Disney in July isn't so bad after all!

[coachlevy]

I somehow convinced my husband into another trip to Disney even though we were just there in February. Back in February I jokingly said that it would be fun to celebrate my 30th birthday at WDW. Well my wonderful hubby came through and I got to visit the mouse again! We left on 6/29 and returned on the fourth of July.

Cast of Characters:

Me: :flower1: Stay at home mom, just turned 30, 4 months pregnant. Usually very laid back except I become a Type A personality when planning my trips to Disney. This was my 17th trip to WDW.
DH::dog2: Teacher and track coach, 34. Says he’s not a fan of Disney, but has taken 6 trips in the past 7 years. He really loves it but doesn’t like to admit it.
DS: :earsboy: Just turned two last month and has been brainwashed since birth to love all things Disney. Knows every Disney character, music from parades and shows, loves looking at old Disney photos, and practically memorized the maps of each park. This was his 3rd trip.

Day 1: Our alarm was set for 5:30 AM, but I was so excited that I woke up at 4:30. I decided to use my elliptical machine since I had time. I’m not sure what I was thinking because I was so tired later. We left the house at 6 for our 8:50 flight. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. The flight was really good and DS was well behaved the entire time.
We arrived in Orlando slightly tired, but excited to begin our trip. DH got his luggage, then we got DS’s suitcase, but mine was nowhere in sight. After about 15 minutes everyone from the flight retrieved their luggage and there was still no sign of mine. I went to report the missing bag and the airline said they would try to track it down. It could take hours or even days. The thing I was most concerned about were the diapers I packed! :eek: Thankfully I had all of my toiletries and medication for DS in my carry on bag.
We went to get our rental car and then made a trip to Walmart to buy diapers and some clothes for me. I hate shopping so I grabbed the first few tank tops I saw, a couple of shorts, a bathing suit, and some other necessities. DS fell asleep in his stroller while we shopped, but only slept for 30 minutes. DH bought some snacks for the room and we managed to spend $100 on everything. Oh well. We stopped at Publix to get some food for the room also.
Finally we were on our way to Disney. We checked into Old Key West and our room was ready right away. DS was crazy in the room and running around saying, “room, Old Key West” for about 20 minutes. I tried to lay down with him on the bed (I was exhausted!!!) but he would not sleep. He was talking the entire time, but at least we rested a little bit. While I rested I felt the baby move for the first time. :yay: It was probably thinking, “thank goodness my mom is taking a break!” After an hour of rest time, we got ready for dinner and an evening at Downtown Disney.
We ate dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express where we all ordered pizza. While we were eating there was a huge thunderstorm and downpour. We waited 30 minutes after our meal for the rain to stop. It was crazy! DS loved the thunder and kept trying to run outside and get wet. After dinner we visited the World of Disney store to buy a souveneir for DS. He wanted Lemieur from “Beauty and the Beast”, but they didn’t have one. They suggested Once Upon a Toy, but they didn’t have him either. We took some pictures with the Buzz Lightyear and Mr. Potato Head outside the store.
DS and DH with Mr. Potato Head
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We ate ice cream at Ghiradelli and spent $20! I was a little disappointed with my sundae, but DS was in heaven. Here's the little piggy eating his cone and side of whipped cream. That's my huge sundae in the picture.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4df9e2863c800000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/ We drove back to the hotel and were greeted with a surprise: my suitcase was found and waiting for me in the hotel lobby!:woohoo: I was really glad to have all my stuff back. We all went to bed at 9:30 because it was such a long day. Tomorrow the real fun begins as we visit MK and MGM.

[jmskinner]

Hi, thought I would hop aboard. Your little boy is a cutie.

[irky416]

I can't wait to hear more! Your DS is cute. He looks so happy with the ice cream!

[IcePrincess467]

Dh actually found your thread and I wanted to sub to it so we can keep up with it! We are heading to the world on the 17th!! :cool1:

[Diamondintheruff]

Signing up for the trippie too!

We skipped Ghiradelli's last trip. We ran out of time and I said we would come back for dinner next year. I was joking. My kids totally remembered it and have been begging to have ice cream for dinner when we go back.

How exciting to feel the the baby's first kicks at WDW. What a great memory.

[coachlevy]

