfromDC]

And we had one more piece of magic to come. Since our first trip when our two oldest were 4 and 3 years old, we have a monorail tradition.

If we manage to get in a monorail car all by ourselves, we have a "Party In the Car" which consists of everyone singing the song we wrote about it and dancing in their seats. (I often dance with all around the car)

So.. sure enough, we were all alone in the monorail car and the party was on! Of course, nobody is dancing in the picture I have, but that's because the Party in the Car is a private tradition. (Nobody wants to see my dancing, I assure you!)

:laughing: You folks sound like a fun bunch! So, I suppose if the Party-in-the-Car photos are off-limits, then that means the song lyrics are, too?!?

Great report so far! (I love your writing style and funny captions... :thumbsup2 ) More! More! More!

One more thing: That photo of your little guy ("Wiped!") on your wife's lap is priceless! I also have a DS2. So far, though, he has made no declarations of his undying love for Darcy. It's probably a good thing, though, or things could get pretty ugly, huh? ;)

[fleagle]

The Nemo show was really incredible. I still had the long lens on the camera, and I missed the announcement about photographs. I thought they said no video photography and no flash photography, so I thought as long as I didn't flash it was ok.

Later my wife told me that she thought they said no photography. So, even though I got some very good pics, I won't post them here in case that was a no-no.

After the Nemo show, we were back to the Magic Kingdom for a special visit with a dear friend.

We met Bill on our second trip to Disney. He is a CM who works in Tomorrowland. Our oldest daughter had just decided to start pin trading and he really set her up right. From that moment, we started a friendship and always visited him whenever we came to Disney. Over time, we exchanged letters and gifts at the holidays.

This trip, he asked if he could take us to lunch, so we met him at the Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom. (First, I walked ahead to get Jungle Cruise fast passes) It was nice to catch up and hear how his year had been. We saw Pooh and all of his friends. The food was pretty good.

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Near the end of lunch, my wife remembered that she had left a bag of Virginia goodies back at our hotel. So I said I would just run back to the hotel and get them. I coach a soccer team, so I can run pretty well and I figured I could get from the Crystal Palace to the Contemporary and back in about 20 minutes.

I forgot the part about having already walked 10 miles that day... so I was a little slower, but I made it fine and Bill was happy to get his goodie bag.

We posed for a picture at the entrance to main street and then headed to the Jungle Cruise.

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The jungle cruise was as it always is.. corny... which I like. We had a younger, female skipper and she didn't seem to want to give in to the cheesiness of the whole thing, which is what the best ones do... but she was fine.

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[fleagle]

The rest of the afternoon, we let the older kids go off on their own a bit and we took the little ones character hunting. We ended up seeing lots of princesses, including Belle, who gave D a big smooch that left a lipstick print on him.

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On our way out, we also got to see Snow White, which may have been a first for us.

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We had a feeling that the little guys would go to sleep if we got into the van (rental Toyota Siena)... so we left Magic Kingdom and headed to Downtown Disney so that the birthday boy could go to Disney Quest... his favorite. Sure enough, the little ones fell asleep, so I dropped the big kids at DQ and my wife went shopping for a bit while I drove in circles for about 90 minutes.

You know what? I have absolutely no recollection of what happened the rest of that day... I sure was tired! If I remember, I'll edit it in!

Next: Back to Hollywood... and the big question: Should we add another day???

[fleagle]

:laughing: You folks sound like a fun bunch! So, I suppose if the Party-in-the-Car photos are off-limits, then that means the song lyrics are, too?!?

Actually, the lyrics are incredibly complex, they go like this:

Party In the Car
Party In the Car
Party In the Car... repeat.

I will throw in the occassional "what, what?" because I sometimes can't contain my funkiness.

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Actually, the lyrics are incredibly complex, they go like this:

Party In the Car
Party In the Car
Party In the Car... repeat.

I will throw in the occassional "what, what?" because I sometimes can't contain my funkiness.


:rotfl: Classic! :rotfl:

[fleagle]

Our original plan was to fly back home in mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. So after we had our Party In the Car, my wife and I set about to pack up. We needed to get our things packed up so that we could have everything loaded in the morning. This would allow us one more morning in the parks before we headed to the airport.

Here was the catch. The next day was expected to be 78 degrees and sunny with very little wind. Just a perfect, perfect day. Other than our first day, it had been chilly and cloudy. A vacation to my wife must involve a little bit of warmth and sun or else all is lost! Throw in the fact that Wednesday was her birthday... and one of those round numbers to boot... and I kind of figured she would be bummed out to miss out on the nice day.

So, while the little guy napped and my wife took the kids for some fun, I worked the phones. The same flight we were booked on, but one day later was booked... BOO! Should we stay TWO days? Um... I would love to, but my wallet would need a transfusion.

Luckily, there was a morning flight on Wednesday. This essentially gave us the entire day Tuesday. Plus, there was one more wrinkle... There was another Pirate and Princess Party on Tuesday night. BONUS!

It would be about $1,000 for us to stay the extra day, including the tickets for PPP. I probably should have flinched... but I didn't. BOOK IT!!!

When my wife got back to the room with the kids, I said "Happy Birthday," and I told her that I had set us up for one extra day.

The plan was to go back to Hollywood Studios to try and catch the new Playhouse Disney show, then to take advantage of the weather at Typhoon Lagoon. Good plan... the Schwartz family went home and the Kidwell's got to stay!

[Justin M]

Fleagle,

I finally had a chance to catch up with your report. It's wonderful! Thanks for all the details!

Where in Williamsburg do you live? My wife and I took a quick weekend get-a-way to your neck of the woods in August right before she started a new job.

[Amy7979]

Actually, the lyrics are incredibly complex, they go like this:

Party In the Car
Party In the Car
Party In the Car... repeat.

I will throw in the occassional "what, what?" because I sometimes can't contain my funkiness.

Okay, you're just awesome.

[fleagle]

Fleagle,

I finally had a chance to catch up with your report. It's wonderful! Thanks for all the details!

Where in Williamsburg do you live? My wife and I took a quick weekend get-a-way to your neck of the woods in August right before she started a new job.

