The dog is BACK from Disney and boy is he tired -Update 6/1 (With Lots of pictures) [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 01:58 PM

First let me start with introductions.

Me (Dana):crazy:
DH (Dale) pluto: cause he is the dog fanatic
DD (Amanda):tinker: Just because she loves Tink
DS(Tyler):jester: He tries to make me think I am crazy but the joke is on him
DS(Dallas):pirate: He is my little swashbuckler
Ddog(Niko):dogdance:

Now that the formalities are done with, I am going to attempt my first pre-trip report. This trip will be the 12th time for DH and myself and between 8 and 9 times for the kids. We will be there May 3 thru May 8th.

I am so excited :yay: :woohoo: :cheer2: (can ya'll tell) I am the planner in our family and I usually start planning next years trip as soon as we get home from the current trip. With about 1000 changes during the year.........lol

We drive in and it takes us about 8 hours, not too bad. The main reason we drive..............me. I refuse to fly. I know that is silly but, I am so afraid of heights that the thought of being that far off the ground makes me hyperventilate. DH has flown and the kids probably would but, hey they would just have to pick me up at the bus station.

Anyway, the title of my PT has a meaning. And that meaning is Niko. When we went last year we stayed at Masters Inn because they were pet friendly. Let me tell you they may be pet friendly but their beds are not people friendly. It was a horror story. My DH is crazy about our doxie, Niko, and I mean overly so.
This being The Niko
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/PensacolaBeach7-28-07025.jpg

As I was making our plans for this trip he was insistant on staying at the "Brick Bed Inn" again and I refused. His suggestion was find another pet friendly hotel................."Yes Dear":lmao:

So off I went to plan the trip, and at the beginning there was one other cast member but, I will give more info on that little surprise later. I decided we were going to stay on property again as it has been 6 years since we last stayed at the House of Mouse. And, I wanted to try the DDP, even with all the changes.

Now what resort to visit this time? If you see the siggie line you will know. So no suprise there. So I called the toll free number ;) and started with the whole ressie thing. I inquired about everything you can imagine, cost, convience, asked for advice all those fun things. At the end it was settled we would be staying at the ASMu in (hopefully)2 connecting rooms. The size of the beds and the fact that DD fiance was going was the main reason for 2 rooms. That done we lucked up and got the tickets with the free add ons :woohoo: We have never been to the water parks nor DisneyQuest and that was one of the requests of DD fiance.

As I said earlier I wanted the DDP. Now that being said, see my icon that is what I must be. See my family is not like most families where you have one or even two pickie eaters nooooooooooooooooooo not my family with the 6 ppl planed to go on this trip, myself and Tyler are the only ones who will eat anything. The rest :scared1: Yeah they will eat hamburgers, pizza and french fries ummmmmmmm did I leave anything out............no no I didn't.

So it is off the make ADR's. Where you ask? Well, that will have to come later. My fingers are going numb and they are not cooperating with my brain.

So TTFN. Please come back later for more. Oh yeah we are 21 days out at this point in the game

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 02:44 PM

I forgot to add this to the prior post got them today. I think it is kinda funny that I got 26 MH and when I looked through them there was 1 black MH so Mickey is always around somewhere.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1090.jpg

k_reile

04-11-2008, 03:22 PM

so is your dog staying in a kennel then at WDW property? Next time we go we will camp at Fort Wilderness so we can take our Rusty with us. He is our baby too!!

mishy

04-11-2008, 03:28 PM

Hi

Niko is adorable.....Love the name......my dcat is Niko too :)
Looking foward to reading more :surfweb:

michele

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 06:12 PM

so is your dog staying in a kennel then at WDW property? Next time we go we will camp at Fort Wilderness so we can take our Rusty with us. He is our baby too!!

Thank you for reading!:banana: Yes, Niko will be at the kennel at the TTC. He was a day visitor there last year. They are so good. Last year, there was a Weimaraner that would stand with his feet on the counter like he worked there..........lol. Niko was given an award, and DH framed it, yes you read it right, he framed it.........:rotfl2: Not only is Niko the baby, I believe he thinks he is a little boy. He has the Pinocchio complex.

Your little Rusty is a cutie. Growing up my mom and I had Chihuahua. Her name was Penny, I still miss her and that was 30 years ago.

And I noticed you are going to have a baby. Congrats. I am a neonatal nurse and I love babys.

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 06:18 PM

Hi

Niko is adorable.....Love the name......my dcat is Niko too :)
Looking foward to reading more :surfweb:

michele

Thank you!

Thanks for joining I hope I can keep everyone entertained. My DD came up with the name. Since dachshunds were first bred in Germany, and she knew a German exchange student named Niko, that is how he got the name........LOL. I am sure that student would love to know that.....:lmao: You will have to post a pic of your Niko.

marianas00

04-11-2008, 06:27 PM

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 06:33 PM

My DH is also the dog lover of our family. We all love her, Takoda a german short hair pointer with a little blue heeler, but he honestly would prefer to take her everywhere. The other night my son asked if she, Takoda, could fly down with us and stay at the kennel. All of our vacations involve a week of separation anxiety for my husband. I am loving your pre-trippie. Thanks!

That is funny that you say that. Dale wanted to go ahead and book a room at the Masters Inn so he and Niko could stay there while we stayed at the ASMu, I would not doubt he will go over at 2am and get the guard to let him in and see Niko. He absolutely refused to board Niko with our vet......lol. He said he could not do without seeing him for a whole week and that Niko would never forgive us for abandoning him.

marianas00

04-11-2008, 06:42 PM

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 06:56 PM

So now we are into the second or so week of February and I am getting antsy about making ADRs. I know there are some places that I want to try and we had to come up with ideas about where to eat. So, Amanda and I sit down to start the task :surfweb: reading menus, reviews, looking at pics of the food and especially the desserts, yummo.

So this is what we came up with.

Saturday May 3rd leave home at 3am and drive down. Check in and get everything taken care of get rooms and tickets and head to DTD for Disney Quest. Eat at the Cheesecake Factory and maybe Wolfgang Puck CS. Figured we could all fined something we would eat at these places.

Sunday May 4th
Lunch at Planet Hollywood 11:45am. I have always wanted to eat here.
Dinner at the Plaza Restaurant 7:05pm(pretty good reviews and can't go wrong when they serve hamburgers and fries.........lol)

Monday May 5th
Crystal Palace for Character Breakfast 8:10am(Dale wanted Chef Mickey's but, they had no openings)

Tuesday May 6th
Kona cafe for lunch 1:05pm. We have heard great things about Kona and I just wanted to go to the Poly.

Wednesday May 7th
Mama Melrose's at 7pm This one worries me somewhat :scared:

So we got all of these planned because, if you remember Amanda's fiance was going with us and he is the pickiest eater of them all. WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO we are gonna eat till we can't walk. Now, we are on the regular DDP as there is NO WAY we could have filled all the ADR's for the DDDP. And, we have been made aware VERY aware by every CM I spoke with that the tip is not included and since there will be 6 of us it will be automatic 18% and we will not get appys. I assured them we knew and that it was just fine. I am dancing and looking at all the menus again to make sure we made the right choices.:dance3:

Hmmmmmmmmmmm did we? We will see!! Now time to rent the car and start buying new clothes............yeah:banana:

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 07:06 PM

Yep, your DH and mine are long lost brothers. We call the kennel camp at the suggestion of a coworker. Takoda has caught on though... we are planning a summer camping trip and everytime she hears the word the puppy dog look comes out and she puts her head on my husbands lap. She'll probably camp with us which means no cabin in our neck of the woods because they are not pet friendly. We'll be sleeping on the ground with the dog between us. Can't wait to hear how Niko does at WDW camp! Do they allow visits?

Yep, they must be brothers. And it is funny about Takoda giving you puppy dog eyes. Niko will give you those eyes when you say the word kennel.....lol. I took him for his check up 2 weeks ago and for his shots, he wouldn't even look at me for about 30 minutes.

They allow visits. You have to go walk your dog 2 times a day. They will feed them too but, I must add that Niko fancies himself a watch dog. He is not the friendliest of doxies..........:scared1: We will have to feed him for them. He will NOT eat dry food (another picky eater in my family)so we have to provide his Beneful anyway. He would much rather have pizza :rotfl:

racefanof88

04-11-2008, 07:35 PM

Hubby, and dog lover, Dale

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/allpictures154.jpg

Me, can you tell I have to take my own pictures?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DanaDec2007.jpg

Amanda, Miss Practical
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/familyandtalladega017.jpg

Tyler, Mr Procrastinator
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/Disney2007037.jpg

Dallas, Master Boss
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/allpictures188.jpg

Picture of Niko, of course is in the first post.........lol

tinknme

04-12-2008, 11:12 PM

Hi Dana! I am enjoying reading your PTR, look forward to more :thumbsup2

Msslaydbug

04-13-2008, 11:37 AM

Count me in for your trip report ! :thumbsup2 We are also going in May - staying at Shades of Green :cool1:

racefanof88

04-13-2008, 07:55 PM

Hi Dana! I am enjoying reading your PTR, look forward to more :thumbsup2

Welcome, Janet, I am glad you have joined. Are you making any LGMH? I may have already asked you this? Brain dump...........lol

racefanof88

04-13-2008, 08:09 PM

Count me in for your trip report ! :thumbsup2 We are also going in May - staying at Shades of Green :cool1:

Welcome, the more in here the more I like it. More ideas exchanged.:idea: :banana: Have you got your lime green Mickey heads yet? I got mine Friday. I have only decorated one but, that is a project for this week :teacher: (I homeschool). I hope I can keep you entertained.

racefanof88

04-13-2008, 08:16 PM

Update coming soon I promise. I worked this weekend and as a nurse I work 12 hour shifts and brain dump happens............lol.

What is going on with Amanda and her fiance? How is the Niko? How is Dale feeling about the 4 legged member of the family not sleeping with us?