Day 2: As you read this you will probably think there is something wrong with me because I woke up at 5:45 to go for a run. Who does that in Disney? ;) I couldn’t really sleep so I decided to just go and check out the hotel grounds. Even at such an early hour it was so humid! I returned to the room to find DS awake and eating his breakfast. After dressing him we walked to the pool area and I filled my mug with tea. DS played in the playground while I drank my tea. OKW has a cute playground with an enormous pail and shovel. Here is DS inside the pail: http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4deee8a431e00000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/
We returned to the room and left for MK at 8 AM sharp. DS was so excited when he saw the monorail and Mickey statue in the TTC. We arrived at MK at 8:40 with plenty of time to see the pre-show before the park opens. DS remembered the show from our last trip and kept asking for the man in the hat and zip-a-dee-doo-dah (which they sing during the show). He danced and clapped to the music and I did my usual tearing up routine (it only happens once each trip, usually right before we enter the park). At least I had sunglasses so DH couldn’t make fun of me. :rotfl2:
After fighting the crowds we finally entered MK. I love gazing down Main Street and seeing the castle. It makes me so happy, and watching DS’s reaction makes it even more special. DS pointed and screamed when he saw the castle, but he was still talking about the man in the hat and the music from the pre-show. We made a beeline for Dumbo :dumbo: before the line got out of hand. DH took DS because spinning in circles doesn’t agree with pregnancy. Here they are before take off:
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DS was not a big fan of the ride and apparently decided it was all done in the middle.
After Dumbo we gave DS a choice of Peter Pan or Pooh ride and he chose the former. As we walked toward Peter Pan DS pointed at Ariel’s Grotto and said, “Ariel.” I was shocked that he remembered from February. Disney is really in this kid’s blood! :mickeyjum Peter Pan was relaxing for all of us. We went to the Pooh ride next because I figured there would be such a long line. There was no wait at all and we got right on the right. DS loved seeing all the characters and the Woozles. He asked for more when we finished and did his little Tigger dance. :tigger: Here he is with a Woozle:
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Our next ride was “it’s a small world,” which we rode 7 times during our visit. Believe it or not I wasn’t even sick of it! DS was quiet and wide eyed the entire time. He pointed out some of his favorite things like the hula girls and windmills. He also sang a verse at the end of the ride which was very funny. We put DS in the stroller and headed to Toontown Fair to see Mickey. I thought Toontown opened at 10 AM, but at 9:50 there was already a line to see Mickey. DS happily ate his snack while we waited, but once he finished he tried to make a run for Mickey and Minnie (2 for 1 this day…not bad!). I had to hold him back until it was our turn. Once it was our turn I let him loose and he ran into Mickey’s arms. It was priceless. He said, “Hi Mickey, Hi Minnie”, gave some kisses, and then posed for some photos. Most pictures have him sucking his thumb or with a goofy grin because he’s saying, “cheese.”
DS hugging Mickey
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Posing with Mickey and Minnie
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As soon as he said his goodbyes he asked for Pluto, who was next on our list. We went to the Judge’s Tent and waited 15 minutes to see the characters. DS was getting a little cranky at this point, but was fine once we entered the room. He screamed, “Donald” and “Pluto” and tried to run to them. Goofy was first in the line up and DS ran and gave him a huge hug (this is the pattern for every character- hug, suck thumb, smile for pictures). We got Goofy’s autograph in our homemade book. I printed pictures of each character so DS would know who signed his book. DS was so excited and said, “Goofy color book” while he signed. He did this routine for Pluto and Donald as well. After his picture with Donald he ran back to him and sat down next to him. Donald kept laughing and stood next to DS.:donald: DS said goodbye to all the characters and we were on our way. Here are some more pics of the little guy:
Pluto and DS
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DS and Goofy
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While we were in the room with characters we were chosen to receive special “Year of a Million Dream” Mickey ears. They were pretty cool, but I’d rather we won a stay in the Cinderella suite or a trip to visit all the Disney parks. Oh well, something is better than nothing!
It was super hot when we exited the Judge’s Tent so we headed to Donald’s Boat to cool off. DS had so much fun playing in the water. Here he is in one of the windows of the boat:
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After getting thoroughly soaked we went to Tomorrowland to see Buzz Lightyear. I found this great website (through the DIS of course) that tells you what time the characters appear and their location. We avoided so many lines and were able to see so many characters. DS enjoyed seeing Buzz and ran right up to him and said, “To Infinity and Beyond,” complete with hand gesture. Buzz uses a cool stamp to sign his autograph.
DS and Buzz
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DS noticed Stitch (and screamed his name), but he was leaving when we got to his line. It was getting late and very hot so we went to Peco Bill’s to eat lunch. They have really good salads there so that’s why we walked so far. We left the park at 11:45 and were back at the hotel by 12:15. DS napped for 2 hours while I tried to nap with no success.
After our rest time we visited the pool. OKW has a very basic pool and a very small kiddie pool (it’s a big circle). We spent time in both pools and had fun. We dried off and checked out the Community Room. This is one feature I really liked at OKW. It’s a big room with a pool table, arts and crafts station, TV’s, toy box, and other fun stuff. DS loved playing with the trucks in the toy box and we spent 30 minutes there. I finally got him to leave and brought him to the playground. DS loved the ABC’s on the playground and playing in the pail.
We returned to the room after an hour and got ready for our night at MGM. DS was crazy in the room, running all over the place and having a grand old time. We drove to MGM, I mean Hollywood Studios, and got a really close parking spot. As soon as we left the car it started to pour so we ran for cover. Amazingly, the downpour only lasted for 30 seconds and then it drizzled most of the evening. :thumbsup2 We first went to Toy Story Mania, but the wait was 90 minutes and all fastpasses were distributed for the day. I kind of figured this would happen because we got there so late. We went to Toy Story Pizza Planet for a quick dinner. We all ate veggie pizza’s which were not very good. I felt bad for DH because the portion was so small (he made up for it later though). After dinner we went to Playhouse Disney. DS was in a trance until he saw Toodles who he then called during the entire show. The show is very cute and all the little ones were dancing and singing along. The show ended at 6:45 and I wanted to see the final show of Beauty and the Beast so we literally ran to the theater. Thank goodness MGM is small and we made it quickly. In all my trips to WDW I’ve never seen this show so I was excited. Also, DS loves the characters and I couldn’t wait to see his reaction. He loved every minute of the show and watched intently. Of course he called for Beast and Lemieur once he saw them and asked for more. Here is a picture with all the main players in the show:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4de1fca03be00000050O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/ The show was great and Gaston was hilarious.
When the show ended we stopped at the nearby candy store. DS picked out a Pooh cookie that took him about 30 minutes to eat. He was so happy though! This is a child who doesn’t eat a lot of junk at home so you can imagine his delight during this trip.
DS and his Pooh cookie
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We walked around some of the shops and took a picture by the Sorcerer Hat before leaving the park.
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We made a stop at the food place in the hotel for some Mickey bars. It was so yummy! This is another great thing I’ve missed in all my visits to WDW. Back in the room I let DS run around a little bit before putting him to bed. We read a few books (Mickey and Minnie, of course) and he was in his crib by 9. However, he didn’t fall asleep until 9:30 because he wouldn’t stop talking about his day. He recounted all the characters from Beauty and the Beast, his Pooh cookie, and anything else he could remember. What a great way to fall asleep. I turned in right after him and DH wasn’t too far behind. Another great day in WDW! :banana:

[VanniGirl]

Sounds like you have a great trip - looking forward to reading more.