We actually live in Yorktown, which is the next town south of Williamsburg... and those of you who like history: It is also the place where Independence was won when General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington on October 19, 1781. (He was actually too ashamed and sent an assistant to surrender... so Washington wouldn't speak to the B-List Brit.) In any case, it was the last major battle of the Revolution. Good news... we won! (No offense to any of my UK friends)

Ok... end of history lesson for today.

[Justin M]

Thanks for the history lesson! My wife and I drove to Yorktown (What a beautiful stretch of road that is! We fell in love with the whole area) and had a lovely stroll along on the water and a great dinner there. It is really an enchanting area to visit. (I guess it doesn't hurt that I love history!)

[IloveDMB]

Luckily, there was a morning flight on Wednesday. This essentially gave us the entire day Tuesday. Plus, there was one more wrinkle... There was another Pirate and Princess Party on Tuesday night. BONUS!

It would be about $1,000 for us to stay the extra day, including the tickets for PPP. I probably should have flinched... but I didn't. BOOK IT!!!

When my wife got back to the room with the kids, I said "Happy Birthday," and I told her that I had set us up for one extra day.

Wow, I love your spontaneity! First the trip, and now the add on. What a great father and husband you are. We call my dad the procrastinating agonizer. He absolutely can not make a decision without agonizing over it for weeks. He could never plan a trip on a whim, would drive him nuts. Just one of his loveable quirks.

Your kids are so cute, too!

Actually, the lyrics are incredibly complex, they go like this:

Party In the Car
Party In the Car
Party In the Car... repeat.

I will throw in the occassional "what, what?" because I sometimes can't contain my funkiness.


Haha, that's so much fun. The monorail party tradition cracked me up.

[fleagle]

Okay, you're just awesome.

Thanks Amy! Just read your report too and I really enjoyed it.

As a father of two little girls, I can tell you that I hope my daughters find men who will do things like talk to me first and bring a glass slipper. It sounds like you are a lucky girl, and I can tell from your report that he's a lucky fella too!

[Amy7979]

Thanks Amy! Just read your report too and I really enjoyed it.

As a father of two little girls, I can tell you that I hope my daughters find men who will do things like talk to me first and bring a glass slipper. It sounds like you are a lucky girl, and I can tell from your report that he's a lucky fella too!

That's very sweet, thank you. And I like you... I'm not going to steal your thunder or anything, but, um... I'm glad about how (from another thread) I already know this particular trip report is going to end up!

[MagicAllison]

Actually, the lyrics are incredibly complex, they go like this:

Party In the Car
Party In the Car
Party In the Car... repeat.

I will throw in the occassional "what, what?" because I sometimes can't contain my funkiness.

:dance3: LOL :woohoo:

[MagicAllison]

We actually live in Yorktown, which is the next town south of Williamsburg... and those of you who like history: It is also the place where Independence was won when General Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington on October 19, 1781. (He was actually too ashamed and sent an assistant to surrender... so Washington wouldn't speak to the B-List Brit.) In any case, it was the last major battle of the Revolution. Good news... we won! (No offense to any of my UK friends)

Ok... end of history lesson for today.

Hey, we were just there last month! We only did Williamsburg and Jamestown but dh's parents say we HAVE to go back to do them again and this time include Yorktown ;)

[Floridagram]

Wouldn't it be funny if there was a camera or hidden microphone in the monorails and someone was listening while you have your party in the car? :rotfl: I'm just enjoying visualizing! You guys keep up the fun, you are adding days to your lives by being such a fun family! :yay:

[Marshay]

Loving the report!

Tell me -- how did your 2 yo do with Muppets, esp wearing the 3D glasses, and the P&PP?

Mine will be 33 months old in May and we just got tix for P&PP. This will be her 3rd trip to Disney (she's a pro already!) and each trip gets more exciting for us as we see Disney through her eyes.

Also, did you take any pics of your room?

Finally, there are many people who have posted pics of the Nemo show on here and when we went in Sept we swear they just said no FLASH photography, not NO photograhpy at all. My DH took pics and no one told him he couldn't. I'd be surprised if Disney said no photos at all ... that would be a first I heard of it.

[fleagle]

Marshay,

Thanks for coming over and reading....

The two year old did fine with the glasses, although he didn't want to give them back at the end... so we had to distract him to get them away.

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He LOVED the P&PP, both times. The issue there was that we always made sure to get him a good solid nap during the day. Even then, we knew we probably wouldn't make it past 10 PM without a meltdown.

I can't believe this.... but I don't think we took any pictures of the room! It pretty much looked exactly like the photos that Disney uses to promote the hotel. It really was very nice... and really large... plenty of space for the 6 of us. Only the lack of storage was an issue.

[fleagle]

Wouldn't it be funny if there was a camera or hidden microphone in the monorails and someone was listening while you have your party in the car? :rotfl: I'm just enjoying visualizing! You guys keep up the fun, you are adding days to your lives by being such a fun family! :yay:

You know... that's probably happened! I have broken into some serious dance moves once in a while (I'm horrible) So I'm sure my kids are praying there in no secret footage!

[fleagle]

No wake up call mess this morning... we just got up and headed to Hollywood.

The first order of business was to head to Rock N Rollercoaster for fastpasses as it is my DDs favorite. That way, we could go see the new Playhouse Disney show and then head back over.

Uh Oh! I had read that the show would open on the day before, which is why we planned to come to Hollywood on our last day. But... the show was listed as starting on FRIDAY... NO SHOWS TODAY! Curses!!!

We got our fastpasses and on the way back we ran into Rosie the Cleaning Lady. At the moment, our two little ones were fighting in the stroller. Kid #1 hit Kid #2 with a stuffed animal. So, she brokered a peace for us.

http://www.erickidwell.net/Site/Photos_3_files/shapeimage_1.png Thanks Rosie!

Back toward the big hat and we saw the ropes getting ready for the High School Musical show. On our first visit, the show had started, then there were a few drops of rain, so they rolled the stage right back out of there!