More to come tomorrow (when the brain is working better........:rotfl2: )

So PLEASE stay tuned. Be here tomorrow "Same Bat time, Same Bat channel"

marianas00

04-13-2008, 08:20 PM

Pictures of crafts please:flower3: My son collected tons of Mickey Heads, lime green and various colors, before our last trip. We just really did not know what to do with them so I have them in the craft box. I need visual aids!!!

racefanof88

04-13-2008, 08:43 PM

OK Now before you all fall down laughing :rotfl2: I must confess, I am not an artist. I know this will be hard for some to believe.................:lmao: Anyway, here is my attempt at a LGMH in my on design

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1094-1.jpg

Poor LGMH. It is using that magic wand to wish he was back in the paint sample section at the Home Depot. He had his dignity there.

tinknme

04-13-2008, 09:20 PM

Dana I love your LGMH! It is different & I will keep an eye out for it :thumbsup2

I have a couple & I think I am just going to attach them to my backpack somehow :confused3

racefanof88

04-14-2008, 06:34 PM

Dana I love your LGMH! It is different & I will keep an eye out for it :thumbsup2

I have a couple & I think I am just going to attach them to my backpack somehow :confused3

Thanks. I have got to get the rest done. I was going to do it today but, got totally sidetracked.:laundy:

racefanof88

04-14-2008, 07:23 PM

Well now that all the ADR's are made we have to plan the days around the food, right? Well, not exactly. We usually drive down on Friday, but Anthony(Amanda's fiance) doesn't know if he can have that day off or not, so we are just gonna leave at 3am Saturday morning.

Well, as we were now 7-8 weeks out, I asked Amanda if Anthony had his time off all set and could he just possibly get that Friday off. She talks with Anthony and he tells her he has not even requested the time off at all :scared1: I could not believe my ears :mad: We have paid for this trip and he doesn't even know if he has the time off or not :rolleyes1. He told Amanda he would ask the next day. This was a Monday. So, if he asked or not is something we will never know because that Wednesday night he and Amanda broke up, yes you read it right BROKE UP :banana: She called me at work Thursday morning asking me if I could change the ressies. So now here I am with reservations for 6 people with 2 rooms at the ASMu (we would need 2 for the 5 for us anyway)and ADR's for 6 at all the restaurants.

When I got a minute I called Disney and spoke with the nicest CM. She cancelled his part of the ressie and explained that it was going to cost me $50.00 for the change but I would get back $422.16 :cheer2: . Done, then she reminded me to change my ADR's or they would add the 18% and she set out and changed all the ADR's to 5 guests instead of 6. Boy was I glad we got all that straight.:dance3:

But, wait now that Anthony is not going maybe we can change our ADR's hmmmmmmmmm.

Msslaydbug

04-14-2008, 09:57 PM

Sorry to hear about the breakup but so glad you were able to get the reservation and ADR's straight.

tinknme

04-14-2008, 10:13 PM

:hug: To Amanda! Glad you were able to get everything switched though.

racefanof88

04-15-2008, 11:32 AM

Sorry to hear about the breakup but so glad you were able to get the reservation and ADR's straight.

I was glad I was able to get everything changed too. I wasn't sure how that would work out.

:hug: To Amanda! Glad you were able to get everything switched though.

Amanda said "thanks" for the hug. She is ok with it all :thumbsup2 Boy am I glad the switching worked out. Now just wish I would have booked at the Pop :rolleyes1

racefanof88

04-15-2008, 08:03 PM

I have got to get some new pictures of me taken. I got all my hair cut off yesterday. My hair was past my shoulder blades. Now............it up to my ears............LOL. I wanted a change.

More to come later.

tinknme

04-15-2008, 08:52 PM

Oh wow, you have done what I keep pondering! I have long hair, but just haven't gotten up the nerve to get it cut short yet.

I have got to get some new pictures of me taken. I got all my hair cut off yesterday. My hair was past my shoulder blades. Now............it up to my ears............LOL. I wanted a change.

More to come later.

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 08:22 AM

Oh wow, you have done what I keep pondering! I have long hair, but just haven't gotten up the nerve to get it cut short yet.

The lady that cut my hair was shocked. She could not believe I wanted all of my hair cut off................lol. She said I was brave to get it cut so short. My hair grows really fast so it isn't that traumatic to me. I just know it is easier to deal with especially with the Disney trip coming soon.

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 08:51 AM

Now that we have made the determination that Anthony is not going with us on this trip, we can now leave on Friday, May 2nd around noon. So now I have to start looking for a place to stay that will let Niko stay with us.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/100_0982.jpg.

So off I go to find a nice place to stay that is pet friendly and NOT the "Brick Bed Inn" I refuse to stay there again :surfweb:. So, I find the Buena Vista Suites and used the link on the Disboard to get there. They are pet friendly and so I reserve a room for Friday night May 2nd...........:banana: Wow, and a free breakfast too :cloud9: I let them know we will get in late around 11pm so all is set. I will call them again to make sure they know this and again remind them of the Niko.

Now, I have to go and redo the car rental because I had it set to pick up on Friday since we were leaving on Saturday. Again I get to work :surfweb:. I looked at my previous reservation and was going to make a change to it and when I did the price went up by about $75.00 :scared1: So, I cancelled this one and went in seach of a new one. And, yes, I found it. Dollar rental had a special for a week rental. I start looking and I find a minivan for $209.00 for the week :cheer2: I thought I had typed something in wrong so I tried it again and it was right :woohoo: NOW, I am saving $70.00. The way I look at
it that is a $145.00 turn around compaired to just changing the old ressie.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/Disney2004054-1.jpg

OK OK I needed a Castle fix :love: Our last trip was too long ago.

tinknme

04-16-2008, 09:19 AM

Niko is so cute! Yeah on the great car rental :cheer2:

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 10:36 AM

Niko is so cute! Yeah on the great car rental :cheer2:

Thank you. He struts around the house like he owns it :rotfl2:

I was so happy about the car :woohoo: We would just rather rent a car instead of using ours. It saves the milage on our vehicle and if something goes wrong they have to give us another car and we don't have to worry about repairs. This comes from a bad experience we had in 2002 with the car we had at the time breaking down on us on the turnpike. It was a very bad experience to say the least. We traded that car in and get a minivan............lol.

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 01:59 PM

Picture one of new haircut. If you look closely in the bottom left hand corner of the picture you will see one of the Disney books I checked out at the library yesterday..........lol

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1131.jpg

Side view
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1119.jpg

OK enough of my big ole head in the picture. Now, some Disney pictures from prior trips.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/misc0506163.jpg

I am going to miss the wand.:sad1: I took this one in 2007 I think, it may have been 2006

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/misc0506051-1.jpg

He wanted to pretend he was talking on the phone. This picture was taken in 2006

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/misc0506030.jpg

I need one of these in my house..........:lmao: (2006)

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/misc0506024.jpg

This one was 2006 because Amanda did not go with us in 2007.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/Disney2007033.jpg

I am such a baby I will not even ride this coaster.........lol(2007)

Davis'Mom

04-16-2008, 04:29 PM

Your doggie is so cute. I wish Disney would just figure out a nice pet spa for those of us who have seperation anxiety from our dogs.
Enjoying your TR.

tinknme

04-16-2008, 04:42 PM

Dana I love your haircut!

Great pictures & don't feel bad I have never been on primevil whirl myself. I am not a coaster person. I have been on RnRc & BTMR, but they scare the you know what out of me :rotfl: I doubt I will be getting on them again.

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 05:29 PM

Your doggie is so cute. I wish Disney would just figure out a nice pet spa for those of us who have seperation anxiety from our dogs.
Enjoying your TR.

Thanks for joining in. I so wish they would do the doggie spa. That would be the best. I don't know how well Niko is going to handle the seperation. I know Dale is going to have a hard time :rotfl: Last year he only stayed for the day and went back to the hotel with us to sleep. We shall see......

Dana I love your haircut!

Great pictures & don't feel bad I have never been on primevil whirl myself. I am not a coaster person. I have been on RnRc & BTMR, but they scare the you know what out of me :rotfl: I doubt I will be getting on them again.

Thank you :goodvibes. It is different and I am really getting used to it being short again. I like it.

I have rode BTMR several times, the first time was in '86 when I went for the first time and I rode it 2 or 3 times that year. Didn't get on it again until like '03 and had to talk myself through the line (example....saying to self "look at that little boy he is going to ride, he can't be more than 5 or 6) and that is no joke..............:rotfl2: There is not enough gold in Fort Knox to make me get on RnRc or Everest. You are one brave woman :worship: I must confess.........Goofy's Barnstormer scared me :scared1:

DISchick

04-16-2008, 06:56 PM

:thumbsup2 From another dog lover, I understand the anxiety. We have my 20 year old nephew come stay at the house, but the time away from the fur babies just KILLS me.
I recently redecorated their room...yes, they have their own room:rolleyes1
They have their own private door
http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//wipe your paws small.jpg

http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//puppy princess room 002 small.jpg
And custom beds(made by my handy husband :))
http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//group pic small.jpg

So, yes, I understand the dog obession.
Can't wait to hear Niko's adventures!:banana:

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 07:12 PM

:thumbsup2 From another dog lover, I understand the anxiety. We have my 20 year old nephew come stay at the house, but the time away from the fur babies just KILLS me.
I recently redecorated their room...yes, they have their own room:rolleyes1
They have their own private door
http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//wipe your paws.jpg
http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//puppy princess room 002.jpg
And custom beds(made by my handy husband :)
http://jill.kershonline.com/upload/pics//group pic.jpg
So, yes, I understand the dog obession.
Can't wait to hear Niko's adventures!:banana:

Welcome aboard!!!!!!!! I love your babies room. It is decorated so cute. What are their names? Niko also goes by the name of Red Dog..........lol. He will come if you call him either name. He is so funny.

I am hoping his adventure is a good one for him.

DISchick

04-16-2008, 07:26 PM

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 07:51 PM

Thanks! The babies are:
Magnolia (Maggie), Rosie, and Poppy
They are the flower children!
I'm sorry my first pictures were huge! They resized your thread all wacky like.I've resized them, so if you want to delete your reply to me, it should go back to a normal size. Sorry! Loving your report....

Thank you, I am hoping I can keep everyone hanging on :surfweb:

That is fine about the pictures. It makes my report look bigger............:lmao: I love your babies names. Do you garden too? I wish I could. I have a brown thumb. I could kill kudzu :laughing:

DISchick

04-16-2008, 08:04 PM

Well, I can't wait to see what happens....
Your haircut is really cute, too btw :)

racefanof88

04-16-2008, 08:48 PM

Well, I can't wait to see what happens....
Your haircut is really cute, too btw :)

Thank you :) It feels nice too.

I will give an update this weekend. I have to work the next two days and as previously said..........brain dump............lol

Thanks for hanging in ya'll.:grouphug:

mishy

04-16-2008, 09:02 PM

Love your hair cut! Looks great....

Looking foward to another update..