Your son is adorable!

[irky416]

Your son is so cute! I love that first picture. It sounds like you guys had fun.

[Moonlitdreams82]

I absolutely love the pictures of him sucking his thumb! So adorable!

[Diamondintheruff]

Ice Cream and Pooh cookies Yum Yum!

What's the website that tells you about the characters?

[noahdove]

Exciting so far:)

[coachlevy]

In my haste to post my TR, I forgot to thank everyone for the nice comments. So thanks! :goodvibes I will try to post more tomorrow.

[JohnsDear]

I love seeing Disney through a child's eyes...great trip report! Can't wait for your next installment.

[coachlevy]

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. I always like to post a full day together which took me forever to complete. Thanks again for all of your comments. Here is the latest installment of our 3rd day in the parks.
Another early morning for me. I woke at 6 AM to go for a run. I found a trail that led to Saratoga Springs and explored that hotel and got very lost. It seemed like a nice place to stay. After showering I took DS to the playground while we waited for DH to run and get ready (we are a very active family, even in Disney). We left at 8 for MK. When we arrived at the TTC there was a big crowd and lines everywhere. It was early entry day so they only let resort guests on the monorail. I couldn’t believe I missed this in my planning. I checked and double checked the internet for park hours, extra magic hours, parade times, and everything else. DH poked fun at me for not knowing something about Disney.:rotfl: At least we were able to enjoy 15 minutes of morning park hours before the crazy crowds entered.
DS at the TTC:
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Our first ride was Buzz Lightyear and we actually waited for 5 minutes. DS loved the ride and asked to ride twice. The second time there was no line at all. Here he is “shooting green guys.”
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4df492ea20d00000050O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/ As we exited the line, DS saw Stitch and starting jumping up and down screaming his name.:yay: We waited on a short line and then let DS loose. He ran up to him, posed for pictures, and got his autograph book signed.
DS and Stitch
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Next we went to the Pooh ride where DS waved to his favorite characters, the Woozles. When we exited the ride into the store (I love how Disney does that) the Cast Member gave DS a huge Pooh doll and insisted we take some pictures. What a nice touch!
DS and Pooh doll:
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We exited the Pooh ride at 9:29 and I wanted to be by the teacups at 9:30 to meet Alice and the Mad Hatter. I knew the times each character made their first appearance from that website I mentioned earlier, so I made it a goal to meet as many characters without waiting too long. We were third in line and we waited while Alice and the Mad Hatter finisehd spinning on the teacups. DS loved Alice and asked for the Queen of Hearts (to which Alice replied, “oh no, you don’t want her here.”). The Mad Hatter got a kick out of his picture in the autograph book because it looked nothing like him. He and Alice talked about this for a minute. I was surprised how much time they spent talking with each other and to DS. It was really nice. DS wanted to ride the teacups so DH bravely got on line. Thank goodness for being pregnant because I hate this ride! DS changed his mind at the last minute so DH escaped the dizzying ride.:scared:
DS with Alice and Mad Hatter
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Since we were on a character rampage, we walked to Adventureland to see Rafiki and Timon. I never even knew they were in the MK, but they were on the right as you cross the bridge entering Adventureland. DS ran towards them both yelling their names and getting huge hugs. :hug: We got their autographs and DH and I joined in for a picture:
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Our next stop was Frontierland for Woody’s Cowboy Camp. I just love this little show! DS was dancing and clapping with so much enthusiasm during the show. It was too funny. The cowboys tried to get him to ride a pony or dance with them, but he was content doing his own thing.
DS and Cowgirl http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4de4cfec20b00000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/ We left the show a minute early in order to be first on line for the character greeting. They line up by Splash Mountain a few minutes after teh show. We were first on line and waited about 5 minutes. During this time DS called for Woody, but unfortunately only Jessie showed up. DS was still happy and posed with Jessie:
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Our next character encounter was not planned; we happened to see Captain Hook and Mr. Smee at the end of a small line. DS was very excited and ran to Hook with arms wide open. The cast member commented how nobody ever gives Hook hugs. Poor Hook! pirate:
DS with Hook and Smee
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The real reason for walking through Adventureland was to find Jasmine and Aladdin. We were first on line…hooray! DS was hungry so I fed him lunch while we waited. Jasmine came off the Magic Carpet ride and greeted DS. Aladdin was MIA, apparently taking care of business with Genie. I love the excuses the cast members give you. They also told us Woody was taking care of Bullseye when he didn’t show. DS did his usual routine with Jasmine and we took cute pictures. Here he is with the princess.
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Although it was getting close to nap time, DS really wanted to ride Small World again. This probably was not the best idea for a few reasons. First, there was actually a line for the ride. We waited about 15 minutes! DH stopped to get a sandwich and said he’d meet us on line. That never happened so DS and I rode together. After the ride we exited the park , rode the monorail, and finally arrived at our car. Well DH was more concerned with eating his lunch than following directions and we got really lost. We actually exited Disney World! It took us 45 minutes to get back to OKW and by that time I was starving. To make matters worse, DS was super cranky and tired. He actually fell asleep in the car which is a rare thing. We carried him into the room and he slept for almost 3 hours.
After nap time we went to the pool for a little swim. It was a really quick visit because we had a 5:30 reservation at ‘Ohana. We left our room at 5 and arrived at the Polynesian by 5:15. I always wanted to try ‘Ohana, but I’m not really sure why. It really isn’t my type of food. Anyway, we arrived and had to wait about 15 minutes for our table. Once we were seated we waited another few minutes to meet with the chef due to DS’s peanut allergy (we learned about this only a few days before this trip!). The chef explained what foods contained peanuts and made sure that they were not brought to our table. All of the Disney restaurants were very helpful about the allergy, and they definitely take it very seriously. ‘Ohana is a very fun place to eat with all the entertainment and the constant supply of food. DH LOVED the meal and couldn’t get enough of the wings. DS was not interested in any of the activities because he is a serious eater. Nothing can distract him from his food. We did get a Hawaiian lai (no idea how to spell that word) and abandoned his food for a minute to take a picture.
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The dessert was the best part of the meal-pineapple bread pudding with banana foster sauce. The 3 of us ate two helpings!
We left ‘Ohana completely stuffed and boarded the monorail to MK. I was excited because Wishes was playing tonight. But I was in for a big surprise. At the last minute Disney decided to show the special 4th of July fireworks. DH said he read this on the Times Guide and assumed I knew. Boy did he gloat for awhile after my second planning mishap. All of this happened after we walked through the gate at MK. I was so disappointed so we decided to reverse our plans for tonight with tomorrow night’s plans. This involved going back on the monorail and driving our car to Epcot. Now you’re probably thinking I’m completely crazy, but there was only one night that Wishes was happening during our trip and I had to see it. I can’t explain my fascination with the show, but I find the whole thing extremely moving. Also, DS loves the music and I really wanted to see his reaction. Thankfully DH was very accommodating to my mistake and we went to Epcot instead.
Epcot turned out to be a really good idea. It was an EMH night so we got to spend even more time in the park. Getting there was no easy task though. DH decided that we should park at the Beach Club to avoid the crowds leaving after Illuminations. Parking was not a problem, but we got lost on the path that leads you to the International Gateway entrance. We were in the middle of the woods outside the Beach Club Villas. To make matters worse DS really had to use the bathroom. Finally we found our way to the entrance by going back through the hotel entrance. All of this took about 15 minutes. Of course we made a bathroom stop for DS, so it was really more like 25 minutes before we got to Epcot.
Once we were in the park it was smooth sailing. We got our EMH bracelets (DS yanked his off immediately) and walked around World Showcase. Here we are posing for a picture:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d924b3127ccec4deaac9c24f00000040O00QaMmrhq1aMQ e3nwo/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/ We took the long route to Mexico and went on the Rio del Tiempo ride. DS always enjoys this ride and likes to yell for Donald. :donald: On the way out we grabbed a mask from the Kidcot station to color at a later time. I was looking forward to seeing many of the Kidcot stations, but due to my poor planning this didn’t happen. There’s always next time. We exited the Mexico pavilion about 15 minutes before Illuminations began. We found a nice viewing spot where World Showcase and Future World meet. DS was so excited while we waited and danced like crazy. His cute dancing actually earned him a free slushie because we were standing near a stand. Imagine that…something free in Disney! :thumbsup2 Our viewing spot was really great as we were right underneath the fireworks. We also had a terrific view of the laser lights, which I never really noticed before. Illuminations is another show that I feel an emotional connection. It’s definitely the music. DS loves listening to the music at home and even coordinated a little dance. When the music started he was shocked and excited at the same time. He began his little dance routine and then DH put him on his shoulders to watch the fireworks. The loud noises didn’t phase him at all and he had a ball. It was so nice to watch his facial expressions as the music changed. He asked for more when it was over.
DS and DH watching Illuminations
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My plan was to visit the Nemo ride during EMH. We walked very slowly with a huge crowd toward Future World. When we passed Character Connection we noticed a line forming for characters. Even though we saw all of the characters there we felt compelled to get on line. We waited about 20 minutes to see the characters, but it was worth it because there were 5 in the room. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Stitch, and Goofy. DS was really cute with the characters and everyone was commenting on his behavior. We left the park at 10 and we were all asleep by 11. What a long and exciting day it was. Tomorrow we visit AK and MK again.
DS with some characters
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And the whole family with our favorite mouse:
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[Becx N Gav]