This time, we lined up to see the show and with the beautiful weather I knew they would get it in. Meanwhile... I had read right here on the Dis about "soft openings" so I thought I would run over and just see if by some chance we could get into a dress rehearsal of Playhouse Disney.

Sure enough!!! Even though the flyers said that there was no show... there were showtimes listed on the board! I ran back to the family to tell them the good news!

Word of warning about High School Musical: They have to keep the area clear so that the stage can roll in safely. That means you have to line up for the show in a huge 3/4 circle. Once the stage comes in, people sort of push forward for a seat. This means that pushy people who just showed up can try to knock your kids out of the way. We anticipated this and teamed up with a family from Minnesota to make sure that all of our little ones had a good seat.

Twice during the show, Lizzy got pulled up to dance. She had a great time.
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My wife and I were both theme park entertainers in our younger days (I was a singer and she was a dancer/singer) and this show was probably the closest to the kinds of shows I was in. I enjoyed it... but I felt pretty old!!!

I had to hang back with the stroller while everyone watched up closer... so I snuck back and bought a couple of frozen lemonades for them to have when the got back. It was nice to have a day hot enough for a frozen lemonade!

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We had entered our fastpass window for RnR... but now with the Playhouse Disney show starting soon, we weren't gonna make it. We had time to get there, just not time to ride and get back. So my DD and I walked very fast back there and got new fastpasses.

We turned around and saw a couple with two kids trying to decide whether or not to go on the ride. I heard the wife say... I just don't think they can stand in line for 40 minutes. My DD winked at me, which meant alot to me.. because she was thinking the same thing I was thinking.

I said "this is your lucky day!" and I handed them our 4 fastpasses which were good right then. The kids started jumping up and down and the parents were very happy. I said "gotta run! we have a show to catch" and we were off and walking (very fast).

Back to Playhouse Disney!

[DISgeeksfromDC]

You know... that's probably happened! I have broken into some serious dance moves once in a while (I'm horrible) So I'm sure my kids are praying there in no secret footage!

:rotfl: Okay! Scrap all of my ambitions to become a future Disney Moms Panelist or Dream CMO. My true "dream job" is that of Disney Security, Video Surveillance -- or maybe not! :rolleyes1

[kathymc]

This report is great - cant believe you added a day like that - awesome!

[fleagle]

:rotfl: Okay! Scrap all of my ambitions to become a future Disney Moms Panelist or Dream CMO. My true "dream job" is that of Disney Security, Video Surveillance -- or maybe not! :rolleyes1

funny!

[fleagle]

We headed back to the line for the Playhouse Disney show where the rest of the family was waiting. We were very excited for the show as it had been one of the things we were pumping the little kids up about.

As people who used to work in theme park shows, my wife and I had some nostalgic moments seeing all of the "suits" in the back of the theater taking notes on the show. We remembered the feeling of nervousness while you performed for all of the honchos. Obviously "Casey" from the show was feeling that too. She seemed a little nervous.

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Overall the show was great. I have always thought that they needed to ramp the stage back a bit... because it can be very hard to see the characters, especially from kid level.

The show hit the major characters from Playhouse Disney and my kids really liked it!

Next up.. Typhoon Lagoon and more P&PP!

[Marshay]

Can't wait to hear about Playhouse Disney...I've told DH I always wanted to add on another day but we never did -- good for you to do that!!

I assume you know that you can [generally] use your FPs after the time stated on them...however, your gift to the other family was priceless for them! Once again, "you done good"!:thumbsup2 and maybe practicing for some "other" job...?!!:rotfl2:

[Marshay]

So they didn't change the stage? From the pics I saw on the Dis, it still looks hard for small children to see...which doesn't make sense b/c it's really for small children...:confused:

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Once again, "you done good"!:thumbsup2 and maybe practicing for some "other" job...?!!:rotfl2:

... Such "cryptic" remarks, Marshay. ;) I guess the big "reveal" will be at the end of fleagle's story? ... Maybe in the form of an epilogue? :confused3

[Marshay]

... Such "cryptic" remarks, Marshay. ;) I guess the big "reveal" will be at the end of fleagle's story? ... Maybe in the form of an epilogue? :confused3

Nope, Fleagle has a WHOLE 'NOTHER trip report to write up on the "other" one!:goodvibes

[LaLa]

Sorry. Couldn't contain my funkiness either.

I'm glad I stumbled upon your trip report, Fleagle. I've really enjoyed reading it. Like everybody else, the Party in the Car visual cracks me up and the fact that your son named the Buzz Lightyear ride "pyeew pyeew" is just too darn cute. You've got an absolutely gorgeous family and it's clear that you understand just how important grabbing some time with them is. Mad props to you for seizing the day.

Also mad props to you for not posting the dance pictures. Because if you dance anything like my husband, chances are the full effect couldn't even begin to be translated with one still shot. You need at least ten to tell he's doing the centipede.

Kidding.

Or am I?

We headed back up the New York Street where we saw Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. It was a little sad as people were just walking past them, not even looking.

I always feel really sorry for the characters that people ignore. As I'm thinking to myself "Who the heck are they?" Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable I would know. But believe me when I say it takes a pity autograph to find out whether that big orange cat with a top hat is Scat Cat or Thomas O'Malley.

We had issues with the wake up call as well on our last trip. Sometimes it was the character and other times it was just music. Which is a shame because it's just not a trip to Disneyworld without Mickey waking you up each morning.

Thanks for taking the time to post your trip report. I look forward to finding out what the secret is. Although I think I may have an idea.

[fleagle]

Thanks for the props LaLa!

It was extra special coming from you because LaLa is what we call my oldest daughter... who is the apple of my eye.

Isn't it funny how people get nicknames from their little brothers and sisters who can't say their names? My daughters name is Alyssa... but her little sister couldn't say it and it came out LaLa... and that stuck!

[fleagle]

We were off to Typhoon Lagoon for some fun in the sun. My wife was very happy because the weather was warm. It really felt like a vacation day.

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Super bonus! They have refillable mugs at Typhoon Lagoon. So, even though we didn't need it, we bought one. It felt like it took a little bit of the sting out of not having them at the resort.