My niko says :wave2: to your niko

I'll try to get a pic of niko if I ever figure out how to do it :confused3

Msslaydbug

04-17-2008, 12:05 AM

Haircut looks really good !! I need to get a haircut as well but I always chicken out when it comes to getting a shorter style.

racefanof88

04-17-2008, 07:59 PM

Love your hair cut! Looks great....

Looking foward to another update..

My niko says :wave2: to your niko

I'll try to get a pic of niko if I ever figure out how to do it :confused3

Thank you. It is nice to have short hair again.

I will be updating this weekend. And my Niko said :wave2: back to your Niko. Can't wait to see pictures.:)

Haircut looks really good !! I need to get a haircut as well but I always chicken out when it comes to getting a shorter style.

Thank you! I get these wild hairs..........:laughing: ........and have to change my look for a while. I will get tired of it after a while, because my hair grows so fast, and I get tired of going to the salon.

Thanks everybody for hanging with me :grouphug:. I will be off this weekend and I will give a new update.

junebug88

04-18-2008, 07:34 PM

racefanof88

04-18-2008, 08:30 PM

Your doggie is so cute. I wish I could take my puppy but he would have more fun at home at the kennel we take him too.
SO I see you are a #88 fan, I take it that you like Dale Jr too.
Hopefully we both have great weeks and maybe even bump into eachother.

Thank you. He knows he is cute.........lol. I would really rather leave him at our vet but, Dale refuses. I think he would do better without all the travel time.

Oh and the #88 was actually for Dale Jarrett, that is acutally my AOL screen name and it was just easier to keep it on here too. I have had that screen name about 7 years. But, I like Jr too. My favorite drivers are Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart though.

I am hoping to bump into Disers. I will have my lime green mouse heads on my back pack so if you see me(see above pic.........lol)please just tap me on the shoulder............:hug: I love meeting new people :cloud9:

racefanof88

04-18-2008, 09:27 PM

Well at least he thinks he is.........:rotfl2: Dale loves to buy Niko toys. Loves it. We will go to Petsmart and spend an hour looking for just the right toy. It has to be plush as Niko loves the plush toys. When he first picked us to take him home, he was such a little thing, he would cry at night because he missed his family. I thought about a stuffed toy for him and it worked. He loved it. It was a blue and orange plush shark from Walmart. You could throw that thing and he would chase it until his tongue was hanging out.

Well, he learned that it was easy to chew on the soft toy and thus Niko morphed into "The Plush Toy Shredding Machine" and I mean shred. He holds them down with his paws, gets his jaw teeth and starts to pulllllllllll. It is a site to see. Here is a sample. This is a toy Dale bought him tonight at about 5pm
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1136.jpg

Yeah he pulls the stuffing out of the thing, thus creating work for Mom, that being me........:mad:. We have spent about $100 on stuffed toys. I try to tell Dale not to buy them but.............again the dog wins............and here is the reason
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1141.jpg

He has Dale wrapped around his little paw.:rolleyes1 Yes. The dog sleeps on the back of Dale's recliner. He is Parrot Dog............:lmao:

Msslaydbug

04-19-2008, 12:50 AM

That is the funniest picture !

tinknme

04-19-2008, 07:11 AM

What a cute picture!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/th_DSCF1141.jpg

He has Dale wrapped around his little paw.:rolleyes1 Yes. The dog sleeps on the back of Dale's recliner. He is Parrot Dog............:lmao:

racefanof88

04-19-2008, 04:28 PM

That is the funniest picture !

Isn't it. That is how he sleeps when he and DH sit in the recliner........:rotfl2:

What a cute picture!

They are a pair. The only difference in this picture and daily life, Dale is usually asleep too :rotfl:

racefanof88

04-20-2008, 03:48 PM

I told ya'll I change plans time and time again :laughing:. In 2005 Dale and I went to Daytona and Disney twice. We love NASCAR and we had park hopper tickets with days left so we decided to do a double trip. In Februray we stayed at the Rodeway Inn on International Drive and it was ok but, just a room. When we went back in July we stayed at the LaQuinta Inn off International Drive and it was really nice. Big room with 2 queen size beds and a sleeper sofa, fridge, microwave and safe in the room. It has a free breakfast that is pretty good, great waffles. And you guessed it, they are Niko friendly.

So today I got an email from a booking agency and it had the LQ for 85.00 a night. I went to the LQ site and with my Sams Club card I got the above room for 71.10 a night without having to pay a pet fee :banana: :worship:. So I have now booked us at the LQ and cancelled the Buena Vista Suites and saved 30.00 :woohoo: more money to spend with the Mouse. And of course Dale asks if we can cancel the Disney room and stay at the LQ the whole trip? And I say "uhhhhhhhhhh NO"......:lmao: This LQ is one of Disney's Good Neighbor Hotels.

It drives my family crazy that I can't just book something and leave it alone.:rotfl:

Msslaydbug

04-20-2008, 09:49 PM

Dana - It sounds like me. Everytime I try to give DH an update about a dining ressie, hotel or park. He always tell me "Great - but it'll change by the time we get there !"

tinknme

04-20-2008, 10:06 PM

Dana how many nights are you staying at LQ? Glad you got such a good deal :thumbsup2

racefanof88

04-21-2008, 01:46 PM

Dana - It sounds like me. Everytime I try to give DH an update about a dining ressie, hotel or park. He always tell me "Great - but it'll change by the time we get there !"

I can't help it. I continue to look for better deals almost up to the day we leave..............lol. I tried to change the Crystal Palace to Tusker House but, not happening. They were booked solid and I knew better than to try for anything other than breakfast...:rotfl:

Dana how many nights are you staying at LQ? Glad you got such a good deal :thumbsup2

We are only staying there one night. We will drive in on Friday and that is the night we will be staying at the LQ. Saturday our stay at Disney starts.

I am glad I found the deal too. Since we have stayed at this LQ before we know where it is and exactly how to get there. Makes the drive in much better because it is late when we get in.

racefanof88

04-24-2008, 05:54 PM

I am trying to figure in the cost of gas for our trip.....WOW:scared::sick: :eek: :scared:. It is 520 miles from my driveway to the ASMu resort. I have figured mileage, for the van we are renting, at 19 mpg and estimated gas prices at an average of $4.00 a gallon and drive approx 1500 miles with the trip down and home and driving around Orlando and filling up the tank when we get home. I came up with $316.00 just for gas :sad1:. Last year it was $157.00 for gas. I just can't believe how much we are paying for gas.

Anyway, that is just a little update, depressing as it is............:sad1:

Hey hey but there is light on the horizon it is only 7 days till we leave :banana: :love: :cool1: :cheer2: :dance3: :yay: :woohoo:

racefanof88

04-28-2008, 09:28 AM

Now is crunch time. I have got to finish the packing and get the house clean. Do the laundry and count clothing............lol. That is very important with my sons. My oldest son, Tyler, will throw a few things in the suitcase and say he is packed, only to arrive at Disney and have no socks, 2 shirts and 3 pairs of pants, and, if I am lucky, underwear :rotfl2: I will start the laundry today :laundy: to make sure everything we all need is clean. I know I am a fanatic.

I have had Dallas packed for about a week now. Some of my things are packed and none of Dales. Amanda can pack for herself and she will do so on Thursday. She has finals this week so it will be last minute for her to pack.

We go Thursday evening a pick up the van and Tyler, Amanda and I will put all the stuff in Friday morning and as soon as Dale gets home from work (noonish) we will be on the road............:banana: :thumbsup2 :yay: :woohoo:

I will call LQ today and make sure they have our reservation and finalize everything. Making sure they know that Niko will be with you and ask for a pool view room. At this LQ the pool rooms are the quietest. Some of the rooms border I-4. Even though the noise will not bother us that bad.

Ok I guess I need to get busy huh?????????????

OH OH OH I almost forgot we are gonna change one of our ADRs.

tinknme

04-28-2008, 05:54 PM

I'm so excited for you Dana, you will all be there before you know it!

Msslaydbug

04-28-2008, 06:11 PM

Oh my goodness - your trip is getting so close !! How exciting !

racefanof88

04-28-2008, 07:31 PM

I'm so excited for you Dana, you will all be there before you know it!

I am excited for you too. You are right behind me :banana: :thumbsup2

Oh my goodness - your trip is getting so close !! How exciting !

I am excited :yay: . You are the one I envy. You have 2 trips coming up. I know you are more than happy.

racefanof88

04-28-2008, 07:39 PM

I mentioned that I was going to try and change one of my ADRs. Well, I did. We were going to eat at Mama Melroses on Wednesday night but, I knew the menu was very questionable. So, I called today and cancelled that ADR and got one for Tony's for Wednesday night. We will still get Italian but, it has steak on the menu so Dale will be ok with that as it is just plain ole steak.........lol.

Oh I almost forgot. We went to Walmart this afternoon to buy some new walkie talkies (yes we are one of those annoying families). As we were walking out I noticed some cheap t-shirts for ladies. I GOT ME A LIME GREEN ONE........:thumbsup2

racefanof88

04-29-2008, 07:28 PM

OK, so today I called LQ and Dollar and made sure everything was set. I requested a pool view room and let them know we would be late arriving. Ryan, at Dollar, said the van is already at their site so that is a go :cool1:

In an attempt to save some money for the trip I have been taking all my spare change along with Dales and saving it all in a jar I decorated with Disney stickers. Well, yesterday Dale and I went to a Coin Star machine at Winn Dixie to cash in the coins...............and..............well it turned out to be $117.07. That surprised me. I knew it was heavy but I didn't think it would be that much change. So, there is 2 tanks of gas............:woohoo: :yay:

I have looked up all the EMH for the parks and now I have a plan(subject to change)

Saturday May 3rd DTD and prolly a water park.

Sunday May 4th MK has EMH in the evening(which I prefer) and we will be eating dinner at The Plaza so we will be at the park anyway.

Monday May 5th We have an 8:10 ressie at Crystal Palace so we get in the park early anyway. And DHS have the EMH that evening so Fantasmic this night.

Tuesday May 6th Epcot has EMH in the morning but we plan on going to AK that morning. Dis meet at 7:45 in Japan. Kona for lunch. And hopefully Illuminations.

Wednesday May 7th We will do Epcot this day, with dinner at Tony's Town Square at 7:25.

Now, once we are there this will all probably change..............LOL:rolleyes1

junebug88

04-29-2008, 08:23 PM

"Sunday May 4th MK has EMH in the evening(which I prefer) and we will be eating dinner at The Plaza so we will be at the park anyway."

We might be there that night too after our dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, thought it would be great for the boys to see the castle and know that they are really here.