This is a great report, your son is so cute :thumbsup2 Sounds like you had loads of fun!

I'm loving your character stalking plan ;) could you possibly post a link to the website you mentioned? The last couple of trips we always seemed to find the characters but the queues were long and we were en-route for a ride or something!

Can't wait to hear more :goodvibes

[RachelNinja]

This is a great TR! Your DS is absolutely adorable, especially with all of his character interactions! Hook was lucky that day to get such a great, warm hug! I also really liked the picture with the cowgirl. I wonder if it made that CM's day!

[Tink3Bell]

You little boy is so cute. My husband doesn't like disney but every year we say we will take a year off and I find him telling me about the specials they have and free dining, for my sake of course so off we go for the thirs year in a row.:rotfl2:

[Diamondintheruff]

Really impressed with all your character interactions. Got to find that website you were talking about.

[coachlevy]

Here is the website for live entertainment at WDW and the times for character appearances. It is awesome!:goodvibes
www.pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

[maxiesmom]

What a cute family you all are!:)

It looks like you were having a wonderful time. Can't wait to read more and see more pics.

[Diamondintheruff]

Thanks for posting the website. It's not working at the moment but I am familiar with Steve through TGM. I will check it out there.

[Becx N Gav]

Here is the website for live entertainment at WDW and the times for character appearances. It is awesome!:goodvibes
www.pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/index.htm

Fantastic, thank you :thumbsup2

Gonna check it out now ;)

[coachlevy]