We went and found a spot by Ketchakiddie Creek (not sure if I spelled that right) and got my wife a chair. The big kids headed off to ride as many water slides as they could while I played with the little ones.

We were in one section where we kept getting BLASTED by some kids water cannons. The weather may have been warm, but the water was COLD! We headed up to a little kids water slide and I let both little ones ride. The catch was that I had to start them on the slide, then run down to the bottom when they came down.

The good news is that they both had on lifejackets, and the water was not deep, so I knew they would be ok.

After a few rides, I saw the big kids go by on the Lazy River.

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Then the little ones wanted to ride too. So I found two rafts with bottoms in them and we took the tour all the way around. This way, Mom got to sit in the sun for about 30 minutes without distractions. You can imagine that with 4 kids... this is a RARE treat. It got even better when we came around again and the little ones wanted to go AGAIN... so we did it again and my older kids actually caught up with us.

It was a really great day so far... but as always, the quality of the rest of the day depended on good naps! We still had the Pirate & Princess Party for the night!

So... back to the Contemporary for our final nap time! (I could have used one at this point too!)

[Marshay]

Love the water parks! You are terrific for letting DW have some alone time in the sun!! :thumbsup2 Who doesn't dream of that???:goodvibes

[AshClan]

I am loving this report! Your family is adorable, and you sound like a great dad & husband. The Party in the Car cracked me up. I wonder if that would work with just the 4 of us. Of course, I sincerely doubt my teenage boys would go for the idea...:rolleyes1

Thanks for sharing your trip, and I can't wait to hear the *ahem* surprise ending. It think we all have our suspicions....:cool2:

[fleagle]

I am loving this report! Your family is adorable, and you sound like a great dad & husband. The Party in the Car cracked me up. I wonder if that would work with just the 4 of us. Of course, I sincerely doubt my teenage boys would go for the idea...:rolleyes1

You know... at Disney they would probably rock out on Party in the Car! The key to the whole thing is to leave the park at an irregular hour... then walk all the way back to the end of the monorail

Then... have one or two people stand in the doorway so that as others approach, it looks like the car is full. (Of course... you have to move if there are too many people loading)

As soon as you hear "las puertas" you can move out of the doorway... and then its time to PARTAY.

[fleagle]

After the nap... we got pirated up again for our second P&PP of the trip.

As you may recall, the first time was on a rainy Saturday night. This time, the weather was perfect and it was a Tuesday. Well, what a difference the day made!!!

We must have ridden every ride that was open in the first hour! That's probably an exaggeration, but its close. There were absolutely NO lines at all... anywhere!

Of course, a major priority was to ride Pyeew Pyeew. Bill, our cast member friend had tipped us off that the left arm of the rock-em sock-em robot in the first room of pyeew pyeew is worth 100,000 points! My son Forrest had a score of 600,000+ before we got out of the first room (I never can beat him!) I think we rode Buzz 3 or 4 times, with the big kids jumping out after the second time to ride Space Mountain.

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There was a dance party going on over in front of the Carousel of Progress... so we decided to stop and groove a little bit. You know I likes the funky.

The kids had a really good time!

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We rode a few more rides and then headed to Casey's to get hot dogs. The original plan was to ride stuff while the parade was going on because we had already seen it.

As we left our duck-surrounded table at Casey's, I saw something I bet I will never see again. The parade was beginning in Frontierland. But on Main Street... had we chosen to, we could have had a seat for the parade RIGHT ON MAIN STREET! Now, you can certainly get a seat on Main Street for the parade if you want... but you had better get there early! I've never seen openings for the parade while the actual parade was happening.

As tempting as that was, we knew the little ones were getting tired. So we pressed on toward Pirates of the Caribbean so that Capt. D could get one more ride.

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After Pirates, my wife and I took turns riding Big Thunder Mountain with the big kids while the little ones started to fade.

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After that, we recognized that the little ones needed to sleep. So... off to the hotel to sleep and rest for the trip home.

On the way up the monorail path, we got a nice view of the fireworks, which was a great ending to our visit.

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[vassar36]

just found your TR...and love it!!!!

[Marshay]

Glad you had a good time and extended your trip -- sounds like it was a really smart move and going to P&PP twice was cool!

[fleagle]

Thanks vassar! and thanks for continuing to read Marshay!

I think the bonus day really took the trip from a B to an A. Gonna have to work hard to pay off those bills... but totally worth it!

[fleagle]

This epilogue will be in three parts...

First the trip home...
Then the extra magic we got when we got back...
Then all of the things that my wife pointed out that I missed.

Part One:

Because we were all wiped out, the kids went right to sleep. This gave me time to get the rental van all loaded up for the trip to the airport. We wanted to give the kids as much time as possible sleeping in the hopes of an easy trip back.

Despite this, we were a little slow moving in the morning and ended up in a minor rush to get to the airport. There was a LONG line at curbside check in which got even longer when we broke out our 12 checked bags. The folks at Southwest were highly efficient though and my wife took the kids into the airport while I drove the car back around to turn in.

I am so appreciative of the security involved in flying. However, it certainly makes the 100 foot walk through screening an adventure with 2 adults and 4 kids, each with a carry on bag with electronic games... a laptop... a video camera and a still camera. Just getting 12 shoes through the scanner takes some time. I tried to warn off people behind us in line... but again... didn't take too long all things considered.

We got on the plane, got all situated and then a really cool thing happened. The little guy fell asleep just as the plane taxied away from the gate. He woke up when the wheels hit the ground back home!

Pretty uneventful trip back home which is what I like! All I ever ask for is one safe up and one safe down. Everything else doesn't matter too much.

The only remaining wrinkle in the day is that we had forgotten to notify the schools that our kids wouldn't make it to school that day. So we got the stern voicemail warning that perhaps our children had cut class. (Um... yup... guilty... don't tell)

HOME! Sad to leave Disney... but LOVE to be home.

Next: A little extra magic...

[DISgeeksfromDC]

This epilogue will be in three parts...

First the trip home...
Then the extra magic we got when we got back...