DISchick

04-29-2008, 09:48 PM

tinknme

04-30-2008, 06:42 AM

Dana I plan on being at these places as well. I will not make the meet because my dinner is at 7:50pm, hope to see you somewhere!

Monday May 5th We have an 8:10 ressie at Crystal Palace so we get in the park early anyway. And DHS have the EMH that evening so Fantasmic this night.

Tuesday May 6th Epcot has EMH in the morning but we plan on going to AK that morning. Dis meet at 7:45 in Japan. And hopefully Illuminations.

racefanof88

04-30-2008, 11:21 AM

I bet we got the same $4.00 lime green shirt! :) :thumbsup2
There is a mom where I teach that always has the cutest Disney shirts that she makes herself. She said if I would bring her a shirt she would "cute it up". I got hot pink and lime green. I can't wait to see what she does!

I'm so excited for you! Your trip is so close AND you'll get to see Flower & Garden at Epcot. That's my favorite! Have a great trip and tell us everything!:banana:

It probably is the same one. I am glad I noticed it. I wanted something lime green to wear and for the longest I couldn't find anything. The hospital I work for had a lime green had with rhinestones on it but, they wanted $17.00 for it. I have to pick my check up tomorrow and I may still get it ;)

I so wish I were talented enough to come up with cute ideas for stuff like that.

"Sunday May 4th MK has EMH in the evening(which I prefer) and we will be eating dinner at The Plaza so we will be at the park anyway."

We might be there that night too after our dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe, thought it would be great for the boys to see the castle and know that they are really here.

I just love the parks at night. Usually less crowded, nights are much cooler in Florida.............lol and I love fireworks. We went to the P&PP last year(we miss it by one day at the start and end of our trip this year) and it was wonderful. We had the best time I think we have ever had at Disney. Dallas made me buy a crown to wear....:rotfl2:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/allpictures239.jpg

This is my pirate. pirate: He would not wear the eye patch.

Dana I plan on being at these places as well. I will not make the meet because my dinner is at 7:50pm, hope to see you somewhere!

I hope we meet up too. It will be fun meeting my Dis friends. I will have a black Coke back pack with my LGMH on it somewhere.

racefanof88

04-30-2008, 01:19 PM

I forgot to add the Planet Hollywood lunch at 1145 on Sunday May 4th. I tried to get in at PH on the Saturday that we will be spending at DTD but they only had an opening at 945pm :scared1: We don't eat that late.

racefanof88

04-30-2008, 04:56 PM

How to make a 19 year old boy do what he is told. We are all packed and ready to go and now just waiting for the van :cool1: :banana: :dance3: :cheer2:. We will pick it up tomorrow evening at 7PM and I will be there at 6pm.............LOL. No but, wait..................Tyler isn't packed yet...........:headache: :mad:. I have begged and pleaded and threatened and no results. So if any of you run into us and one of us smells, well............... funky. It will be Tyler because he will be wearing the same clothes EVERY day as I refuse to pack for a 19 year old BOY.

tinknme

05-01-2008, 06:51 AM

I bought a nap sack from DAK in Dec. & this is what I will be carrying. I hope to attach a LGMH to it somehow!

I hope we meet up too. It will be fun meeting my Dis friends. I will have a black Coke back pack with my LGMH on it somewhere.

racefanof88

05-01-2008, 08:21 AM

I bought a nap sack from DAK in Dec. & this is what I will be carrying. I hope to attach a LGMH to it somehow!

I will be on the look out. I am too excited. :yay:

racefanof88

05-01-2008, 08:23 AM

:cool1: :thumbsup2 :worship: I am beside myself :banana: :dance3: :yay: One more sleep:woohoo: :cheer2: :love:

racefanof88

05-11-2008, 10:10 PM

OK so we are back home and boy am I still tired. We got back Thursday May 8th and I was soooooooooooo tired. It was a good trip but, it just didn't seem to have the WOW affect I was expecting for some reason. Don't know why can't seem to figure it out. I didn't get to run into any fellow Disers on the trip. I totally planned on making the meet on Tuesday, but was just to exhausted and didn't feel the best in the world either. But, anyway I will begin my TR tomorrow.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1168.jpg

This is how tired Niko was.

tinknme

05-11-2008, 11:47 PM

Look forward to your TR Dana! I need to get started on my as well.

racefanof88

05-12-2008, 08:34 AM

Friday May 2nd. Departure day woooooooooohooooooooooo Disney here we come. I got up at 5am so I could get everything finalized. I cleaned the house and got breakfast ready for Dallas. Amanda was up by 7am and we loaded the van. Nice storage area in the back of the Kia. Deep well behind the back seat so the luggage fit nicely. I packed the ice chest got all our snacks and we waited for Dale. He got home about 10:45am and we pulled out of the drive way at 11am. Hi Ho Hi Ho its off to Disney we go. Now settle in for the long drive down. We stopped for gas at a staion just east of Tallahassee and there was a McDonalds there so we got food and drove on. We were not going to our Disney room until Saturday so we stayed at a La Quinta off Internation Drive Friday night. We arrived at about 9:30pm. We got settled in our room and everyone decided they wanted something to eat. Well, there is a pizza delivery place that has the best pizza I have ever eaten and Dallas always makes us order from them when we are in Orlando. The name of the place is Flipper's Pizza. I know what a strange name for a pizza place. The pizza arrived about 10:30pm and it was gone by 10:45........lol. OH and yes Niko did get a piece of pizza. So off to la la land we all go as we plan on getting up early. We had Niko's little travel kennel so he was allowed freedom in the room for the night, Dale was already upset about him having to stay in a kennel all week at the MK..................LOL.

I was so excited I hardly slept. I really like this LQ. They allow pets at no charge and the rooms are big with 2 queen beds and a sofa bed. They have microwaves and a fridge in the room. The fridge is bigger than the one you have to pay for at Disney.

k_reile

05-12-2008, 09:14 AM

racefanof88

05-12-2008, 10:10 AM

wow niko is one really spoiled pup...his own slice of pizza? Rusty would be jealous. He wants human food but he will not get it because I do not like fat chihuahuas so we do not feed him table scraps. His parents were fat and not very nice looking or very nice for that matter. Its a wonder our Rusty is the sweet natured angel he is.

Niko got a hamburger on the way down to Orlando and a saugage McMuffin on the way back..................lol. He got doggie food the whole time he was in the kennel and now that he is home he gets doggie food. He seems to stay trim. He weighs 13lbs and the vet said that was good. He runs around to much to gain weight................LOL.

He isn't the sweet angel your Rusty is though. We had to walk him every day while he was in the kennel because we were worried he might bite someone. One of the ladies, that works at the TTC kennel, said they couldn't figure Niko out because he would be barking at them while wagging his tail...............LOL

Jaelynnandmom

05-12-2008, 11:03 AM

I can't wait to hear the rest of your trip report :goodvibes

Msslaydbug

05-12-2008, 11:12 AM

Can't wait to here the rest. Glad you liked your hotel.

racefanof88

05-12-2008, 12:38 PM

I can't wait to hear the rest of your trip report :goodvibes

Thank you and Welcome. I will be adding pictures with some food included.

Can't wait to here the rest. Glad you liked your hotel.

Day 2 on the way............LOL

racefanof88

05-12-2008, 02:03 PM

We all got up and got dressed by 730am and headed to the lobby at the LQ for the free breakfast.......lol. Waffles and cereal. It was ok. It held us until lunch. We checked out, got the dog, and headed to All Star Music.

Don't they look excited to be headed to Disney? LOL
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1164.jpg

Where are we going guys?
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1162.jpg

Pulling into the parking lot of ASMu
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1179.jpg

We got to ASMu about 9am and of course our rooms were not ready. I checked in, got our tickets, made sure the lady from Haiti knew we wanted connecting rooms, I think she understood? I then remembered that we had request a fridge for one of our rooms so I spoke with Marc and he said it wasn't in the system but that would not be a problem so I payed the extra charge and it was off to the kennel so we could drop Niko off.

Woooooooooooooooohoooooooooooo
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1171.jpg

This is the look we got when we told him he had to stay in the kennel..........lol

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1032.jpg

We got to the kennal at about 930am and payed the $105 for 5 days and gave them a copy of Niko's shot records and let them know that we would have to walk him as he fancies himself as a doberman and is as mean as one.

Niko's home for the next 5 nights.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1241.jpg

This all done we decided to split up. Dallas had wanted to go to Disney Quest (DQ) since he was old enough to know it was an arcade. So, Amanda, Dallas and I walked to the Poly to catch a bus while Dale and Tyler stayed at the Magic Kingdom to ride Space Mountain.

Picture of Amanda and Dallas in front of Poly on our way to the bus.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1187.jpg

Just a picture of the wildlife at the Poly.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1192.jpg

We arrived at Down Town Disney(DTD) at about 10:30am after waiting 20 minutes for the bus at the Poly. Now we thought this was going to be easy. As you know the bus stops for the parks (Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) and for the resorts are at the Ticket and Transportation Center (from here on out the TTC). Well, this is also where the Kennel is................so we just thought it was going to be easy. When we asked we were told that you had to go to the Poly to catch a bus to DTD. So this is why we had to walk over to the hotel bus stop. Not a long walk but it was already HOT. So, we got to DTD and went straight to DQ and had to wait until 11am in the hot blazing Florida sun for it to open. Now, we are only talking about 20 minutes but still too long for me...........lol.

Not the best picture.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1195.jpg

Amanda in the heat.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1199.jpg

Dallas in the heat. There is a pic of me but, I look funny so not adding it...lol
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1198.jpg

They finally let us in and we played a few things and realized that it wasn't as much fun as they had hailed it to be so we ate at the soon to be close Cheese Cake Factory with the DDP. I got a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich that was great, it came with french fries a coke and a HUGE piece of chocolate, chocolate chip cheese cake with walnuts.

Sorry the pictures are dark. Philly cheese
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1202.jpg
Cheese cake
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1203.jpg

Amanda and Dallas got pepperoni pizza, a garlic roll, coke and a big piece of chocolate cake.

Dallas had already started eating............lol
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1205.jpg

Cake
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1204.jpg

This is how the plates ended up. I had to get a picture.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1206.jpg

We could not eat it all, so all the desserts went back to the room with us for later. We then left and went to the Virgin Mega store for Amanda to shop. About this time Dale called and said they were going to EPCOT. Dale and Tyler didn't know how to use the dining plan so they went foodless..............lol, they should have came to DTD with us. Amanda, Dallas and I caught a bus to the hotel about 3 pm and went to see if our rooms were ready and they were so we went to the room just in time to see the man put the fridge in the room. We also got the connecting rooms.