Thanks for all of the compliments! I hope you get the website to work because it was so helpful in planning. A little off topic, but I found out today that I'm having a girl. :cutie: We're all so excited, especially DS who has said all along that he wants a sister! Now here's Day 4 at the parks:
We actually all slept late today and it felt so good! DS woke at 8 which is really late for him. We quickly got ready for the parks and drove to AK. We arrived a few minutes after 9 and avoided the long wait at the gate. Our plan for the morning was a little unusual because we didn’t do any major attractions. This was by choice though. DH dislikes AK so I decided to show him some new things in the park. First stop, Dinoland. DS and DH rode Triceratop Spin together while I snapped some pictures. It’s really the same ride as Dumbo except you’re in a dinosaur instead of an elephant. DS seemed to enjoy it. We really didn’t do much else because DS was too short to ride the other rides.
DS in Dinoland:
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We walked towards Africa to catch a train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch. We grabbed fastpasses for Kilmanjaro Safari although we didn’t have a huge desire for this ride. DS didn’t really get much out of it in February. In fact, he fell asleep! But we had FP’s in case we wanted to ride. On our way to Planet Watch we spotted King Louie and Baloo. This was an unplanned character sighting, but we jumped at the opportunity. The line wasn’t too bad, although I did take DS across the way to play on the drums while DH waited. DS was playing the drums and laughing when two teenage girls came by and asked to take his picture. It was really funny! DS hugged both characters and screamed their names as usual. We also saw Terk from Tarzan and DS loved every moment.
DS, Louie, and Baloo
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After seeing the characters we made it to Planet Watch. Unfortunately, we missed the train by mere seconds and the next one was in 15 minutes. DH did not want to wait so we backtracked to Camp Minnie-Mickey to meet some more characters. We saw a big bear who we couldn’t identify, but the CM told us it was Kenai from Brother Bear. DS greeted him like every other character even though he didn’t know him. He kept saying, “bear, bear” and that was enough for him. After Kenai we saw Guitar Dan singing. This guy is amazing! I can’t believe how quickly he makes up rhyming lyrics about the kids. Last summer he sang about DS and his crazy hair. This year we were lucky enough to have another song about DS and his croc shoes. DS has blue crocs with Mickey, Pooh, Tigger, and a snail. So that’s what the song was about. At first DS was unsure about the whole thing, but when the song was over he wouldn’t stop staring at his shoes and talking about the guitar man.
DS with Guitar Dan
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The lines to see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy were really long so we opted to see Donald. We were first again! We had already seen all of these characters so this was really just a way to waste some time. DS was happy to see Donald and gave a big smile to the camera.
Standard pose for DS
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Next we got on line for Festival of the Lion King. We waited about 5 minutes before they let us in the theater. DS immediately started calling for Pumba and Timon. It was quite funny. The show was amazing as usual and DS was completely mesmerized. I just love the music and all of the acrobatics in the show. DS continued to call for Pumba until we were out of the theater. After the show we walked back to Africa. Unfortunately we missed our FP time for the safari ride, but we weren’t too upset. We boarded a train for Planet Watch without a wait and were finally on our way. DH thought the train was the attraction and he started taking video footage. I had to tell him at least 3 times that this was not the ride, but he didn’t seem to understand. :confused: Finally he figured out that the train was taking us to the attraction. I happen to really like Planet Watch, although I know some people think it’s a waste of time. I think the petting zoo is worth the trip. When we arrived at Conservation Station we saw the talking recycling bin (I know she has a name, but I can’t remember it). DS enjoyed seeing her although she left just as we took him out of the stroller. He was excited to be out of the stroller and ran towards the building. He remembered a lot of the stuff inside from February. He ran to the rhino and posed for a picture without being asked (what a ham!), and then ran to the tiger statue.
DS and big tiger
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We saw Jiminy Cricket and DS couldn’t wait for him to sign his autograph book. We got lucky because it was almost time for Jiminy’s break, but the CM allowed us on line. A few minutes later Rafiki came out and we met with him again. Pocohantas was scheduled to come out, but after 10 minutes we decided to leave.
After our character encounters we headed outside to the petting zoo. I felt bad for the animals because it was so hot. They were all resting in the shade. DS pet a few sheep and then noticed another girl with a brush so we had to get him a brush. The sheep all had haircuts for the summer, but a little patch of hair was left in a familiar shape. I couldn’t resist taking this picture:
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We washed our hands and DS’s feet (croc shoes are not good on dirt surfaces) before heading back to the train. DS was getting very cranky also. I bought him some watermelon, but he was still cranky. The heat and late nights were starting to catch up with him. We decided it was time to leave the park and headed towards the exit. DH passed the Pizzafari restaurant and saw a sandwich that he had to have on the menu. I knew DS was in no mood to wait so the two of us went to the car. I gave DS a water bottle to keep him occupied while we walked. The result was a soaking wet boy by the time we got to the car. I changed his diaper and clothes, put the stroller in the car, and strapped DS in the car seat. I figured DH would be back by now, but no such luck. He called me on the cell to say there was a long line and he would be awhile. Great! So I’m sitting with a cranky DS in a hot car because DH needed a sandwich. Finally he arrived and we were off. But returning to OKW is never an easy task. DH got lost again (probably because he was focusing on his food and not the road) and it took us so long to get back. But I can’t complain too much about DH; he did do so many good things during the trip too. Thankfully DS fell asleep in the car. I got some lunch by the pool while DS napped. Today was a short nap for the little guy so we were able to spend more time at the pool. However, DS wanted to play in the Community Room before going in the pool. This seemed like a good idea except that when we wanted to go in the pool it started raining. So we only spent about 10 minutes in the pool. We walked back to our room in the rain and all showered for our evening activities.
The plan was to eat dinner at a counter service in MK. We parked at the Contemporary because we had a reservation at The Wave (we didn’t plan on going there though). It was raining so we went inside the hotel to take the monorail. DH said, “Let’s just see if there’s room at Chef Mickey’s” and I didn’t argue. Chef Mickey’s is one of my favorite places in all of WDW, but we could not get a priority seating at a decent hour for any night. So DH tells the cast member that it’s my birthday and that I’m pregnant. By some miracle they said they had room for us and it would be a 30 minute wait. After only 5 minutes our beeper buzzed and we were seated. I couldn’t believe it. In all my trips here we have always waited at least 15 minutes with a priority seating. I guess it was our lucky night. DS was so excited when we sat down because Mickey was two tables away from us. :mickeyjum We took our pictures and then went to the buffet for food. Of course we met with the chef who walked around the entire buffet explaining what dishes were ok for DS. Pretty much everything was peanut free, although he couldn’t guarantee that the ice cream cones weren’t cross contaminated. DS had eaten one in February with no reaction so I felt safe giving him one again (he was fine!). We filled our plates with some healthy and some not so healthy food. I’m like a little kid when I come here and I load my plate with veggies, chicken fingers, and pizza (same for DS). We saw all of the characters (Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, and Donald) and did the napkin wave. Ever since DS’s first trip last summer the napkin wave has been a big thing. My mom made loud noises (woo woo) at the restaurant and to this day continues to wave her napkin, noises and all, when we eat dinner with her. If you ask DS, “what do you do at Chef Mickey’s” he picks up his napkin and yells, “woo woo.” So he was ecstatic and ready for the napkin wave and singing. After all the fun we got some dessert. This is really my favorite part of the Chef Mickey’s experience. Ice cream with every topping imaginable and oatmeal raisin cookies…yummy! I always tend to eat too much and feel sick afterwards though.:sick: It’s worth it though. While DH was waiting for the bill, I took DS near the dessert bar to move around a little bit. We saw Pluto walking and he stopped for a high 5 and hug. DS decided to sit down next to Pluto but Pluto needed to move to the next room. The result was Pluto tripping over DS and me having to grab both of them to prevent a major accident! Thank goodness nobody was hurt but it could’ve been a really bad situation. Pluto played it off nicely although I’m sure inside he was not too happy.
Chef Mickey’s Pictures:
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After our wonderful dinner we stopped by the gift shop to buy a photo album. While we were there we also picked up a $25 frame, 6 pieces of fudge for $18 (a 33% discount!) and a WDW tote bag for the bargain price of $10 because we spent over $40 dollars. The fudge is something I always feel compelled to buy at WDW, but I was too stuffed to even think about it. We kept it in the fridge and finished most of it back home. After our shopping spree we walked to MK where DH found a seat for Spectromagic right outside Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. DS and I went to Toontown Playground which was so crowded. He had a fun time and got to use up some of his energy. We returned to DH at 8:30 and waited for the parade. The cast members have a lot of activities for kids like hula hoops, bubbles, and Disney music. DS had a blast running all over the place. He loved every minute of the parade and kept asking for Genie and Goofy. It helps that we listen to the CD at home all of the time so he knew which characters to expect. When the parade ended we still had an hour before Wishes. DH looked at our Photopass pictures and DS ran in and out of the store to the spot where DH was for about 10 minutes. He was crazy! We watched Wishes from Main Street and it was spectacular as usual. pixiedust: I'm so glad we changed our plans last night in order to see it. DS loved it and kept saying the CD track number for every music change. We also listen to this CD at home and DS loves to push the numbers on the remote control…that’s how he knows all of the track numbers. His favorite part is when the Genie says, “we’ve got some wishes to grant!” and he has a little dance for it. He wanted more when it ended. It was wonderful watching him enjoy the show and it made it more enjoyable for me. What’s better than seeing your child have a happy reaction to Disney? :love: We went back to the hotel and were all asleep by 11. Another long and fun-filled day for everyone. Only one more day at the parks though….so sad!:rainbow:

[Diamondintheruff]

:Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

Woo Hoo, a girl!

[irky416]

Wow, you met a lot of characters at MK!

Yay a girl! :cutie:

We also saw Guitar Dan and were amazed at his songs. That's so nice that your DS got a song about him. :goodvibes

[TCKK]

Great report and pictures. Your son is such a cutie!!

Cathy

[MEK]

Nice trip. I also get up early to run at WDW, but I'm not pregnant! :goodvibes Good for you. :worship:

[coachlevy]

Wow, it's been so long since I last wrote! Thank you for your comments. I love reading what people write. Here is our last day at the MK.

I made DH wake up early today to run so I could sleep an extra 30 minutes. After all, I’m the pregnant one! Apparently while I was running DS awoke and freaked out because I wasn’t there. DH didn’t know what to do so he grabbed the car keys, strapped DS in the car seat, and went looking for me. How funny is that? They did not find me since I was running on the trail, but at least DS calmed down. I returned to the room , showered, and got DS ready. We left for MK by 8:30. We had breakfast reservations at Chef Mickey’s but decided not to go since we ate dinner there the other night. We did however take advantage of the reservation and parked at the Contemporary. This is one of our favorite tricks if you haven’t already noticed. DH was nervous about walking in front of the security guard and thought we might get “caught.” I was not nervous and strolled along with DS while DH waited by the car. It helped that there were a lot of construction vehicles blocking the view. Finally DH had enough guts to walk and we all made it safely to MK. We arrived in time to see the pre-show and DS loved the announcer and zip-a-dee-doo-dah song. Once in the park we asked which characters would be appearing in Town Square. We lined up for Chip and Dale because we needed their signatures in our book. We were second on line. DS was very cute and ran up to them with open arms.
DS with Chip and Dale:
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Next we went to Dumbo where I watched my guys fly in the air. I don’t understand the appeal of that ride. We went to see Ariel and waited about 5 minutes. Ariel commented on DS’s croc shoes which made him very happy.
DS and Ariel:
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Our next stop was Toontown Fair to meet some more characters. Today’s agenda: princesses. We lined up for rope drop at 9:45 with tons of other people. DH made a mad dash with DS to the Judge’s Tent while I parked the stroller. He was not the only one running. It was the funniest thing to see so many people running to get on line for characters. :laughing: Fifteen people must have passed me while I was walking! I parked the stroller and met my boys on line. DH got a great spot…we were second in line! DS was excited for the princesses and their autographs. Part of my brainwashing was making sure he knew all characters (DH wasn’t too happy about the princesses but he got over it). We saw Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle. DS had the same reaction for all and had conversations with them. They were all very sweet and commented on their pictures in the autograph book. Cinderella even wrote DS’s name with her signature. I mention this because I have an autograph book from when I was younger and all the characters wrote my name. I guess in the interest of time they have done away with personalizing the autographs. So it was very nice of Cinderella to write his name. The best encounter was with Belle because DS asked for “Be Our Guest” and she laughed.
DS and Princesses:
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After our princess encounter we went to Fantasyland to ride Small World once again. DS remembered all the dolls I pointed out, even the platypus in the Polynesian room. He waved and greeted all of them. Example: “Hi can-can girl, hi surfer” for the entire ride. Next we rode Peter Pan where DS greeted all of those figures. He really likes to talk! As we exited the ride we were approached by the Dream Squad and awarded super Fastpasses that were good on every ride. :banana: I was very excited even though I knew we wouldn’t use half of them. DS even got his own! We debated about where to go next, but decided on Pirates of the Caribbean. DH had not seen the new version and DS never went on it either. The wait was about 10 minutes, but it was nice and cool. We boarded our boat and enjoyed the ride. I thought DS might be a little scared but he was fine. I completely forgot about the drop though. It seemed much longer than I remembered and there was no warning. I thought there was a skull or something that said, “dangerous water ahead” or something like that. Thankfully DS was fine and so was the baby. I think Pirates is one of the rides they say to avoid during pregnancy. After the ride we stopped for a snack. DH ate an egg roll from the very popular egg roll cart.
For the entire trip we were debating whether or not to get DS a haircut at the Barber Shop. He had his first haircut there last year, but didn’t really need a haircut on this trip. I suggested that we add color to his hair and spike it. We saw some little boys with green hair and Mickey logos and thought DS would look cute like that. So we went to Harmony Barber Shop to get blue, spiked hair for DS (blue was his request). The whole thing did not go very well. He was very excited when he walked in and loved sitting in the chair. The lady covered him in Mickey stickers, although I’m not sure why because she covered him with the cape. She gave him a Buzz Lightyear spin toy to play with. Of course he shouted, “Buzz” and “To Infinity…” to which we all laughed. We told the hairdresser what we wanted and she suggested light blue so it wouldn’t stain DS’s hair. DS sat happily while she added blue to his hair, a Mickey emblem, and some Mickey confetti. He was all happy and laughed when he saw himself in the mirror. He didn’t even try to touch it. Now here’s the part that bothered me a little bit. The other hairdresser in the shop said that it would take 1-2 hours to dry and that they don’t recommend it in young children for that reason. Also, toddlers have very fine hair and this can damage it if not removed properly. Hello, this would have been valuable information before I put my kid in the chair! :rolleyes: I definitely wouldn’t have done it. DS didn’t seem to mind his hair until we stepped outside into the hot, humid air. Immediately he started touching his hair and trying to pull out the confetti. There was blue stuff all over his hands so DS took him to the men’s room to find a hand dryer. It was hopeless, though so we conceded to the fact that DS would be covered in blue and have strange looking hair.
DS at the barber shop:
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While DH dealt with DS and his hair I waited on a long line for Pinocchio. DS was excited to see Pinocchio and posed for pictures. We warned Pinocchio about the wet hair, but he was adorable and tried to tell the other cast member that he wanted hair like that. After Pinocchio we tried for Snow White, but her line was closed. I was kind of glad because it was past naptime and DS was cranky. On the way to the monorail DS said, “Mickey out hair” meaning that he wanted the confetti out. So we sat on a bench and picked out about 100 colored Mickey’s from his hair. I felt bad because we kind of made a mess on the bench. We boarded the monorail and drove back to the hotel. We arrived and I put DS to sleep, still with wet hair. He napped a long time. His hair finally dried during his nap and it felt all sticky, like dried paint. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. It did look cute though. We went to the pool for a quick swim and then showered for dinner.
DS and Pinocchio (notice the hair):
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At 5:30 we left the hotel for our 6:10 reservation at Crystal Palace. We parked at our favorite spot, the Contemporary and walked to MK. We arrived a few minutes before our priority seating and still waited 30 minutes! It was really crowded…I guess because it’s inside the park. I have never been to the Crystal Palace and was excited to try it. I’ve never gone because I love Chef Mickey’s and never want 2 buffets in the same trip. But I thought we’d give it a try because Chef Mickey’s wasn’t available when I made reservations and DS likes the Pooh characters. The wait seemed very long because I was hungry, DS was hungry, and the cast member at the door wasn’t very nice. I was trying to keep DS occupied so we walked into the restaurant to look around. She informed us that we had to wait outside and was not very Disney like when she said it.:mad: But the food inside made up for the long wait. I was really surprised at the quality of the food. It was better than Chef Mickey’s, although the dessert didn’t even come close (Chef Mickey’s will always hold that spot for me :love: ). DS ate everything in sight and had so much fun. He loved seeing the characters. Pooh even wrote his name in his autograph book which was cool. We got some really nice pictures. DS missed the little parade because he needed to use the bathroom, but he danced to the music while on line in the bathroom. It was a very fun dinner for all of us.
DS at Crystal Palace:
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We left CP after 8 and stopped by the Jungle Cruise. We used our super fastpasses and waited less than 5 minutes. DS enjoyed the ride and so did DH. The cast members are really funny on the boat ride. Our favorite comment was that if you forget your child they glue them to it’s a small world, force them to learn the annoying song, and then send them back home to sing it for you. DH thought this was hilarious. :rotfl: Next we planned to ride Peter Pan, but DS saw Small World and needed to ride it again. As we exited the Fourth of July fireworks were beginning. We watched them from Liberty Square which was not the best location. I wish we were on Main Street but it was a great show anyway. The fireworks surrounded you in every direction and were really cool. They played all patriotic music and there was some narration too. It was what you would expect from Disney for the 4th of July. However I prefer the shows coordinated to music, like Wishes and Illuminations. I think DS agrees because he was a little bored with the show. We walked a few steps to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan after the fireworks. I think everyone else in our vicinity did the same thing because the line went from a 10 minute to 60 minute wait in a matter of seconds. Thankfully we had our fastpasses and didn’t have to deal with the crowds. Peter Pan was relaxing and then we had to take another ride on Small World before leaving. The seventh time is definitely the best! :yay: We were all really tired and left MK at 10:15. We said our goodbyes to our favorite park and left our wishes to return soon (the plan is April or next summer…not too far away!). DS fell asleep in the car. What a long day for the little guy. I packed a few things before going to sleep, knowing that I could sleep a little later tomorrow. Tomorrow we leave the happiest place on earth, but still have some fun in the morning. :goodvibes

[jmskinner]

Can't believe the TR is almost over. Can't believe that about the coloring at the barber shop. You would think there would be warnings posted. I actually wanted my DS(9) to color his, but he wouldn't have it. Just wanted a cut. Even got mad that the barber put the confetti on his head. They did a great job though.

Glad you liked Crystal Palace. We ate there two years ago, I remember a long wait also.

The pics are wonderful. Your DS is so cute!

[Diamondintheruff]

My DS got stripes painted in his hair along with the mickey head and confetti. It took many hours to dry. Luckily he was 8 so understood the need to not touch his head. But is was hard for him (and let's face it me too. I kept saying "let me just check if this is dry").

[coachlevy]

So sad…our last day is here! DS woke up late today (8 AM) so we all got to sleep late. DH went for a run while I fed, bathed, and dressed DS. The bath was not fun because of DS’s blue hair. It didn’t come out in the first attempt, but at least it became softer and more manageable. DH returned from his run and I went to the fitness center to use the elliptical. My guys stopped by to say hi and then I met them at the pool. The pool was not crowded at all and they had huge speakers playing Disney music. OKW was setting up for the 4th of July festivities which included snowcones, popcorn machine, parade, and dance party. Unfortunately we would have to miss all the fun, but we enjoyed the music and watching the staff set up for the party.:sad1: DH left the pool to pack and shower so DS and I walked around a bit. He discovered the numbers on the shuffleboard court and spent about 15 minutes running back and forth. We walked back to our room and made a quick stop in the lobby. I wanted clean maps of the parks to put in my photo album at home. DS had been playing with the other ones all through the trip and they were crumpled and ripped. Back in the room I gave DS a shower to get out all of the blue goo. It’s fine to walk around Disney with blue spiked hair, but I’m pretty sure we’d get a lot of weird looks in the airport and surrounding areas! :lmao: Finally after 1 bath, a dip in the pool, and a shower, DS had clean hair. We left the hotel at 11 in order to return the clothes I bought to Walmart (remember the lost suitcase?) We probably could have enjoyed some snowcones and popcorn if we didn’t have the Walmart detour. Oh well. Walmart can be fun too. Luckily our wait in Walmart was minimal and we had a lot of extra time before our flight. We stopped at Subway for lunch, got gas, returned the rental car, hopped right on the shuttle, and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. We stopped in the Disney store and looked for some tattoos but had no luck. I had seen them at MK and made a mental note to buy them before we left but it never happened. I actually ordered a bunch from Ebay when I returned home and probably saved a lot of money too! :yay: I let DS run around a little while before boarding the plane. I hoped it would tire him out and he would sleep. Our flight was at 2:30, well past his nap time, so I figured he’d sleep without a problem. More on that later though.
When it was time to board the plane DH was watching DS while I held the stroller (it has a great strap that makes it easy to carry). DH handed the tickets to the agent and let go of DS’s hand. DS, like any curious toddler, ran down the ramp toward the plane. To make matters worse there were 2 wheelchairs that were going down the ramp at that time. As any mother would do I dropped the stroller and ran after my kid. The agent started screaming, “ma’am” over and over again because I hadn’t handed him my ticket…DH gave all the tickets together. Of course I can’t hear this as I’m halfway down the ramp and trying to keep my kid from getting hit by the wheelchairs. DH called my name and I returned with DS to a very unhappy agent. I personally handed him my ticket and everything was okay. I gave DH a piece of my mind too because he was watching DS. Thankfully it all worked out fine…nobody got hurt and I wasn’t arrested for trying to board the plane without a ticket! :laughing:
We boarded the plane and I tried to keep DS occupied with an assortment of toys. I had silly putty, books, ABC stickers, coloring books, a magna doodle, and some other stuff. DS was very cranky and not easy to please. He would play with something for a few minutes and then want something else. He also wanted to eat the entire time, a sure sign that he was bored and tired. After about 2 hours he had a meltdown and screamed/cried for a few minutes before falling asleep. It was 4:30 now, way past his nap time and he was so upset. I felt so bad for him as well as the people around us. He slept until we carried him off the plane, only a short 40 minutes. He was so tired and cried for about 10 minutes. I carried him, wheeled him in the stroller, and carried him some more until he settled down. He did not fall asleep again, but did perk up after awhile. He was happy to see our car and his car seat. I sat in the backseat with him hoping he would fall asleep, but no such luck. We drove to my in-laws house for a 4th of July party and talked about Disney the entire time. People asked DS, “how was Disney?” and he answered, “awesome!” It was the funniest thing coming from the little guy, but he was exactly right. The trip was many things-spectacular, awesome, amazing, I could go on and on with adjectives. We still talk about Disney every day and now we talk about how “baby sister” will join us on the next trip (probably in April). I’m sure DS will want to teach his sister all about our favorite place on earth. Hopefully the love of Disney will be natural for my little girl, just as it is for DS. It is so wonderful to share that love and make wonderful memories with your family (I hope I didn’t get too mushy on you). I thank you all for reading and enjoying WDW with my family. I wish you all many returns and to the happiest place on earth. :goodvibes

[jmskinner]

So, you'll have a little pirate and princess next time you go. That will be fun.

I enjoyed reading your TR and look forward to the next one!:goodvibes