YES! This is where the story gets really, really good! :woohoo: Actually, I've enjoyed reading the whole thread! :thumbsup2 Thanks for taking the time to write your trip report and for sharing it with everyone here on the 'DIS!


Then all of the things that my wife pointed out that I missed.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Marshay]

I was wondering if you notified the school when you made your extra day! :rotfl2: See I noticed things like that...

[Pinky166]

Great trip report Fleagle :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear what happened when you got home! popcorn::

[fleagle]

http://www.dreamcmo.com/view-dream-c...FFC88EAC8C9CA0Great trip report Fleagle :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear what happened when you got home! popcorn::

Thanks Pinky!

Well... wait no more, because here comes Epilogue Part Two:

We got home and got back into the swing of things. It was around this time when I started lurking on DIS, because I was interested in any news about the Disney CMO contest. By the way, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can go here:

http://www.dreamcmo.com

If you'd like to see my video, it is here:

http://www.dreamcmo.com/view-dream-cmo-applicant.php?CMODID=CMO-5EB698A2B8A70EEE17FFC88EAC8C9CA0

Basically, the idea is that they are auditioning people to be the Chief Magic Official at the Disney Parks. The winner will get to make dreams come true at Disney World, Disneyland and other locations. Plus, he (or she) will get to visit an annual meeting at Careerbuilder.com in Chicago. Bottom line: COOL job.

I found out that they had gotten around 1,300 entries. The way the site is set up, they kind of posted random samples of the videos. I was not able to find mine on the site... but eventually my wife found it.

For some reason, I hadn't been too nervous about it. This is probably because we were at Disney and I also didn't think I had much chance to advance. 1,300 is a LOT of videos. Even though I am capable of making a video, my strongest qualifications for CMO are the guest interaction and entertaining at the parks. Unfortunately, you don't get to show off those qualifications unless you make the Top 3.

Anyway... I wasn't too nervous because the date when the Top 20 was supposed to be announced was not for a day or two... SOOO imagine my surprise when my phone rang in Office Max and I was told that I was selected to be a Top 20 finalist!

I had to fill out some paperwork and fax it back in. Once they received it I was to get another phone call to schedule an interview with representatives from Disney Destinations and careerbuilder.com if everything went through with my paperwork.

[Marshay]

Woo Hoo! Go Fleagle, go Fleagle!!:cheer2:

[IloveDMB]

Wow, that's awesome about being selected as top 20!!!!

Yay for you!!

Loved your trip report, and you already spread the magic by adding on the extra day! You're already doing an excellent job!

[fleagle]

A few days later I was at the gym, in the locker room when my phone rang again.

Quick side note: DUDES... we do not want to see you naked in the locker room. There are WAY too many guys taking WAAAAAYYY too long to get dressed in the locker room. Some of you guys are standing around naked for like five minutes. Put your pants on... we don't want to see your bizness.

Gyms frown on the use of cell phones in the locker room (cell phone cams... naked people.. bad combo). So... I had to run outside and call the number back because I recognized it as the number from Centra Marketing (administrators of the contest).

I was given a choice of interview times. I picked Tuesday at 2:30. This was the #2 slot on Tuesday. I didn't want to be too far into the day, to avoid judge fatigue. I also didn't want to be first for the day. I have no idea if this was a good idea.

I had to call in to a teleconference, so I assumed that it was multiple people on the call. I am usually pretty good talking to people, so I didn't expect to be nervous... but I really was! I called the number at around 2:25 expecting to sit on hold for a bit... but the Disney guy picked right up.

So... the first official words of my interview were "Oh.. I thought I would have a minute to hyperventilate before you picked up."

[fleagle]

The gentleman from Disney was very nice and we chit-chatted for a few minutes while we waited for others to join the call. We were joined by another gentleman from Disney in Florida and a lady from careeerbuilder.com in Chicago.

They could not have been nicer, nor could they have put me more at ease. I don't really remember much of my interview except that at one point I got REALLY choked up. I remember thinking... WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??? YOU ARE CRYING IN YOUR DISNEY INTERVIEW!!!!

But.. I had just told them a story that means so much to me. Our first trip to Disney as a family was to celebrate the fact that I was alive! Almost exactly 10 years ago, I got suddenly very sick one night. Long story short... I was diagnosed with a really terrible disease (if you know football... it is the disease that claimed Walter Payton, primary schlerosing cholangitis.)

To further shorten the story... I am fine! No symptoms... no worries!!!

But, 10 years ago, a doctor told me about my condition, which they thought also showed signs of adenocarcinoma (liver cancer). All I heard was: blah, blah, blah... you are gonna die... blah blah blah.

The first words I said when I was given this diagnosis was... "But I never took my kids to Disney World." That is the part where I got really choked up. That place has so much power for good!!!

We had to drive down to Charleston, SC to visit the preeminent doctor for treating my condition. (Funny side note... his name is Peter Cotton which always makes me laugh) On our first drive down (of many) we bought a Disney planning book. We spent the 6 hour drive there and back with my wife reading the book to me. We decided that we would go to Disney in exactly one year.

So.. our first Disney trip as a family was actually a celebration of my life. It has become how we mark the time in our family.

Just to reiterate... I'm FINE! Two years later... my local doctor said that since I am symptom free, it was likely a misdiagnosed complication from a gallstone. I think it was a great gift to be told that I might be terminally ill. What a lesson in what is important.

ANYWAY... back to my interview. I thought it went well except for where I got choked up... which I hope they understood. I think I may be the only contestant in the Top 20 who has my own website to promote my candidacy. I think the careerbuilder.com rep likes the fact that I have a "job of the day" on my site.

I told them that I fully intend to promote the dickens out of careerbuilder.com and Disney Destinations if I make the Top Ten. Which is true! (I have a pretty good plan put together I think...but trying not to get ahead of myself)

[fleagle]

So... now... I'm just waiting for the Top 10 announcement. I really, really, really, really, really, really hope I make it.