Just resting
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1207.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1208.jpg

Our connecting room.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1211-1.jpg
Now we were in the Rock section of ASMu and it was way on the back of the property, quiet but a long walk from the food court.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1180.jpg

Dale and Tyler came in later and Amanda took them to the food court so they could get something to eat. You see I said Amanda had to go with them. All trip I heard how complicated the DDP was even though they could eat anything they wanted.............:lmao: (except for Planet Hollywood, more on that later). Dallas decided it was nap time and when the rest of the crew got back to the room we decided we needed to make a Walmart run for drinks and snacks. Dale and I went to Wally World. When we got back Amanda and I decided to go to EPCOT.

I just love SSE.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1223.jpg

We rode SSE the new changes are ok. I like the older version better. We then headed over to Mission: Space and rode the green version. I rode the orange version the first year it opened and I swore I would never get on it again. I loved the green version but, Amanda found it too tame. Dale and Tyler had rode the orange version when they went over earlier. Dale hated it..........:rotfl2: We walked around a little and we decided we were tired so we headed back to the bus stop. EVERYBODY was waiting.........lol

Just missed the changing colors and the dancing water.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1224.jpg

It was fun. We ate at Sunshine Seasons and Amanda got a free chocolate chip cookie because she had on her birthday badge. She said it was great. Now the food here was just ok. I ate from the Asian section and Amanda got the turkey and muenster sandwich. She took one bite. But, the strawberry shortcake I got was out of this world yummy. The bus ride back to the resort was an adventure, it was as hair raising as Big Thunder Mountain. We were back in the room by 9pm and it was time for a shower and sleep.

Where to go and what to eat tomorrow..................is the DDP going to work out? :scared: .....................stay tuned to find out.

tinknme

05-12-2008, 06:07 PM

Enjoying your TR Dana!

When are you going in Aug? I will be there with my boys the 6th - 15th. Sorry I missed you in May, I did look for your back pack lol

racefanof88

05-12-2008, 06:38 PM

Enjoying your TR Dana!

When are you going in Aug? I will be there with my boys the 6th - 15th. Sorry I missed you in May, I did look for your back pack lol

Thank you. I hope I am keeping people entertained.
I looked for you too but, to no avail.................:sad1:

We won't be going back until March or May next year :sad2:. Amanda and Tyler don't know if they are going with us next year so that is why we can't decide if it will be March or May. Either way, it is way to far off.

racefanof88

05-13-2008, 04:29 PM

We got up early and got dressed. We had 1145 reservations for Planet Hollywood at DTD. We got there early and they stopped us at the top of the steps and took our picture and said they would come to our table with it later.

This is the picture. It was $20 and came with a 5x7 and 2 key chains.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1429.jpg
I had to take the picture with my camera that is why it is fuzzy.

We were seated right away. I figured out why later...............lol. Now here is were the dining plan really caused problems. You could order anything on the menu but the desserts were limited so nothing and I mean nothing Dale or Tyler wanted was on the dessert menu. More on this later.

Dale ordered a steak medium well and I swear it was still moooooooing when they brought it to him. Blood was pooled under his french fries. That steak was RAW. I really should have taken a picture but he was having a melt down so a picture was out of the question. He reluctantly sent the steak back and orded it well done, it came back still very red in the center. My food was good I had bbq ribs and ff and cole slaw(one tablespoons worth).

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1238.jpg
This is fuzzy because it was my bad picture taking................lol

Dallas had cheese pizza that he said was horrible so he got my ff.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1240.jpg

Amanda had a turkey and cheese club that was just ok.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1239.jpg
Tyler had Chicken something or other he said it was good but they didn't give him enough.........lol(sorry no picture of this) Now came the dessert fiasco that took about 10 minutes to figure out. On the DDP you can only get 3 things for dessert, ice cream, milkshake or a brownie sundae. Of course Dale wanted the key lime pie and Tyler wanted the banana split NO go. This is what soured Dale and Tyler to the DDP for the rest of our trip.
We ended up getting a brownie with ice cream HUGE for Dale and Amanda to share, I got a chocolate milkshake that I gave Dallas and I ate his ice cream and Tyler got ice cream. Thank goodness we were one the ddp as the bill came to $154.00. My honest opinion it was not worth it. The food was Ruby Tuesday ok but not $154 ok. Oh yeah they gave Tyler a free ice cream sundae because he had his birthday button on. I mentioned to the waitress that Amanda had hers on too.........she left and came back with.............................................. .......................................a spoon....................roflmao. We will not go back to PH. It just wasn't that good.

We left DTD and headed to walk Niko before we went to the MK.

Dale walking the dog.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1250.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1243.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1246.jpg

Tyler outside the kennel, again they hate the picture taking.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1248.jpg

Amanda(see the look)
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1249.jpg

Now off to the MK.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1236.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1237.jpg

We got there just in time for the parade(which we did not watch) and headed to FL by way of AL.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1226.jpg

We rode POC as this was the first time Amanda had seen the new version(she didn't go with us in '07). It was nice because it was a straight walk on. Now this is just an opinion but, I think the parks were much less crowded. Most every day we walked on every ride. Has the hard economy hit Disney? Anyway, it was on to BTMRR. Dallas hasn't been on this in about 4 years so he really wanted to ride. Well he did and decided it was OK. Yeah right............:rotfl2: He got some air time.................:thumbsup2. Amanda wanted to ride Splash Mt but, noone wanted to ride with her. Dale and Tyler decided it was time to split up as they wanted to go ride Space Mountain(If you haven't figured out yet, they LOVE that ride..............lol). So again it was Dallas, Amanda and lil ole me. Amanda decided to ride Splash alone and got in line, just as she got to the front of the line it was broken down...........:sad2: Dallas and I were just wandering around FL......................waiting :rolleyes1 and trying to find some shade to sit in.
Amanda rejoined us and we got a couple of diet cokes with our snack credits.

We walked over to the HM and got in line. They let us right in and we saw the pre-show and was ushered into the line. Well, the ride was having problems and kept stopping. Now, the CM's were still pushing people in. We were smashed against the wall. There were way too many people being shoved into that tight place. Finally the ride was up and running again and we were in our Doom Buggy. The car behind ours had some teens from a group riding in it. It was obviously their first time at Disney as then didn't have a clue. When the ghost hitchhikes with you and they turn you to the mirror so you can see your rider, these girls let out a blood curdling scream. It was soooooooooooooooooooooo funny :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl:. As soon as we got off the ride and wa walking out Dale called and they were on their way to meet us. We headed back to Tomorrowland. Dale and Tyler again wanted to ride Space Mt(I would guess it is about 75 times now..........lol). We rode the Tomorrowland Speedway and Dallas about jerked my head off..............lol

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1253.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1251.jpg

We waited for Dale and Tyler................again and in that time Dallas wanted to cool off.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1258.jpg

We had dinner reservations for 705pm at the Plaza. It was the best food of the whole trip. I had a strawberry chicken salad, it was big enough for 3 people.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1263.jpg
This was so delicious.

Dale had a hamburger, Amanda and Dallas had a grilled cheese sandwich with french fries and Tyler had a cheese steak sandwich that looked yummy.
I didn't get pics of their food. I was frightened for my life...............:lmao:
We then all got our desserts I had a sundae that was to die for, Dale got cheese cake, Tyler got a brownie sundae, Amanda got cheese cake and Dallas got a Mickylodeon(and upside down cone with mickey ears so it looks like mickey has on a party hat) Then they brought out the birthday cake I had ordered.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1265.jpg

We took it back to the room along with half of my salad. Just a quick note. The cake was $25 extra and it was nasty. The cake was DRY and the filling had no flavor. Well, you live and you learn. More pictures from the plaza coming up.................................

racefanof88

05-13-2008, 04:42 PM

Another picture of that nasty cake.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1264.jpg

Amanda, and Dallas at the plaze. That is our waitress is the back ground. She was great.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1260.jpg

Tyler
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1259.jpg

Dale
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1262.jpg

Amanda and Dallas again
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1261.jpg

Just random park pictures.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1234.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1231.jpg

I have lots of duck pictures...............lol. Dallas loved the ducks.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1235.jpg

Msslaydbug

05-13-2008, 05:57 PM

racefanof88

05-13-2008, 07:03 PM

Thanks for sharing your pictures.

I have heard over and over again not to waste time at Planet Hollywood so we have never been to the one in Orlando.

The Plaza I think is a very underrated restaurant here on the boards. Granted the menu is basic, but the food is great and we have always had exceptional service there.

Welcome and thank you.

I wish I had heard about PH. It was the most expensive meal of our whole trip and I am glad we were on the ddp because I would have been totally upset if I had to pay for it oop(even thought I did pay for the ddp) With the tip and the cost of the food it would have been $182.00. It only cost us $28.00 for the tip oop. I know I will never go back.

Now, The Plaza was totally different. We will be going back there and to Tony's Town Square.

We like to go to City Walk and eat at Margaritaville so, I just don't think we will do the ddp anymore.

tinknme

05-13-2008, 07:12 PM

Dana love your pictures! I agree about the Plaza, it is a new favorite for me :thumbsup2 Looks like you were sitting in the exact area I was except I was one table over :rotfl:

racefanof88

05-13-2008, 07:20 PM

Dana love your pictures! I agree about the Plaza, it is a new favorite for me :thumbsup2 Looks like you were sitting in the exact area I was except I was one table over :rotfl:

Thank you.

The Plaza was really nice and it is our new favorite too. In your report I see where they put the glitter mouseheads on the table for your friend. They did the same at our table at the Plaza. They made a big deal out of delivering the cake to the table. They came out singing and clapping it was alot of fun. That is where the good things about the cake ended........................lol. I am still so disappointed about the cake :sad2: :sad1:

tinknme

05-13-2008, 07:47 PM

Did the cake come from the Plaza or did you order it from somewhere else? I ordered a cake from the GF bakery in 2005 & had it delivered to Boma for a friends birthday(I don't think they do this anymore). It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting & was the best I think I have ever had! We had our Christmas dinner at Ohana last year & I ordered a cake from the Polynesian & I was a little disappointed in it. The cake seemed a little dry, but the chocolate mousse was good :rotfl:

Thank you.

The Plaza was really nice and it is our new favorite too. In your report I see where they put the glitter mouseheads on the table for your friend. They did the same at our table at the Plaza. They made a big deal out of delivering the cake to the table. They came out singing and clapping it was alot of fun. That is where the good things about the cake ended........................lol. I am still so disappointed about the cake :sad2: :sad1:

racefanof88

05-13-2008, 07:59 PM

Did the cake come from the Plaza or did you order it from somewhere else? I ordered a cake from the GF bakery in 2005 & had it delivered to Boma for a friends birthday(I don't think they do this anymore). It was a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting & was the best I think I have ever had! We had our Christmas dinner at Ohana last year & I ordered a cake from the Polynesian & I was a little disappointed in it. The cake seemed a little dry, but the chocolate mousse was good :rotfl:

I know it did not come from the Plaza it had written on the box to delivery it to the Plaza but, it did not say where it came from. The icing was the only thing ok on this cake...............lol. The cake was horrible dry, you could see air bubble holes in the cake itself. The filling had no flavor at all. I think it was supposed to be vanilla mousse :confused3?

Disneychix

05-14-2008, 10:03 AM

junebug88

05-14-2008, 10:28 AM

I love your pictures so far, looks like everyone is having fun. Did you have to go and walk Niko everyday? Can't wait to read more and see more pictures.

racefanof88

05-14-2008, 01:00 PM

I love your pictures so far, looks like everyone is having fun. Did you have to go and walk Niko everyday? Can't wait to read more and see more pictures.

Thank you, I am not the worlds best photographer. I would love to know how to take better pictures.

Yes Niko was walked 3 times a day. Dale would go early morning around 5:30 or 6:00, then, depending on which park we were going to or coming from, we or Dale would walk him around 11 or 12 and then we would go over and feed and walk him about 6pm so it took lots of time. Next year I don't think we are gonna stay on Disney property. We will stay in a place where he is welcome and just use the kennel for day drop off.

I will be updating my report this weekend. I have to work the next 2 days and after 12 hour shifts I am just too tired.

Thanks for reading :thumbsup2

racefanof88

05-14-2008, 01:18 PM

Hi! Love the TR so far!
First, I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you, for being a Neonatal Nurse!! What a hard job!
Second, I love the new haircut. How very brave of you! Very Chic!
Third, your DH is too funny with the dog :) I love the one picture of him walking the dog before you went to MK! He looks like he just wants to stay in the kennel with her!
Fourth, It's nice to see how well your family gets along. I can't imagine going on vacation with my family when I was 20 or 19 and being as good as your kids appear to be. I like how you all split up and it's not a big deal to meet up later. Nice!

Thank you for visiting my report and thanks for all the compliments. I love my job there are times it is really hard but, mostly it is good. I read that your son was born at 29 weeks. He will catch up from what he is behind. One of my co-workers had her youngest at 28 weeks and the only residual is that Leslie has severe hearing loss in one ear. Other than that she is the typical 13 year old teenage girl...................lol. Your baby looks soooooooooooo cute in his little Eeyore suit. I had a Tigger suit for Dallas and he wore it to the MNSSHP in 1999 for about 20 minutes. He was scared to death of something. He would not stop crying so we had to leave the park. As soon as we were on the monorail he was fine, laughing and playing. He was 15 months old.

My husband is crazy about that dog. He wanted to get a room at another hotel the last 2 nights so Niko wouldn't have to stay in the kennel.............:lmao: He is a fanatic about that dog.

Thanks for the compliments about my family. We are close and there are times we bite each others heads off but, all in all we get along. Somebody at work asked me about taking Amanda and Tyler with us. They were wondering if Amanda and Tyler felt awkward about going with their parents? I told her "If they do they never say anything"............:laughing: It is really cool to split up because it cuts everybody's wait time, no standing around waiting for someone to get off rides and go ride something else.

We just love Disney. I am already in the preliminary phase of planning next years trip :cheer2:

Nemo32

05-14-2008, 09:46 PM

racefanof88

05-15-2008, 08:08 PM

I've adventured here from my TR. I was in MK on Sunday also! (as you know) Wish I had thought to go to Space, seems like there wasn't much of a wait. I thought crowds were great...HM was crowded when we were there. I kept thinking how stupid it was to funnel all those people in that tight space. Maybe we were there at the same time? Well, looking forward to more!

Thank you for coming over :)

We may have been there at the same time, I just could not believe how they kept pushing us in that small space on HM. And the funny thing, the door to the "stretching" room couldn't close so you could see the ceiling going down back into place................LOL.

I hate that I missed the meet :sad1:

Nemo32

05-15-2008, 08:59 PM

Thank you for coming over :)

We may have been there at the same time, I just could not believe how they kept pushing us in that small space on HM. And the funny thing, the door to the "stretching" room couldn't close so you could see the ceiling going down back into place................LOL.

I hate that I missed the meet :sad1:

Kinda ruined the illusion. Yea, it's a shame...there were quite a few who were feeling under the weather and didn't make it.

racefanof88

05-16-2008, 08:16 PM

Kinda ruined the illusion. Yea, it's a shame...there were quite a few who were feeling under the weather and didn't make it.

I was just sooooooooooooo tired. We had gone to Typhoon Lagoon and that place will wear you out...............lol. I didn't get any pics from there I put my camera in a locker..............lol. I was gonna get some pics as we were leaving but my DH was making fun of me for taking so many pics.................lol.

Nemo32

05-16-2008, 08:33 PM

I was just sooooooooooooo tired. We had gone to Typhoon Lagoon and that place will wear you out...............lol. I didn't get any pics from there I put my camera in a locker..............lol. I was gonna get some pics as we were leaving but my DH was making fun of me for taking so many pics.................lol.

Yea, TL is very tiresome. It was my first time at a Disney water park- we don't have pics from there either. lol.

racefanof88

05-16-2008, 08:42 PM

Yea, TL is very tiresome. It was my first time at a Disney water park- we don't have pics from there either. lol.

I loved the wave pool. My poor Dallas got his knee torn up though.

racefanof88

05-17-2008, 09:57 PM

I promise I will have an update soon. I am still trying to upload pictures. I had to work Thursday and Friday so I haven't had the time to finish the pictures. We rode to Pensacola today and I took a few pictures of Gulf Shores Alabama and Perdido Key Fl. I took them with my cell because I forgot my camera.....................lol. I will post some of those just for a look see.

View from Perdido Bay bridge.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile6.jpg
Another view from the bridge
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile5.jpg
Beach at Gulf Shores
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile8.jpg
Mobile Bay
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile4.jpg
View of Mobile from the Bay Way
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile3.jpg
Wallace Tunnel
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/mobile2.jpg

Just a few pictures of where I live.

racefanof88

05-20-2008, 07:52 PM

I am eventually going to post an update:surfweb: . I have been so busy I just haven't had the time. Still have about 30 photos to upload to photobucket :confused3.

I do want to say thanks to all my readers for hanging with me :lovestruc. Ya'll are the best :worship:.

marianas00

05-20-2008, 08:31 PM

racefanof88

05-21-2008, 08:33 PM

I am so glad to find your report! I had started reading your pre-trip and lost track... great report so far. Your family is wonderful! Sad to see Niko's little face going to the Kennel. Just like my Takoda, get in the car and very happy to be going on a trip, and then reality sets in at the K word. We don't even say it around our house. She gets sad hearing the word. Nice to know there are pet friendly hotels.
Can't wait for more trip report and pictures. Love seeing your kids expressions!
Thanks for the great reporting.

Thank you for reading :). I plan on doing my next update tomorrow. Thank you for the compliment on my family!! I have to say I think they are pretty cool :cool2: ................LOL.

Poor little Niko, I think he is still mad at us about the whole kennel thing:mad:. He is even scared to get in the car now. And if I say the K word he just looks at me like I have taken his best toy away...........lol. My husband has said we will NOT stay on Disney's property next year lol. And I think I have to agree. I will give a review at the end of my report :surfweb:.

Again, thanks for reading and I promise and update tomorrow.

tinknme

05-22-2008, 06:46 AM

Look forward to reading your next installment Dana!

racefanof88

05-22-2008, 01:36 PM

Monday May 5th We had to get up very early as we had an 810am reservation for Crystal Palace for a character breakfast. We got up at 6:00 so we would have time to get ready, go to the TTC and walk the dog, park the van, walk back to the TTC to catch the monorail to the park(well acutally Dale had to go park the van...........lol).

Waiting in the room before heading to CP.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1266.jpg

We made it to the park at 7:50 and of course had to have all our bags checked by security. Amanda and I carried back packs and I had to have my camera bag checked. They let us through the gate and we got in line. The have a list of names for people going in for early breakfast and for the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. WooooooooooooHoooooooooo they have our name. See it was a calculated plan to have an early breakfast so we could be in the park at the ropes for rope drop.

Dale entering the park.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1273.jpg

It was foggy and I had to get some more Castle pictures.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1272.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1275.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1282.jpg

Dallas in front of Casey's. A CM walked up to him after the pic and told him he looked like Casey..................LOL
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1276.jpg

Waiting for our name to be called. They should be eating with Grumpy.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1278.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1281.jpg

Such pretty flowers.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1280.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1279.jpg
So we had a wonderful breakfast and the food was soooooooooo good. The breakfast casserole is out of this world. The rest was just regular breakfast type stuff. That bacon isn't all for me............LOL.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1283.jpg

From the pictures you can see we got Piglet and Tigger and Dallas did the march around the place with Pooh.

Tyler didn't want his picture made with the characters. He said he was too old................LOL Sorrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyy
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1286.jpg

We had to tell our waitress that Tigger missed Dallas. How? I don't know but he came back to the table
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1287.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1285.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1284.jpg
Dallas following Pooh. This is the only pic of Pooh as he was on the other side of the restaurant.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1291.jpg

I love these.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1293.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1292.jpg

We finished breakfast and it was still only 8:50 so I wanted some family pictures with the Castle.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1296.jpg

Now, as you can see from most of the pictures I am always the one behind the camera. So I asked Dale to get a picture of me with the kids and "make sure you get the Castle in the background". Here is what he got.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1297.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1298.jpg

Technically I guess he got the Castle....................:rotfl2: The first one he took I was trying to get Amanda's hair out from under the strap of her back pack.

Dallas said he was tired of all the pictures so he was walking away............:eek: :rolleyes:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1299.jpg

racefanof88

05-22-2008, 01:55 PM

So, Amanda, Dallas and I were at the rope to the right of the castle to get to the Tea cups and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Dale and Tyler went to ride Space Mountain again. While waiting Alice and the Mad Hatter walked up and climbed under the rope.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1301.jpg

Boy they pile the makeup on that poor guy playing the Mad Hatter. We made it to the Tea Cups and we were the only ones on it.............lol.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1310.jpg

I got pictures of Amanda and Dallas on the ride but, they came out too dark.