We live in a world where you are supposed to act super cool and unaffected by things... but I'm not afraid to say that I really would like to win! I guess that takes away the chance to say "oh, I didn't care anyway" if I don't make it... but I really, really, really, really want to make it (really)

One disappointment so far:

I got a call from the LA Times (more specifically, from a guy who blogs on the LA Times website... not sure if he writes for the actual paper) He interviewed the "known" Top 10 finalists. He rated me 7th out of 10. Boo!

Not my first bad review! In college, a reviewer said that my performance in a musical would have qualified me to compete in the Miss America talent contest, if men could enter. He did NOT mean that as a compliment!!!!

He also put a poll up on the site. If you'd like to vote for your favorite (even if its not me), you can go here:

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-021508-cmopoll,0,2402833.poll

Anyway.. I feel like the CMO contest has been a great extension of our trip.

Next up... I'll post a BUNCH of stuff my wife noted that I left out of the report!

[Marshay]

Another good update! I'm glad you were able to share more about the interview ... and BLAH on the Brady guy!

[dallasdisneymommy]

Fleagle, I have fallen in love with you and your family over the course of this trip report! I sincerely hope you make the Top 10, and further than that, win the whole kit and kaboodle! I would certainly vote for you! Keep us informed...

[fleagle]

Fleagle, I have fallen in love with you and your family over the course of this trip report! I sincerely hope you make the Top 10, and further than that, win the whole kit and kaboodle! I would certainly vote for you! Keep us informed...

Thanks dallasdisneymommy! I really appreciate it! We'll give it our best shot!

[fleagle]

As promised, Epilogue Part 3 is all of the things I forgot about our trip... and there were a bunch. However, instead of my wife reminding me and then typing it myself, I figure we'll just let Mrs. Fleagle tell you.


SO...

Ladies and Gentlemen, they say behind every successful man stands a very surprised woman. I'm sure that Mrs. Fleagle is surprised that I'm even able to tie my own shoes, but somehow she sticks around (maybe its those 4 kids)...

Without further adieu, please welcome, Mrs. Fleagle...

(applause, applause)

“Thank you, thank you!”

Well, it’s been quite a daily escape to read Eric’s blog, and like all of you I anxiously await his next post to see what happened next....and I was even on the trip!

Anyway, you all now seem like friends who have had a peek into our crazy and chaotic lives and haven’t run away screaming! So thanks for making this whole experience such a fun one!

On to epilogue part three: I gather you all have realized from what bits of personality that have come out in his trip report, that Eric is quite a character! That is absolutely true. He’s nuts! We have about as many laughs in our house as we do toys to step on....and that’s a bunch! When I read the post about the lyrics to “Party in the Car” I seriously cried from laughing so hard! I wonder if he should copy wright those lyrics? Hmmm....

Anyway, one of our “Party in the Cars” late in the trip (in fact it may have been our last day?) Eric forgot to mention that his dance choreography sported a few new and never before seen dance moves....with the POLE! No, I’m not kidding. Now I’ve seen my husband dance before, and he can “step touch” with the best of them, but his G rated pole dance was a moment to treasure (ok, maybe PG) ...and if there really were video surveillance on the monorail then I know for sure we would have been politely escorted out. All I can do when Eric is in one of his wacky moods is to either shake my head...or join in. Since I was the one who turned down a dancer job in Tokyo because they wore G strings (not topless as Eric mentioned) you can probably bet that this particular dance was not one I wanted to make a duet! So I laughed and just shook my head.....and looked around for hidden cameras.

I’ll be back in a bit......D needs a nap!


Hey! My dance was very family friendly! Just horrible. I don't know how anyone in my family could give it a rating... they were all cringing and covering their eyes!

More from Mrs. Fleagle soon...

[fleagle]

As promised... more stuff from Mrs. Fleagle that I left out of my report:

So moving on.....
As you may remember the Power Rangers were everywhere we looked while were at Hollywood Studios. However, Eric neglected to mention the best part. (That was also the day we became the Schwartz family.) If you’ve ever seen them do their bit then you know they enter in a car striking poses and then exit one at a time to do some more poses. Then they take pictures and strike some MORE poses. So, in honor of the hardest working characters at Disney we would all on cue strike a pose. For the rest of the trip if we were “Schwartzed” then we would call out loud and proud for our whole crew to hear “Power Ranger Pose”. We’d stop what we were doing, right where we were, and no matter who was around we’d all freeze into a ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonesque’ pose. Even Dawson hit a pose, which now that I think about it very closely resembled the same pose he’d make when he saw “Lightning McQueen”
ka-chow! Probably not that funny generally speaking, but just a way we’d try to lighten the mood when things didn’t go our way....and another memory to add to our scrapbook collection!

Next.....”Beef, it’s what’s for dinner!” (or lunch)
On our son’s 13 birthday we had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at AK after visiting the park. A rather typical lunch.....crying, fussing, spilled drinks, potty breaks, “I want to get down!”, “No you can’t get down”, cars rolling across the table, picking up cars that fell OFF the table, etc.... Food was great and service was just fine...although we are the family that orders a meal and asks for the check at the same time! We never know when our time will expire at a restaurant so we plan ahead by getting our food, to-go boxes, and bill PRIOR to taking our first bite. So the meal was fine and left without too much of a meltdown. The day proceeded as Eric mentioned in that post......but at about 1:30 a.m. I was awakened by a very uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Gurgle....gurgle....gurgle...Uh Oh! Oh dear.....not while we’re on vacation! Yep, why not Mrs. Schwartz? Let’s just make the mommy start throwing up so we can REALLY have some fun with the Kidwells! I’ll spare you the details, but it wasn’t pretty. The sun comes up.....and my stomach was empty. Perfect...this was the day we were supposed to have lunch with our special Castmember friend, Bill. Great! Although I was moving around just fine, albeit at a slower pace than normal (which I think my family appreciated....I tend to walk fast!) , it was still a shame that all I attempted to eat for lunch was a plain roll. I hope Bill wasn’t offended...cuz boy the food looked and smelled great....but I needed to take it easy and save my energy for more Power Ranger poses!

Ok.. more later, now off to soccer!

[Marshay]

Wow, your dancing is soon going to be a "must-see" when at Disney!!!

Sooo sorry to hear you got sick at Disney -- didn't your body listen to the "no getting sick at Disney" rule??

I like the Power Ranger Pose -- esp if you guys are all over an area -- that would be fun to see!

[tothesea]

You guys are the best! Thanks for sharing and making me laugh!!! Can't wait to hear more!

:dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer: :dancer:

[FLVacationGirl]

Great trip report!

My 75 year old Grandmother is called Lala also, because I tried repeating her name, Sheila, at age one or two and Lala is all I could come up with. EVERYONE calls her that, 28 years later still. :) Very cool.

[fleagle]

More from Mrs. Fleagle!

Back again...and if you’re interested we won 7-3

The next couple of things that Eric forgot to mention weren’t really that funny.....but stuff we just wanted to pass along.

First, the Triathlon at the Contemporary. Since we weren’t able to get a room in the main tower (bummer) we stayed in the South Wing...which is approximately 4, 642 adult steps from the monorail (9,284 steps for kids ages 2-6) and about 10 minutes total hiking time if you have kids in tow. Ok, not really, but it was quite a trek and not one that we looked forward to after walking through the parks all day. The best part were the 3 escalators that we had to go down...and for those of you with kids you might see what’s coming! Yippee!

Now I’m not sure how your kids feel about escalators, but mine think it’s just another ride at Disney and take off like Lightnin’ McQueen when they see one up ahead! We really couldn’t win with the escalators....cause who wanted to walk down all steps or wait forever for the elevator? Not us....so the escalators won out and my stress level went through the roof every time we approached them. (I’m one of those crazy way over protective moms and constantly sees the danger in everything!) For some reason my 5 year old only wanted to step on the ‘crack’ between escalator steps which is only a ‘crack’ until it moves and becomes a step which scared me to death! I tried to explain how to step safely, but to no avail. Plus they seemed exceptionally narrow to me, but it could just be because I was trying to hold both the 2 year old with one arm, countless bags of Disney merchandise (you’re welcome Disney!), banging my backpack on the rail and trying to stand stable enough to keep the 5 year old from tumbling down head first.

Anyway, not a very funny story, but just a note to anyone staying with little ones. Try for the main tower, or have an energy bar and a valium on the monorail before you get off!

[DISgeeksfromDC]

“Power Ranger Pose” = Too cute! Yep, you folks sound like a really fun family! :) It would be super-cool to see the whole clan assisting and cheering on fleagle during the Dream CMO "Final Three" reality-style contests! :thumbsup2

BTW, "Mrs. Fleagle": Your writing/storytelling style is as amusing as your husband's! :thumbsup2

[fleagle]

“Power Ranger Pose” = Too cute! Yep, you folks sound like a really fun family! :) It would be super-cool to see the whole clan assisting and cheering on fleagle during the Dream CMO "Final Three" reality-style contests! :thumbsup2

BTW, "Mrs. Fleagle": Your writing/storytelling style is as amusing as your husband's! :thumbsup2

Thanks DISgeeks. The "Power Ranger Pose" has become a part of our family culture. I've been very nervous about the CMO thing and sometimes a little down... and then somebody in the house will yell "POWER RANGER POSE" and we all hit one... then I feel better!

[fraggle551]

I just found your trip report! I love it! You guys seem like a very close family who knows whats important for life. I'm hoping you make the top 10 too!

(btw, the link for your video didn't work for me. I don't know what happened, but I would love to see it!)

-Kate

[fleagle]

I just found your trip report! I love it! You guys seem like a very close family who knows whats important for life. I'm hoping you make the top 10 too!

(btw, the link for your video didn't work for me. I don't know what happened, but I would love to see it!)

-Kate

Thanks Kate! Sorry about the link. I went back and edited the other post, and the corrected link is below as well. Thanks for reading!

My video is at:

http://www.dreamcmo.com/view-dream-cmo-applicant.php?CMODID=CMO-5EB698A2B8A70EEE17FFC88EAC8C9CA0

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Thanks DISgeeks. The "Power Ranger Pose" has become a part of our family culture. I've been very nervous about the CMO thing and sometimes a little down... and then somebody in the house will yell "POWER RANGER POSE" and we all hit one... then I feel better!

It's great to have such a huge support group on the home-front -- sort of a built-in fan club. :thumbsup2 (There are certain advantages to having a large family. ;) For example, you automatically increase your chances that someone will come visit you when you get old! :eek: )

I'm certain that -- in your shoes -- I'd be going absolutely nuts right now!! These contests seem to be emotionally charged events, because everyone is so passionate about Disney! I know that folks complained loudly when they didn't make it to the second round, but it has to be worse to pour so much energy into the interview -- and the remaining weeks of self-promotion -- to be eliminated. And with only one final winner -- well! -- the odds are sort of stacked against everyone!

That said, I think you have an extremely good chance of progressing. They've 'gotta consider the whole package, man! Don't discount your years of working for the entertainment business (at a theme park to boot), the fact that (from what we've seen) you were the only contestant with the foresight to include a web address in your video, and the fact that you (and Justin) both seem to be able to get out the vote. Plus, with no disrespect intended for anyone, I'm wondering if the younger semifinalists might be at a bit of a disadvantage - with less real-world experience. (I guess Disney is banking on the fact that the younger generation is typically so adept at online networking??? :confused3 )** Of course, this is just my (humble) opinion. Sadly, I don't work for Disney (or Careerbuilder).

Okay, off my soapbox. ('Sorry to be so long-winded! :flower3: )

**I have to add: The other week, my lawyer friend referred to his firm's new recruits as "kids." I had to chuckle. I mean "come on!" we're only in our thirties, and forty *is* the new thirty, right? ;)

[fleagle]

Thanks DISGeeksfromDC. I really am having a good time, and I appreciate your words of encouragement!

I think my background will really be a benefit IF I can progress. Maybe that's what is making me so nervous. Mrs. Fleagle says to me often: "If we can just get you out on Main Street... they will understand why they should pick you." Of course, the contest isn't really designed that way...so I'll just cross my fingers!

Thanks again for the kind words!

[DISgeeksfromDC]

Thanks DISGeeksfromDC. I really am having a good time, and I appreciate your words of encouragement!

I think my background will really be a benefit IF I can progress. Maybe that's what is making me so nervous. Mrs. Fleagle says to me often: "If we can just get you out on Main Street... they will understand why they should pick you." Of course, the contest isn't really designed that way...so I'll just cross my fingers!

Thanks again for the kind words!

'Seems to me that "Mrs. Fleagle" is a very wise woman! ;) I think she's onto something. I also think that's why -- regardless of which videos may be the absolute coolest or the general public's favorite pick -- the judges have to make their "Top 10" decisions with the big picture in mind. That's why they have included so many components to this contest. Part One -- the video and essay portion -- was simply the "hook," and you've already made it past that hurdle! This is, after all, a marathon -- not a sprint. I think that Marshay also was onto something (as were you) in your earlier posts on the CMO thread.

One parting thought: Marathons can leave you a little winded, huh? ;)

[tothesea]

Mrs. Fleagle says to me often: "If we can just get you out on Main Street... they will understand why they should pick you."

I completely agree with Mrs. Fleagle and of course she knows best!!! And what others have said too. And I do hope they podcast it all live, like they said--what a hoot that will be, I can see it now! :banana:

'Seems to me that "Mrs. Fleagle" is a very wise woman! ;) I think she's onto something. I also think that's why -- regardless of which videos may be the absolute coolest or the general public's favorite pick -- the judges have to make their "Top 10" decisions with the big picture in mind. That's why they have included so many components to this contest. Part One -- the video and essay portion -- was simply the "hook," and you've already made it past that hurdle! This is, after all, a marathon -- not a sprint. I think that Marshay also was onto something (as were you) in your earlier posts on the CMO thread.

One parting thought: Marathons can leave you a little winded, huh? ;)

You are absolutely right Disgeeks! There's more to the cmo than meets the eye! Can't wait for that showdown on Main Street! popcorn::

[fleagle]

For our next trip (December 08?) we will have some new planning to do... maybe I'll start a pretrip once we narrow in the dates.

Our youngest will be three years old and therefore considered a "real person" so unless we do a suite somewhere, we'll have to have two rooms, or something else. Again... totally uncharted territory, so if you have any advice before I start the pre-trip, we would love to hear it!

[AshClan]

Okay, for what it's worth, here's my advice.....

DVC ;)

I don't know how bigger families do without it. Unless, of course, they stay off-site :scared1:

[fleagle]

Okay, for what it's worth, here's my advice.....

DVC ;)

I don't know how bigger families do without it. Unless, of course, they stay off-site :scared1:

Yep! You are probably right. I wandered past the info center a couple of times on our last trip, but I could never find a time when I wasn't chasing a kid or three. I'll be looking into it soon though.

Thanks for the advice!

[Marshay]

Here is something I put together for some other friends of ours re: DVC...maybe it'll help you ....

1) Our guide, Jeff Jarosz: 800/827-1759. He is an official Disney guide and will tell you all about the program. Also ask for the great DREAM book (it's a coffee table type book with all the info that is simply WONDERFUL!). Right now Disney is selling Saratoga Springs and Animal Kingdom primarily, but they also have inventory at the other villas, too. Just have to ask them.

Remember you can purchase at any and stay at any resort. You just have a 4 month advantage in making your ressie (reservation) at your 'home' villa (11 months in advance you make a ressie at the one you own, then at 7 months prior you can change to any resort with availability).

(Last year they offered an incredible discount if you were referred by an existing member...)

2) Resale
Two recommended sites for resales are:
http://www.dvc-resales.com
http://www.***********.com (not sure why it's ****...this one is dvc by resale (dot) com (note there are no spaces between dvc and by and between by and resale but the DIS is not letting me show the full URL)

3) Two other websites (non-official) that have lots of info on Disney (just go to their DVC section) are

www.allears.net
www.mousesavers.com
=======================
We found if you say yes to the following, DVC is worth it:

Will you go to Disney every 1-3 years? (Remember you can go anywhere in the world too but your "normal" vacation should be Disney)

Do you really only want to stay in Deluxe resorts?

Do you need/want the extra space?

Do you want a kitchen/WD?

Can you afford the extra costs? Initial, Maintenance Fees and costs for tickets, air, etc?

Can you plan your vacations in advance?

Can you track/organize your points?

Do you want to pay for your vacations now so that you don't have to pay for them in the future?

[Disney owl]

great reports thanks

[fleagle]

Here is something I put together for some other friends of ours re: DVC...maybe it'll help you ....

Wow! That TOTALLY helps! You rock.

[fleagle]

Something really neat has come out of this trip report.

I've really gotten to know some really nice people and sharing the experience has driven home some of the best memories of our trip.

So thanks for reading!

For those of you following the CMO portion of my trip report... I am confident at this point that I have not yet been eliminated. However, I may not know until VERY late next week if I'm in the Top 10... so, I hope you'll visit www.dreamcmo.com on March 2nd at midnight (yikes) and consider voting for me!

[dallasdisneymommy]

I'm there for you Fleagle! :banana:

[fleagle]

I'm there for you Fleagle! :banana:

Thanks!

[fleagle]

For those of you with any interest in how my CMO journey is going....

There has been no official announcement regarding the Top 10. In fact, it is likely that the official announcement will be when they post the videos on www.dreamcmo.com

I've been passing the time making plans for what I'll do if I advance. The big risk is that I may end up with egg on my face if I make a bunch of plans and then don't make it. (Its kind of a 50/50 shot!..well, not kind of, its actually a 50/50 shot.)

I have some plans for a new fun thing almost every day this week to build up to the announcement. First is the DIScademy Awards. I am going to have folks from the most active CMO thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1697374
create some categories, nominees and winner to honor the 98.5% of the people who entered with wonderful videos but didn't catch a lucky break.

If you'd like to participate, click on that thread link or visit my website to help out!

[fleagle]

Well, I didn't advance to the Top 10 in the CMO contest. But thanks for reading my trip report. The whole thing was a lot of fun and a great end to my trip!

[Marshay]

And thanks Fleagle for taking us along with you!!!