Dallas wanted to ride it again but, we had just ate breakfast and I didn't want to do it again. So, we walked right on Pooh and then went to ride Peter Pan's flight another walk on. We then rode Snow White and walked over to Splash Mountian (Amanda wanted to ride, I don't do high drops).

All I got was the back of her head. She was in the front.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1334.jpg

Dallas and I went to ride Big Thunder Mountain we were in the front and Dallas decided he didn't want to ride this time so we did the walk of shame out of the ride.................LOL. We then waited for Amanda to get off Splash and then we met up with Dale and Tyler, by now the park was getting crowded so we went to EPCOT.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1337.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1335.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1338.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1339.jpg

At this point we split up. Dale, Tyler, and Amanda went to the left of Space Ship Earth and Dallas and I went right. Dallas and I rode Journey into Imagination.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1341.jpg

Dallas and I were headed to Nemo but, the rest of the gang had finished their rides so we met up and rode Nemo together. Now, it had been hot while we were there, actually it was the hottest it had been and it had not rained for 4 weeks. Even though that was strange to hear because it rained on me and Amanda Saturday night...........go figure. Anyway, we then decided to walk to World Showcase so we could eat. We rode the ride in Mexico we walked right on. Then I had to have a feista margarita, it wasn't very good but, for $8.50 I drank it. We went to Norway so I could buy a school bread(OMG it was soooooooooooo good)to take back to the room for later. Amanda wanted to stop in Germany and get some snacks. Dale, Amanda and Dallas wanted to eat in The American Adventure so they got hamburgers and chicken nuggets, some adventure huh? Tyler and I ate in Japan, it was nasty. I love this type of food but it tasted like they pulled a frozen dinner out and microwaved it. So we walked on and Amanda wanted to shop in England but, didn't get anything. By now we were EXHAUSTED my feet were hurting soooooooooooo bad (despite the Crocs) but we still had to do Space Ship Earth. It was so cool and relaxing. The new changes are just OK. I like the old one too. So it is back to the room and rest up. We ate snacks for dinner. I didn't get any pictures in World Showcase due to threats from the rest of my crew................:lmao:
Sleep in tomorrow. We have lunch at the Kona and a water park.

racefanof88

05-27-2008, 12:49 PM

WOW WHERE DID ALL MY READERS GO?????? :worried: :( :sad2:

Tuesday May 6th. We slept late, boy this time zone has me all messed up :sick:. Dale, Dallas, and I got up around 9:00 to go to Walmart again as Dale didn't have a bathing suit. We bought some towels too and more cokes for the room. We decided the 1:05 lunch time was too late so I called and got the time moved up to 12:15 so we would have more time at the water park. We arrived at the Poly at about 11:30 so I got(much to the disliking of my gang)pictures of the lobby.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1351_edited.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1352.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1353.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1359.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1357.jpg

WOW, some day I am gonna stay here. It was sooooooooo beautiful. Anyway, we went up to the second floor and checked in with the lady at the podium. It wasn't 12:00 yet so they were not seating anyone.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/th_DSCF1362.jpg (http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/?action=view&current=DSCF1362.flv)

Yeah, I hit the record button by accident.:rolleyes1

We walked around the top level and returned at 12. They began seating and we waited and waited and people walking up were getting seated and we waited after about 15 minutes a lady with an electronic clip board walked up to us and asked if we had checked in? I told her yes and the lady that checked me in looked like she could have crawled under the podium. They apologized and we were seated right away. Dale, Amanda and Dallas got...............I bet you can't guess.................................hamburgers and ff............. yes at a polynesian restaurant. Tyler got a teriyaki chicken with sticky rice and macaroin salad and I got the teriyaki beef plate with the same sides. They were good, not the best I have ever eaten but good. The hamburgers went over ok. Now dessert was something else.

I got the Chocolate Macadamia Nut Tart

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1366-1.jpg

Dale got an Apple Stack
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1368.jpg

Tyler got the Chocolate Fondue. He said the chocolate hardened too fast.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1369.jpg

Dallas and Amanda got Kona Kones

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1364.jpg

I am glad we did the DDP this trip because this lunch was $95 yeah high for some hamburgers and ice cream........lol. That being said we won't do the DDP again. Anyway, we left and went back to the room to change into our bathing suits and off to the water park. We decided to do Typhoon Lagoon and boy was it FUN. The wave pool was wild, the waves were 6' but you got a warning that it was coming. Poor Dallas got his knee banged up pretty bad as one of the waves knocked him down and the bottom of the wave pool is very rough. We rode the Lazy River twice and didn't have time to do anything else as the park closes at 5pm. Next time we are gonna spend a whole day in one of the water parks. We went back to the room and decided we were gonna eat at the food court but wanted to go over to All Star Movies food court as we had stayed there the first time we all went. The food was not as good as we remembered most of it was cold.................yuck. I had a philly cheese and ff, Dale had another hamburger with ff, Amanda and Dallas had pizza and Tyler had baked chicken with mashed potatos and green beans. He said the chicken was flavorless. We all got chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies for dessert and they went back to the room with us. So we went back to the room. Watched TV for a while then off to sleep to get ready for our last day. I didn't get any pictures at the TL and certainly not of the nasty food at the food court.

Nemo32

05-27-2008, 01:49 PM

Great updates! That chocolate fondue looked yummy. Looking forward to more!

tinknme

05-27-2008, 02:10 PM

I'm here :)

We stayed at the Polynesian for Christmas last year & I feel in love with this resort. Hopefully I can afford to stay here again lol

racefanof88

05-27-2008, 02:22 PM

Great updates! That chocolate fondue looked yummy. Looking forward to more!

He said it was good except for the chocolate hardening too fast. It was so good he wouldn't even give me a strawberry.................:rotfl:

I'm here :)

We stayed at the Polynesian for Christmas last year & I feel in love with this resort. Hopefully I can afford to stay here again lol

I want to have a vow renewal there on my 25th anniversary......:bride: ......:lmao: I don't know that that will happen but, hey Disney is all about dreams :cloud9: :love:

kathleen27

05-29-2008, 12:21 PM

racefanof88

05-30-2008, 09:18 PM

Just read and enjoyed your trip report!

That picture of your husband with the dog on his shoulder in the recliner is too funny. We had a kitten years ago that would sit on my husband's shoulder while he worked at his desk.

Sounds like a fun trip! Kona looks really good!

Welcome and Thanks for reading :goodvibes. Niko thinks he is a boy not a dog.......:rotfl2:

I still have a little left of my trip report so please stay tuned :surfweb: I plan on finishing it this weekend.

We liked the Kona. It was pretty good food. The Poly was so beautiful.

wdwgirl03

05-31-2008, 09:16 AM

racefanof88

05-31-2008, 05:53 PM

Just found your trip report and joining in. Love the pictures! If you get the chance to stay at the Poly sometime do it! We've stayed there several times in the past and we always enjoyed it.

I want one of those Kona Cones...they look really good!

Oh yes, and to Tyler, you are never too old to have your picture taken with the characters!! hehe

:welcome: and thanks for joining....:banana:

I hope to stay at the Poly one day. Once, a long long time ago...........lol, I stayed at a Hilton(I think it was) in Montgomery, Al that had a lobby like the Poly. The only problem was they had tropical birds in the lobby and they were VERY loud.

I snagged a little piece of the cotton candy(I love cotton candy) from the Kona Kone and it was good. It was so big neither Amanda nor Dallas could finish it................lol.

I told Tyler the same exact thing. I would love it if SOMEONE in my group would take the camera and get my picture with the characters.

I plan on putting an update on tonight with a little twist................????????

racefanof88

06-01-2008, 12:02 PM

Wednesday May 7 (I don't have as many pictures of today..............LOL).

We got up and got dressed because we were gonna eat breakfast at the food court. It was yummy. I had strawberry pancakes, Dallas had chocolate chip pancakes, Dale had a ham and cheese sandwich with grits, and Amanda had regular pancakes, Tyler wanted to stay in the room and sleep. We made it back to the room and Tyler was up and dressed. Today is Animal Kingdom day. We can do AK in half a day. Amanda, Dallas and I went to Dinoland so we could ride Dinosaur. Dale and Tyler headed to EE. Dallas has never rode Dinosaur so he was a little scared..........lol.

On the way I did get this picture.

He was MASSIVE.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1372.jpg

Dallas and I rode Dinosaur while Amanda rode Primeval Whirl, she was able to ride twice. Dallas wasn't scared on the ride but, he said he didn't like it too much............:rotfl2:.
We met back up with Amanda and about this time Dale called and said he and Tyler were through riding EE. They had rode it twice. So we headed toward Asia.
I got a few more pics............LOL

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1374.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1376.jpg

I don't really know why I took this picture, I just liked the look of the red flower on the rock..........:rotfl:
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1377.jpg

Again another random why did I take this picture? picture
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1378.jpg

Tyler, Amanda and I decided it was time for Kali River Rapids, now the signs warn you will get wet, you may get SOAKED. Well, guess what Amanda and I got SOAKED. Tyler got wet..........:lmao: So, we just rode it again......:rotfl2: We got off and had to buy some clothes to wear. Amanda bought a beautiful towel and a shirt, I bought a shirt and Tyler a pair of sandles, his shoes were soaked too. I had on crocs so they dried quickly.

I love the buses they have parked around.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1379.jpg
These guys are soooooooooooo loud.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1382.jpg

So we had dinner reservations at Tony's Town Square at 7:25pm but, before we left the room we decided that was too late as we were planning on leaving early the next day to head home. So, before we left for AK that morning I changed the time to 1:05(yes Disney loves the 5 minute thing). Well, since the three of us were drenched and Tyler had not had breakfast we went to the Yak and Yeti counter service seating area to rest. Tyler got some sweet and sour pork, that I had to taste, and it was very good. I got a margarita that was very good too, this one was $7.50 and was just a plain ole margarita. When Tyler finished eating we decided to head to the Jungle Trek and just enjoy the scenery.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1385.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1384.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1387.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1390.jpg

Now we still wanted to do Kilimanjaro Safari but by the time we got around it was a 60 minute wait(OK Amanda was right we should have fast passed it when we entered the park) it was now 12:00 so we knew we wouldn't have time. We headed to the van and back to the room. Well, Dale wanted to walk Niko so we had to go to the TTC before we entered the park. Flash back to parking the van and us waiting for Dale. I again had to change the time of the reservation to 2:15 and that was perfect. We made it in the park about 1:30 and we were seated within 10 minutes.

Dale, Amanda and Dallas were elsewhere at this time..........lol
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1397.jpg

We were a tired group.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1400.jpg

This was a great place to eat. The better restaurants, in my opinion, are in the Magic Kingdom. We had a great waiter and they did some role playing and it was so funny. The waitress, who was waiting the table next to ours, was fussing at the people at the table..................it was so funny. We had a great time. I got the chicken parmigiana(way too much food) Dale had the Bianca flatbread(yes he ate something other than a hamburger) Amanda and Dallas had spaghetti, and Tyler had Shrimp Pasta with some big shrimp. Dale is the only one who was able to finish his food.

This was my chicken parmigiana
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1402.jpg

This was Amanda's cheesecake. The Lady and the Tramp are sprinkled on the plate.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1403.jpg

We had 3 take out plates that ended up in the garbage(oops just too much food). The desserts here were great too. Tyler and I had the tiramisu that was just the best thing I think I have ever had, Dale had the spumoni, Amanda had the Chef's Signature cheesecake very nice, and Dallas had an ice cream sundae. We really had a good time here. We were gonna walk in the park a while but we were just too tired so we went back to the room to rest and get everything packed for our drive back the next morning. So I got a few pictures of last looks back.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1398.jpg

Dallas had been wanting to ride the ferry the whole trip so this was our last chance.

Pictures from the ferry.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1410.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/DSCF1407.jpg

We got back to the room and we all just passed out............lol. When we woke up we realized we still had 4 counter service meals and 5 snacks left on our dining plan. So Dale, Dallas and I went to the food court and got dinner. We had a personal pizza, hamburger, french fries, 2 very good chicken salads, 4 teas, a milkshake, 2 big chocolate chip cookies, a crumb cake and that was the counter service meals we had left. Now for snacks it was just junk like 2 rice krispy treats, a big sucker, a bag of nuts and a bag of cookies. All of this went back to the room for everyone to eat. This is why the food from Tony's ended up in the garbage. We didn't have room in the very small fridge and we just couldn't eat it. The snacks went in a bag for the ride home. We packed the van and all got showers so we could leave early and not have to get showers in the morning. Dale had decided he was going to get up at 3am go get Niko and us be on the I-4 by 4(for those who have seen Johnson Family Vacation you know the reference).

So nite nite and up early for our drive home...........

kafitty

06-01-2008, 10:07 PM

racefanof88

06-01-2008, 11:38 PM

i'm glad to hear the park wasn't too crowded, i'm hoping to be in WDW around the same time next year. :hyper: i can barely contain myself.

and i'm cracking up about the Niko thing! i am also a ridiculously devoted dog owner...my dog is absolutely my child. And she's got the same weird personality Niko does - she'll run up to someone and wag her tail and then growl when they try to pet her! i try to tell her she can't have it both ways, but she just doesn't listen, lol...

Thank you for joining in and :welcome:. It was nice to be at Disney and it not be overly crowded. A few years back we started going in February and it was wonderful. Now February has gotten crowded. We went in May this year because our daughter was out of school at the time.

Isn't it funny how they think they can have it both ways?............:rotfl: I guess it is the ole "eating your doggie treat and having it too" type thing. Niko is so loving to us but, wow to poor unknowing strangers. They all think he is "sooooooooooo cute" till he growls and barks like a doberman...........lol. Niko will bark at new stuff we bring into the house. He acts like we need to get his approval before we buy anything new, even clothes...........:rotfl2:

kathleen27

06-03-2008, 08:47 PM

racefanof88

06-04-2008, 08:40 PM

That's great that you could all split up and ride what you wanted at AK!

Our sneakers got soaked on Kali too! They took a while to dry. :(

Tony's sounds great! That lady and the tramp on the plate is really cute!

Yeah we usually split up because I don't like roller coasters so eveybody gets to ride what they want that way.

I LOVE kali. It is so much fun. I just always seem to forget to take our pouchos..............LOL.

The food at Tony's was very good. The Lady and The Tramp was soooooooooooo cool. I will eat at Tony's again.

racefanof88

06-09-2008, 11:17 AM

Well, Niko now has a new friend. Her name is Daisy she is 9 weeks old. She is a dapple dachshund. So, next time we go to Disney we will have 2 babies at the kennel.

This is Daisy, not the best picture.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/racefanof88/Daisy.jpg

racefanof88

06-19-2008, 07:22 PM

We headed home on Thursday May 8th. I usually hate leaving Disney but, for some reason I was sooooooooooooo ready to get home. In fact, I am one who does NOT fly and I was even considering flying home. I was that ready to get home.

I don't know what the lack of luster was this trip but, it was truly lacking. It may have been the fact that we were so far back on the property that my view was the maintance shed, or the fact that it was a LONG hike (or car drive) to the food court. Maybe it was the fact that I feel like I missed out on so much due to the ADRs or maybe it was spending so much time at the kennel(nah, we did that last year). I just can't put my finger on it. We spent more money on this trip than on any other so, I learned that the amount you spend doesn't mean a good time.

I know that alot, and I meant ALOT, of time was spent on ADRs and we didn't even get to HS due to this.

I am already planning next years trip and we will NOT be using the DDP. I know there are several people who hail the DDP and the DDDP as the only way to go, but, I don't go to Disney to eat. I can do that at any restaurant in my town. In fact the food was the same I can get anywhere and so was the service. So, next year we will, most likely, stay off propery, eat several meals off site and just have a couple of ADRs. My bunch is perfactly happy with pizza and burgers :confused3.

jkarlesky

06-20-2008, 10:02 AM

The pics look great

racefanof88

06-20-2008, 09:04 PM

The pics look great

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! And thanks for reading. I love taking pictures but, my family gets so tired of it.....:( . Pictures are a big part of the trip for me.

kathleen27

06-24-2008, 07:07 PM

racefanof88

06-26-2008, 06:37 PM

Daisy looks cute. I like her coloring. My aunt also has a dog named Daisy. My daughter named her.

Good to know about the DDP. We usually don't make that many ADRs but I'm undecided on the next trip. Leaning towards NOT doing the DDP because it will not save us much if any. And without the plan, I can make ADRs but cancel them if we decide it is too much.

Thank you, she knows she is cute :rotfl2: And my youngest son named her.

I think the DDP is for some, especially if you like to spend lots of time eating, but it just isn't for us. I would rather pay oop and have the option of eating off property too.

the4princesses

07-27-2008, 09:10 PM

racefanof88

07-27-2008, 09:41 PM

hi great trip report!!
I have dd20,dd19,dd14,ds5.
we both have two children the
same age!

I know what you mean about the ADR.
it does take up alot of time.
had you gone to 50's or wisperning cayon?
they were so fun!

When are you all going back to Disney?
Hey do you know about the Free dining they
have ?

In the middle of Aug. to the end of Sept.,
they offer free dining!!

Do you know about the "DING on SW?
We are flying from N.O. to WDW for $63.00!

Going to POP SEPT.3-10th with free dining!!

We stayed at ASM in 2005!
We loved it!!

Write back,
Kathy:flower3:

Hey Kathy thanks and thanks for reading my report :). We do have two the same age........and we are still sane...........:lmao: We also have a 9 year gap between two of our kids too.

We have never been to 50's nor WC but, those are two places I want to try. We have been to Sci Fi and we loved it. I just hated being tied to the ADRs.

We thought about going back this September but, decided it is just too hot. We will go back in March. We always drive down. It only takes 8 hours and I don't fly...............lol. I couldn't decided between Pop and ASMu this past May but, we had stayed at ASMo in the past and loved it. No so much the ASMu. I really think it had to do with the location of our rooms.

Next year I think the "big kids" are going to skip the trip so we will prolly stay at Pop then. We will go with oop for the food though..lol

the4princesses

07-27-2008, 10:57 PM

Hey Kathy thanks and thanks for reading my report :). We do have two the same age........and we are still sane...........:lmao: We also have a 9 year gap between two of our kids too.

We have never been to 50's nor WC but, those are two places I want to try. We have been to Sci Fi and we loved it. I just hated being tied to the ADRs.

We thought about going back this September but, decided it is just too hot. We will go back in March. We always drive down. It only takes 8 hours and I don't fly...............lol. I couldn't decided between Pop and ASMu this past May but, we had stayed at ASMo in the past and loved it. No so much the ASMu. I really think it had to do with the location of our rooms.

Next year I think the "big kids" are going to skip the trip so we will prolly stay at Pop then. We will go with oop for the food though..lol

Hi you said "the big kids" would stay home!! my 2 girls would not hear of it!!
They are the reason we are going!:cheer2: Well should I say: DD20 she is the planner! She does all the plans ADR, Trip and all!!:banana:

Did you know that there will be 700 homeschooler at WDW when we go?:dance3:
The group is called "THE ULTIMATE FIELD TRIP" We were on the Dis one day and my DD20 see a post telling about it!! We are going to be part of it!!
We all have t-shirts that say: The Ultimate Field Trip on it!!

Does your 19,and 20 year old work or go to school?

Are you still homeschooling your 2 younger ones?
Write back, Kathy:flower3:

racefanof88

07-27-2008, 11:11 PM

Hi you said "the big kids" would stay home!! my 2 girls would not hear of it!!
They are the reason we are going!:cheer2: Well should I say: DD20 she is the planner! She does all the plans ADR, Trip and all!!:banana:

Did you know that there will be 700 homeschooler at WDW when we go?:dance3:
The group is called "THE ULTIMATE FIELD TRIP" We were on the Dis one day and my DD20 see a post telling about it!! We are going to be part of it!!
We all have t-shirts that say: The Ultimate Field Trip on it!!

Does your 19,and 20 year old work or go to school?

Are you still homeschooling your 2 younger ones?
Write back, Kathy:flower3:

My oldest DS says he is just burnt out out Disney :eek: and DD works and goes to college and it is hard for her to get the time off. She loves Disney as much as DH and I.

When we were planning on going this Sept. The Ulitmate Field Trip is who I was planning through. I just don't think I can stand the heat in Sept. When we were there in May it was starting to get hot.

I only have 3 kids but, yes I do homeschool my youngest. My 20 yo(DD) is in college, she is starting her junior year. My oldest DS hasn't made the determination of a life course yet.................lol. So I will not pay for him to go to college and play(bad mama, bad mama........lol) I told him he needs to go and be a nurse, like me :idea: . Don't think that is happening.

I love homeschooling.:love: