J5 and Family--The Vincelettes Hit WDW-Updated 4/19

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Well, I attempted a pre-trip report, but I got a little sidetracked. :confused3 Now we've been home for 2 months (!), and I am finally going to write a trip report. Come along with me, and I promise I'll keep it up! Let's go!

First, here we are:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/MaggieReadyToGo.jpg This is me...

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/JasonReadyToGo.jpgMy husband...

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/RubyJoReadyToGo.jpgMy two youngest, Ruby and Johanna

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/FaithReadyToGo.jpgMy oldest, Faith

Our flight was at 7AM, and it is about a 40 minute drive to the airport. I think we got up at 4AM or something crazy like that! The pictures above are of all of us in the car when we were leaving for the airport. See how dark it is outside?? Even at such an early time we were all smiles-A trip to Disney will do that for you! :rotfl:

I thought that a 7AM flight would not be too busy, but boy was I wrong! What I didn't know was that there was a local dance school headed to WDW, too-to perform at Downtown Disney. When we got to the gate, it was packed! We were flying Southwest, but since Jo was only 2 we got board with the families. That meant we pretty easily found seats all together. :thumbsup2 Jason and I sat on one side of the plane with Jo in between us and Faith and Ruby sat across the aisle from us. They have flown several times before, so they act like they are seasoned travelers. I did feel a little bad for the, ahem, larger, older gentleman who had to sit in the window seat. But, he slept for most of the flight, so I am sure he didn't notice how uncomfortable he was! :rotfl2: Here are Faith and Ruby on the plane:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/OnThePlane.jpg

A bit off topic for a second-see the matching pink jackets?? Target clearance-only $3.00 each!! I Love Target!:love:

Ok, back to the trip:
A pretty uneventful flight. Lollipops in the morning make 2 year olds quiet! SSHHH don't tell on me! HeeHee

So, we get to Orlando, and head to the Magical Express counter. I recognized the lady standing in front of me in line as having been on our flight, so I struck up a conversation. While part of me was just trying to be friendly, another teensy part of me was just trying to get info on the dance group. You know, just in case I was going to be sharing my hotel experience with a thousand teenagers! Ok, not a thousand, but I have heard horror stories about Pop Warner, etc. So, after just a couple of minutes, we were headed over to the red carpet-and straight out to our bus!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/JandJo.jpg
Lollipops make two year olds happy-see the proof?? (And another Target jacket??)

Finally! Off to my favorite place-see the sign??
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WDWSign.jpg

Next time-Checking in to Wilderness Lodge, lunch, and an easy afternoon at Animal Kingdom!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

So, we arrived at Wilderness Lodge! It was just as impressive and beautiful as I imagined. Okay, and saw in about 500 pictures here on the DIS! ;)

I know that I hopped in line to check in, but I am not sure where everyone else was. I think they were exploring the lobby. At check in I asked about being flag family, but they were all booked for our entire stay. Oh, well...that just gives us a reason to come back! :thumbsup2

After I checked in I found my family hanging out in the rocking chairs over near the little bridge.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/JandRubyLobby.jpg

Next, I had the girls visit Humphrey! I wanted to make sure we had as much good luck as possible on our vacation.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/HumphreyTotemAndStore.jpg

Now, remember, we got up VERY early this morning (which by the way was Saturday, January 24th-I forgot to tell you when we vacationed!), and by now we were getting hungry. Our room wasn't ready yet. I knew that would probably happen, so I planned for us to eat lunch at Roaring Forks and then head over to Animal Kingdom. We found Roaring Forks, but at this point it was only about 10:45 AM! They were still serving breakfast, so we decided that eggs and bacon would be just fine for lunch. We ordered our food, tried to remember/figure out what we could get with our dining plan, and Jason headed out with the kids to find a table while I paid. It was such a beautiful day that we wanted to eat outside in the sunshine!

I forgot to take pictures of our food, but I did take pictures of our visitors:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/LunchVisitor.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/MoreLunchVisitors.jpg
And, NO, we did not feed the wildlife (even though they wanted biscuits-I am sure of it!)

After lunch and a potty break, we headed for the bus stop. I picked Animal Kingdom for our first afternoon because I knew it had the big play area over in Dinoland. I figured that would be a low key, low stress, low chance for meltdowns kind of way for us to spend a few hours until our room was ready. Plus, I love Animal Kingdom!

Here we are headed into the park:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/1stDayatAK.jpg
Yes, Johanna is missing! I was taking a picture of Jason with Faith and Ruby when a very kind man offered to include me in the shot, too. Only after I got home, when my sister was looking at our pictures and said "Where's Jo?" did I realize that she was still in the stroller, with the back of the stroller facing the camera! So, I edited her out, rather than look like the terrible mother I am! Of course, now I have confessed. :eek:

We played at The Boneyard for a little while.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/JoatDinoPlayground2.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/RubyAtDinoPlayground4.jpg
I think we sent Daddy to get FastPasses for Expedition Everest while we went to check the wait time on Dinosaur. While we waited for Jason to return, the girls did the first of the Kids' Discovery Club stations. They had to match up the jaws for different dinosaur skulls.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/DinoTeethPuzzle4.jpg

We walked over to Asia. I think we did the Maharaja Jungle Trek, and then had a snack of french fries and frozen lemonade from the Yak and Yeti counter service area. Yummy!http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/YakYetiFries.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/YakYetiFrozenLemonade.jpg
The girls did their second Discovery Station, while I went to buy a Coke at a little shop near Yak and Yeti. Inside the shop were about 8 people who spoke little English who were buying ponchos to get on Kali River Rapids. They were buying them one at a time with $100 bills! It took forever. While I was waiting there patiently, two other people (NOT part of the first group) just walked right in front of me and jumped in to buy ponchos, too!:rolleyes:
But, I eventually got my Coke, and I didn't even mind the wait-after all, we were at Disney!

After that, Faith, Ruby, and Jason rode Expedition Everest while I walked around with Johanna. We decided it was time to head back to the resort. We wanted to settle in our room, freshen up, and get ready for dinner that night at Whispering Canyon Cafe! On the way out, we stopped near the waterfall by the Rainforest Cafe for a photo. This picture just cracks me up! :rotfl2: It is one of my favorites from the whole trip:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/CrazyFamily.jpg

Up next: Whispering Canyon, Baths, and Bed

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Once we got back to the hotel, our room was ready, so we went up, checked it out, and unpacked. Our room was nice (I'll have pictures later in the report), but I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the view. I had requested a Woods view, secretly hoping we'd be able to see at least a little bit of the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Our room, however, was on the opposite side of the lodge-facing the Villas. After my initial disappointment, the view did grow on me!

We had a 5:20 ADR at Whispering Canyon, so down we went! The girls were excited to play with the Lincoln Logs in the waiting area-but they didn't get to play for long. I think we were called in about 5 minutes.

Before our trip I was apprehensive about this meal. Even though I had looked at menus online and read some of the food reviews here on DIS, I just wasn't really excited about going here. I am glad I decided to keep the ADR, because it ended up being one of our favorite meals. In fact, Jason said it was his best meal of the entire trip!

We had a lot of fun:
Coloring
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/FaithandRubyWCC.jpg

Doing the Hokey Pokey
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCHokeyPokey.jpg

Pony Ride
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCPonyRace.jpg

Cheering on the Riders
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/JOWCC2.jpg

We NEEEEEEEEEEEEDed Ketchup!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WeNeedKetchupWCC.jpg

And now the food:
Cornbread
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood.jpg

Orange Milkshake (all you can drink, but I didn't really like it-I didn't even finish this one)
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood2.jpg
Everyone else liked their shakes though!

Salad that came with Skillet (DH's meal)
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood3.jpg

Skillet
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood6.jpg

My meal, the grilled ribeye (delicious!)
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood5.jpg

Kids grilled chicken strips
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WCCFood4.jpg

By the time we finished our food, Johanna was getting very, very tough to deal with. We had been up for many hours, and everyone was getting tired and cranky. Jason took the kids up to the room for a bath while I waited for our desserts to be boxed. It took a LONG time to get our desserts and check! :eek: By the time I got upstairs baths were done and everyone was in bed.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/First%20Day/WLBedtime.jpg

Jo had been crying-and Jason said it seemed like I was gone forever! But soon we were all resting/asleep-and headed to Magic Kingdom in the morning! :yay:

[ProudMommyof2]

Am I really first? Well- off to a great start!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Am I really first? Well- off to a great start!

Yep, you're first! Congratulations! :cheer2: HeeHee

Actually, I want to say Welcome! I am glad you are enjoying it so far. There's lots more to come!

PS My husband is from Red Sox/Patriots country! Almost all of his family lives in Western Mass

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Good Morning everyone! I am off to visit the Disney Store today with my sister. :cool1: I have a $25 gift card, so I am hoping to find something I want! I don't think that will be too hard.

I'll post another "chapter" later today. Is anyone out there? Say hello if you are! :flower1:

[PrincessCaitlin]

Hi!!!

I just found your trip report and I can't wait to read more popcorn::

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Hi!!!

I just found your trip report and I can't wait to read more popcorn::

:welcome: And thanks for reading! I am working on my next installment now!

I just got back from the Disney Store. There were lots of things I wanted, but I settled for buying some cute stuffed animals for my daughters' Easter baskets and to send to my niece and nephew. I got Marie dressed as a butterfly, Pooh dressed as a bee, and three of Thumper holding a flower. I also got a really cool red reusable tote bag that has Mickey's face on it. :goodvibes

[PrincessCaitlin]

I just got back from the Disney Store. There were lots of things I wanted, but I settled for buying some cute stuffed animals for my daughters' Easter baskets and to send to my niece and nephew. I got Marie dressed as a butterfly, Pooh dressed as a bee, and three of Thumper holding a flower. I also got a really cool red reusable tote bag that has Mickey's face on it. :goodvibes[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

My mom and I went there the other day and spent tons of money :rotfl:
We also go the reusable Mickey tote bag :thumbsup2

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Up bright and early on Sunday morning-We wanted to be at Magic Kingdom when they opened.

We headed out to the boat dock. This was our first time using the boats at Wilderness Lodge, and look at this view across the lake. I took this while we were waiting for the boat.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/WLViewfromDock.jpg
It was beautiful, and we LOVED that boat ride!:love: My husband said he'd stay at Wilderness Lodge again just to be able to ride the boat. Of course, now that Johanna will be 3 we will be a "family of 5"-and that makes staying at WL a lot more expensive. That's why we stayed there this time, because I knew that once Jo was 3 we'd probably have to stay at Port Orleans or POP Century from now on.

So, we rode the boat over, and we got there in time to see the opening show.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MKOpeningShow2.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MKOpeningShow7.jpg
I took more pictures of this, but I don't want to bore you with 6 pictures of basically the same thing! I choked back some tears-I didn't want my husband to think I had gone completely insane! But, it turns out that he got a little choked up, too, thinking about how excited the kids were to see the characters arrive on the train. I guess we are a match made in heaven! :lovestruc

We headed in and just soaked up the atmosphere. I love those first few minutes in the park-especially first thing in the morning. Up Main Street-and when we got to the castle the Dream Along With Mickey show was in progress. I had seen the show in October and thought the kids would enjoy it, so we stopped to watch.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Castle.jpgThere's that castle!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/WatchingCastleShow2.jpgWatching the show

I think we sent Jason to get FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and we headed around the castle to Fantasyland. We spotted Cinderella's Wicked family in Belle's little theatre, and stopped for our first character photos and autographs. We were the next to last people they let in line!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/StepFamily3.jpg

We made it to Fantasyland and met up with Daddy. Our cellphones and text messaging were a life saver on this trip.--You'll see that we split up many times. I would take Johanna to things she liked (or try to get her to nap), and Jason would take the older girls on the bigger rides. We headed to the Winnie the Pooh ride. This was going to be Johanna's first ride at Magic Kingdom. But, she wasn't really interested in having her picture taken. (She must have still been a little tired!) See this series of pictures:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/UnhappyJoatPooh.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/UnhappyJoatPooh2.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/UnhappyJoatPooh3.jpg
HaHa-She didn't like the ride much either! I was surprised because she has ridden rides before. We live near Busch Gardens Europe and go there all of the time. She did like it eventually (although she still says she did not like Owl's house). I am not sure we helped her fear of rides by taking her on Haunted Mansion, It's Tough to Be a Bug, or The Great Movie Ride. :rotfl:

I think we went on It's a Small World after that, but I don't seem to have a picture. After IASW Jason raced off with the older girls to ride Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I walked around with Johanna. We watched the Liberty Square Riverboat.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JoandRiverboat.jpg

After we joined back up with the rest of our family we headed to ToonTown. We went through Mickey's and Minnie's houses, and then the girls played on the little playground. We met some not so nice kids there. One little boy was yelling at Johanna to stay out of the house and then was creating trouble on the slide. He wouldn't wait for her to slide down the slide before he would climb up. He even stepped on her hand! :headache: His mother was just ignoring it all, and we decided to just leave. We walked through Donald's boat, but they didn't have the water on.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JoSlideMK.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/InsideDonaldsBoat2.jpg

We walked the pathway that goes between the railroad tracks and Tomorrowland Indy Speedway. Once we made it to Tomorrowland Jason got fastpasses for Space Mountain and then we headed to Buzz Lightyear. I love that ride, and I used some of the tips I have read on DIS to increase my score. I think I scored around 88,000 on this turn. Not the biggest score in the world, but definitely good for me!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/BuzzRide2.jpg

Up Next: Lunch at the Castle!

[PrincessCaitlin]

Aww I am so sorry about that little boy!

It sounds like you had a good day despite some of the Grumpys out there!

[MushuGirl06]

Love your TR

i am also in a family of 5 and we always stay at POR or ASM suites, i love them to death but sometimes wish it was just 4 so we could stay at the deluxe resorts :confused3

your girls are adorable and cant wait to hear the rest of your TR :cool1:

[My2Qtz0205]

Hi there!

I am also in the SE VA area, and I suspect (based on how far you are from the airport), that we live pretty close to one another!

I'm interested in reading how a Disney trip goes with small children, since we will be taking our children for the first time in October. Our son will be turning 7 while we are there, and our daughter will be almost 4.

Can't wait to hear more!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Aww I am so sorry about that little boy!

It sounds like you had a good day despite some of the Grumpys out there!

We had a great day! I was more annoyed at the boy's mom than at him. There were also a few very loud kids who were climbing on top of the play equipment and yell-singing. I was glad when they left!


Love your TR

i am also in a family of 5 and we always stay at POR or ASM suites, i love them to death but sometimes wish it was just 4 so we could stay at the deluxe resorts :confused3

your girls are adorable and cant wait to hear the rest of your TR :cool1:

Thanks for the compliment on my girls. I'd be really interested in hearing what you think of POR and ASM suites. Please share!

Hi there!

I am also in the SE VA area, and I suspect (based on how far you are from the airport), that we live pretty close to one another!

I'm interested in reading how a Disney trip goes with small children, since we will be taking our children for the first time in October. Our son will be turning 7 while we are there, and our daughter will be almost 4.

Can't wait to hear more!

Are you on the Southside or Peninsula? I'm on the Peninsula. The first time we went to Disney Johanna was only 8 months old. I think you can have a great time with small children-you just have to know your limitations and go with the expectation that you'll see what you can and not everything. It is better to have a GREAT time doing a lot of things at WDW than to have an awful time rushing around and trying to do it all! JMHO though

[ProudMommyof2]

I haven't gotten to see the opening show at MK yet- it is a must do this trip!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

I haven't gotten to see the opening show at MK yet- it is a must do this trip!

It is definitely worth getting there early to see-if you are a complete sap like me! I mean, really, it isn't anything amazing as far as what they actually do-it was just amazing to me because it was that I'm-finally-here-after-all-the-months-of-planning-and-we-are-going-to-have-so-much-fun-and-boy-this-place-is-magical kind of way!

[tinawv]

Looking forward to reading more about your trip. Your girls are so adorable. Sorry that your little girls hand got stepped on. I can't believe how some parents let their kids go wild; especially at someone elses expense.

[My2Qtz0205]

Are you on the Southside or Peninsula? I'm on the Peninsula. The first time we went to Disney Johanna was only 8 months old. I think you can have a great time with small children-you just have to know your limitations and go with the expectation that you'll see what you can and not everything. It is better to have a GREAT time doing a lot of things at WDW than to have an awful time rushing around and trying to do it all! JMHO though

Ah, we are on the southside--just off the MMBT. Just curious, why did you decide to fly Southwest instead of Air Tran? We will probably fly Southwest. I'm anxiously awaiting their October schedule!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Looking forward to reading more about your trip. Your girls are so adorable. Sorry that your little girls hand got stepped on. I can't believe how some parents let their kids go wild; especially at someone elses expense.

Thanks and Welcome! You can see from the picture of Jo on the slide that her tears over being stepped on lasted only briefly! There was just too much fun to be had-thank goodness! :goodvibes

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Ah, we are on the southside--just off the MMBT. Just curious, why did you decide to fly Southwest instead of Air Tran? We will probably fly Southwest. I'm anxiously awaiting their October schedule!


We are on the OTHER side of the MMBT. :) We live in Newport News, and are only about 5 minutes away from Newport News/Williamsburg Airport. We flew Airtran out of that airport when we went in 2007. In October 2008 I went for 3 days with my sister, and we flew Southwest out of Norfolk. There were two main reasons she and I chose Southwest-the price and the flight times. Southwest had a nonstop flight to Orlando in the morning, and Airtran's is mid-day. We were only going from early Tuesday until late Thursday and we wanted to make the most of our time. I like that you can make changes at Southwest without being charged a fee, too.

When I traveled with my family in January we picked Southwest for basically the same reasons-price and flight schedule. We were checked into the hotel by 10:30 AM, and if we had flown Airtran we would have still been at the airport. It did help us that Jo was only 2 because we got to board with families (between the A group and B group.) Have you ever flown Southwest? They don't assign seats-and that could be stressful if you don't get to sit together. I think that their family boarding is for groups with children under age 4, so you might get to use it too. I am going with my sister again this October:woohoo:, so I am also waiting for those October flights to be released! When are you going in October? Are you doing Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party? We did it last year and it was great!

(The flight prices from Airtran were not a lot more expensive than Southwest-maybe 5 or 10 dollars each way. If Southwest had been a lot more expensive we would have definitely used Airtran again-and just flown in the middle of the day!)

[My2Qtz0205]

We are going Oct. 16-23rd. I flew Southwest down to Orlando in late September 2007 for a convention down there. We had a wonderful experience with them. We were flying into a tropical storm, but the flight was extremely smooth! Our flight home was delayed by thunderstorms, but Southwest rerouted airplanes so our delay was only by about 1 1/2 hours. I also like that they don't have baggage fees, and that it's nonstop. I am NOT a good flier, so it just makes it easier on me if I only have to get on and off once!

While we were in Orlando my friends and I did go to Disney one evening for the MNSSHP. I am excited about taking the kids to see it.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Hi, everyone! Here's what happened next:

After we rode Buzz Lightyear we headed back towards Fantasyland and the Castle. We stopped and took a picture on Dumbo:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Dumbo.jpg
We had a little time to kill before our lunch ADR, so we wandered in a couple of stores. A CM sprinkled pixiedust on the girls while we shopped in Tinkerbelle's Treasures. I stopped and took a picture of Aurora's dress for my sister because Sleeping Beauty is her favorite.

We visited Cinderella's fountain, and were able to meet the Fairy Godmother.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/CinderellaFountain.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/FairyGodmother.jpg

This is where I overheard one of the funniest conversations...well I heard 1/2 of it! We were parking our stroller and getting ready to check into the castle. A lady was standing there with several other people-there were probably 4 or 5 of them. Apparently they had split up from another part of their group, and she was on the phone with the other half of them. She said, "Where are you?-Oh, you're at Tom Cruise Island."
To her group-"They're at Tom Cruise Island. They are just getting off Tom Cruise Island. Let's head over to Tom Cruise Island and meet them."
I swear she said TOM CRUISE ISLAND at least five times-and never realized her mistake nor was ever corrected by anyone else in her group. I thought it was so funny!:rotfl2:

Okay, well maybe you had to be there. :confused3

It was time to storm the castle! Johanna had been saying for weeks that she couldn't wait to meet Cinderella. She was going to hug her, she was going to dance with her, she was.......going to be asleep when we got to the castle! :scared1: Yes, my baby was asleep through our Cinderella meet and greet. She didn't get her picture taken, and she didn't get to dance with Cinderella. However, she woke up just a few minutes after, and since there was no one else in line waiting to meet Cindy I asked if it would be possible for her to just say hello. Cinderella got down on Jo's level, and Jo gave her the biggest hug! It was perfect-except that I forgot to get a picture.

They called us and upstairs we went. We ate here for lunch on our first full day of our 2007 trip, and decided it should be a tradition. :yay:

We looked over the menu, and they had made some changes since our last visit. Last time I had salmon with risotto and I loved it-I was sure I was going to get that again, except now they have a different salmon dish on the menu. :headache: Oh, well-Jason and I both ordered Major Domo's Pie and it was delicious!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MajorDomos.jpg

Faith had a hot dog, and Jo had buttered noodles (which they gave her for free since she was under 3 and didn't have the dining plan.) I can't remember what Ruby had-maybe pasta too.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/FaithsHotDog.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JosNoodles2.jpg

The princesses all came to visit:
Aurora http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MeetingAurora.jpg

Belle http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MeetingBelle.jpg Ruby doesn't look very impressed, does she? :rotfl:

Jasmine http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MeetingJasmine.jpg

Snow White
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MeetingSnowWhite.jpg

Next was the wishing ceremony
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/FaithinCastle.jpg

We had some yummy desserts-The girls all had ice cream, and I had something else new to the menu-It was rice pudding with some kind of pistachio something or other. AllEars hasn't updated their menu to reflect the changes, and I can't quite remember what it was. I do, however, remember that it tasted good!

That was it for this meal. I love this tradition!

What's next?? Meeting Stitch, More Rides, and Wishes

[Slatas]

great TR so far!:thumbsup2

[disneyfun2007]

Hello and great start to your trip report. I love your daughter's face in the one pic with the princess. Priceless...... Can't wait for more and u are doing a great job so far.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

great TR so far!:thumbsup2

Hello and great start to your trip report. I love your daughter's face in the one pic with the princess. Priceless...... Can't wait for more and u are doing a great job so far.


Thanks! :flower3:


I thought that picture of Ruby was funny. She is going to be 7 in July, and it seems like she growing up so much! Two years ago she was thrilled to meet the princesses, but now I think she feels too grown up for them.

A couple of days ago she asked me to send her grapes in her lunch in a plastic baggie rather than in the Mickey Mouse container I usually use. She said other kids in her class were making fun of her for liking Mickey. :mad: She's in FIRST grade! I told her "Mommy likes Mickey Mouse and I am sure a lot older than you."

I asked Faith, who is 8 and in 2nd grade, if she wanted me to stop using the Mickey container too, but she said she didn't care! :cheer2:

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

We are going Oct. 16-23rd.

While we were in Orlando my friends and I did go to Disney one evening for the MNSSHP. I am excited about taking the kids to see it.


My sister and I are going Oct. 27-30, so we'll just miss you. We are going to the Halloween party again, probably on the 27th. That's what we did last year-went to MNSSHP on the day we arrived so we didn't waste one of the days on our ticket. We spent the time before the party checking out our hotel (POP), visiting the Poly, and riding the monorail. I think this year we are going to try to have lunch at Downtown Disney before we head to Magic Kingdom.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Well, our bellies were full, princesses were met, and it was still a beautiful day at WDW. :cool1:

After lunch we split up again. Jason took the girls to use the Space Mountain fastpasses, and I took Johanna to Buzz Lightyear. Remember my "good" score of 88,000 last time? Well this time I got:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/3rdBuzzScore.jpg
:banana:

When we exited Buzz, Jo spotted Stitch! She wanted to meet him-so off we went. Now, Jo is not shy, and she LOVES to talk! She has an excellent vocabulary, and I have been told many times by many people that she talks really well for her age. People usually think she's older than she is. Let me just tell you, she will strike up a conversation with a complete stranger-anytime, and anywhere! She had a lot to say to Stitch:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/MeetingStitch.jpg
I can't remember what she had to say, but it probably had something to do with "This is my Mommy and my Daddy and my Faith and my Ruby are on the roller coaster and I rode Buzz Lightyear and we saw Cinderella!"
I love this picture:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JoandStitch.jpg

After meeting Stitch we rode Buzz again. After we rode Buzz we met Stitch again. :rolleyes: What can I say? She's two-and she loves characters!

After meeting Stitch a second time we rode one of my favorites-the People Mover. At least that's what I call it. :)
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JoonTTA.jpg

Finally we met back up with the rest of the J5 crew. (By the way, J5 is my husband's nickname at work. When he started working there were two or three other guys named Jason. Our last name begins with V-as in the roman numeral five-thus he became known as J5! Just thought I should clear that up.)

So we wandered back to Fantasyland. Stopped and got fast passes for Winnie the Pooh, and took some pictures.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/PoohsHoneyPot.jpg

We rode IASW but skipped Peter Pan. I just do not understand why the line for this ride is always so long! :confused3 Mickey's Philharmagic was closed for refurb :sad1: so we headed toward Liberty Square. We decided to ride Haunted Mansion. Jo was fine, until the lights went out! Then she started to cry- a lot. We were horrible parents and got on the ride anyway. :scared1:I thought she'd calm down once we started moving and there were things to look at-but I was wrong. Poor Jason had her in his buggy-but I could still hear her crying. I hope we didn't scar her for life! :eek:

We hung out in Liberty Square. I know I paid way too much money for a box of Nerds. (But, I seem to remember that Jason took Ruby on HM and Faith and I took Jo to walk around-so that would be during the 2nd ride of HM-so my above story about Jo freaking out must have happened before lunch. Sorry for the mix up-I didn't take pictures at HM so forgot when we rode it!)

Here is a happy Jo-all candy makes her happy-not just lollipops! :laughing:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/GirlsinLibertySquare.jpg

Jason took Ruby on Pirates. Faith and I looked for Hidden Mickeys in Adventureland. (Faith can be a little bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to dark rides-but not on fast, tall, spinny, or thrill rides! :confused3) She got spit on by a camel:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/FaithGettingSpitAt.jpg

Continued in next post...

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Can you guess where we ate dinner??
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/CaseysHotdog.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/CaseysFries.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/CaseysCorndogNuggets.jpg

Casey's! It was our first time eating there, and let me just say: :love:
We'll definitely eat there again.

Time for Wishes. We stood in the little circular walkway area near Casey's and Crystal Palace. It was a great viewing spot-although there is a tree that is a little in the way. However, for me, the view was just fine-and there weren't TONS of people like there are on Main Street. Here are a few pictures:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/StarLightStarBright.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Wishes3.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Wishes2.jpghttp://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Wishes4.jpg
Ruby sang the "Star Light, Star Bright" song for the rest of the week. :lovestruc

As soon as Wishes was over, this is what Jo did:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/JoisOUT.jpg

That is what she did all the way out of Magic Kingdom, on the boat ride home to Wilderness Lodge, up to our room, and getting her diaper/clothes changed. She never even opened her eyes! :rotfl:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%202%20Magic%20Kingdom/Joisreallyout.jpg

Up next: DHS in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, Spectro in the evening

[ProudMommyof2]

Great update!!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

It's morning of our 2nd full day-Monday-and the plan is MGM during the day and Spectromagic Parade in the evening.

First, here are a couple of early morning shots of the view from our balcony:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Roomview1.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Roomview2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Roomview4.jpg

We didn't quite make park opening, but we were there soon after (maybe 9:15 or 9:30). I told Jason his mission once we entered was to make his way to Toy Story Mania, and I'd follow with the girls. When I made it over there with the girls, Jason was still in a pretty long line at the Fastpass machines. I stood over to the side (Maybe near the Prince Caspian Meet and Greet area-is that where that is??), and I noticed a lady standing near me. She had at least 2 little boys with her, and I recognized their shirts as being the work of the Creative DISigns board. I asked her about the shirts, and we began to chitchat. I didn't ask for her name, but I do remember that her husband was in the military and that they had sons only. (More than 2 I think!) So, HI, if you are out there!

After Jason got fastpasses, with a return time of 1:30 or so, we headed over to the Playhouse Disney show. We really enjoyed the show, and I am sure any of you with preschoolers are very familiar with all of the characters. I did overhear one Dad say to his wife that he wished Genevieve from Choo Choo Soul would come out and dance for us! :rotfl:

We thought about going to visit Bolt, but there was a weird long line so we skipped it. We had a little time to kill before our ADR at Hollywood and Vine, and I suggested we go to the Great Movie Ride. We got in line. We waited. We waited. We waited, and then we got to the room where they play movie clips. We forgot all about this!! The line was much much longer than we realized, and I was worried that we wouldn't make our lunch ADR. Then we got on the ride-
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/GreatMovieRide2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/GreatMovieRide.jpg

See the look of anticipation on Jo's face? It didn't last long: she didn't like this ride so much! Especially when there was a gun fight and fire! She still tells people "We went on the Great Movie Ride and there was fire and it was very scary and I hid on Daddy and Ruby." We aren't the only parents who have tortured our kids in this way, are we??

We raced over to Hollywood and Vine-and were late by about 10 or 15 minutes. It wasn't any problem though, and we were seated really quickly.
Johanna was in HEAVEN at this restaurant. :cloud9: She danced with June, did the parade around the dining area, and hugged every character!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/GirlsandGoliath.jpg
My JoJo with JoJo:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/JoandJoJo.jpg
Dancing with June:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/HVJoandJune.jpg

The food here was only okay, but the meal was a really happy experience for us. I am going to skip posting the pictures of food unless someone really wants to see them.

After we left we took some pictures outside near the water.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/FaithatDHS2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/RubyatDHS.jpg

Jo made a friend-who tried to leave with us! Jason actually had to take her back over to where her parents were.

Jason took Faith and Ruby on the Star Tours while I walked around with Johanna. She was getting tired and grumpy! We tried to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater but she was really not cooperating. Eventually we met back up with the family, and Faith and Ruby got tattoos:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/FaithTatoo.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/RubyTatoo1.jpg
They wanted their face painted, but at this point we were thinking of heading back to the hotel in a bit to swim. I knew it would be a huge waste of money, so I talked them into tattoos instead. I think they are a much better deal!

Because the area under the hat was closed, they were doing the HSM 3 show on the Streets of America. It was close to show time, so we sat down to wait:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/WaitingforHSM3.jpg
They made us move! HaHa-but the man promised that once the floats were in place we'd move again and be right up front. We waited...
Technical difficulties-should be starting in just a few minutes. We waited...
Canceled! Oh, well!

Off to Toy Story Mania!:yay: I had been waiting for this ride and it did not disappoint! I can't wait to ride it again because I thought it was so much fun even though I didn't score too well.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/TSMScoreScreen.jpg

There was too long of a wait for Rock and Roller Coaster, but Jason and the girls went on:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/TofT.jpg
Jo slept-briefly-while I baked in the sun!
Time to leave...We decided that some down time at the hotel would refresh everyone!

We enjoyed the things we did here, but for some reason this park just doesn't work well for our family. We haven't figured out a way to really get the most out of it. It was also a little busy.

Up Next: Swimming and Spectromagic

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

We hopped on our bus:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/JandRubyonbus.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/FaithonBus.jpg

When we got back to our hotel room, we had a little surprise:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/BadTiger2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/BadTiger.jpg

So cute! The girls loved this! It was the only bit of Mousekeeping magic that we got all week though.
Jason took everyone down to the pool. I don't know what I did-maybe went to the shop? I have no idea! :confused3
I went down to take some pictures-
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Rubywaterslide.jpgThey loved the slide.

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Joswimming.jpgJo pretty much had the kiddie pool to herself. Weirdly, I thought I saw my doctor here! But, I haven't seen him in a while, so I wasn't sure it was him. But wouldn't that be strange???

Here's the geyser:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/WLGeyser.jpg
And some trees:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/TreeswithMoss.jpg

After swimming, we cleaned up and ate dinner at Roaring Forks. I found out that they didn't distinguish between kids counter service and adult counter service, which was great because Faith is a picky eater and she wanted the pepperoni flatbread pizza. The chicken nuggets/tenders that is the adult meal is a lot better than the kids meal, too.

Here is our boat ride to Magic Kingdom-what a gorgeous sunset!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/BoattoMK2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/SunsetandGF.jpgThat is the Grand Floridian across the lake.

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Sunsetandferry.jpg Ferry boat

The Spectromagic Parade will have to wait for next time!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

When I left off we were on the boat from Wilderness Lodge headed to Magic Kingdom to see the Spectromagic Parade. We hadn't seen the parade in 2007, and it was on my "Must Do" list for this trip!

I had read somewhere online that a great place to see this parade was right in front of Tony's because you had a good view of the floats both coming and going. This was our view as we waited:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/WaitingforSpectro.jpg

Here are some of my Spectro pictures:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/Spectrofirstfloat.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/MickeySpectro.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/ChipandDaleSpectro.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/CheshireCatSpectro.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/MerryweatherSpectro2.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/ChernabogSpectro.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/MinnieSpectro.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/AliceSpectro.jpg

It was great! We loved our viewing spot, and I thought my pictures turned out pretty well.

After the parade we headed into the shop where you can design your own Mickey Ears. I really only planned to look around, but next thing I knew Faith and Ruby were designing away! This whole process took a lot longer than I anticipated. The girls took awhile to make decisions, then we had to wait for the embroidery of their names, there were technical difficulties with the machines....It took a long time, but here is the result:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/IMG_1865.jpg

It was EMH, and it was busy! I know we went to Tomorrowland, but the waits were long for everything. Eventually we made it Adventureland, and Jason took Faith and Ruby on BTMR. I shopped with Johanna. This is what we bought:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%203/JowithDaisy.jpgA little stuffed Daisy to join the 3Mickeys, Nemo, Eeyore, Pooh, Goofy, two Minnies, Snow White and Belle that we already have at home!;)

We headed back to the resort.

Up next: Our "Down" Day-Jason rides a SEGWAY, more swimming, and dinner with Pooh and friends

[MaryAz]

Just found your report today. Great so far. We are headed to the World for our first trip in May. We also have a 2 year old with a big vocabulary and plan on taking her on The Great Movie Ride. Think we will skip the HM cause boy can she scream :scared1:Glad your hubby like WCC we are eating there on our trip as well.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Just found your report today. Great so far. We are headed to the World for our first trip in May. We also have a 2 year old with a big vocabulary and plan on taking her on The Great Movie Ride. Think we will skip the HM cause boy can she scream :scared1:Glad your hubby like WCC we are eating there on our trip as well.


Thanks for reading! I am sure that there are some two year olds out there who aren't bothered by HM. Jo rode it when she was 8 months old and was fine-but I guess at that age they really have no idea what is going on.

On The Great Movie Ride we had the part with a western shoot out. (I think the other ride gets a gangster scene, but I am not sure.) I think John Wayne was on one side, and then the building catches fire and you ride past it on your boat. There is also a dark part from the ALIENS. You might want to ride without her first to see what you think.

[My2Qtz0205]

Still reading along, and absorbing suggestions! :thumbsup2

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Still reading along, and absorbing suggestions! :thumbsup2


Glad to hear it!

Off Topic: We went to Busch Gardens today to check out the new Sesame Street area. It was cute, but crowded! I waited entirely too long to ride a little boat ride with Johanna, and then we hightailed it out of that area! I might try to hit it again with the kids during the week.

Jo did get to hug Grover, Abby Cadabby (I don't know if that is how you spell her name), and Zoe.

There's a cool water play area that will be nice when it's warmer.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Hey, I just realized I am now a Mouseketeer and no longer "Earning My Ears." I don't know when that happened, but COOL! :cool1:

[Ferrillo]

I am anxious to read your next installment. We are headed to WDW in Sept with my two girls (5 and 7), my brother and his family and my parents. Can't wait. My girls hate the HM as well. They won't go near it.

[ProudMommyof2]

I loved the boat ride to MK when we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. Isn't it just magical?:cloud9:

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

I am anxious to read your next installment. We are headed to WDW in Sept with my two girls (5 and 7), my brother and his family and my parents. Can't wait. My girls hate the HM as well. They won't go near it.

Thanks for reading! :wave2: My 6 year old likes scary things-she rode HM twice this trip. My 8 year old rode it once, because we all rode it, but she chose to skip it the 2nd time. She says that it was because her ankle hurt. :confused3

I loved the boat ride to MK when we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. Isn't it just magical?:cloud9:
That boat ride was AWESOME! I loved walking out to the dock in the morning. :cloud9:

[eag119]

Hi subbing to this one... my girls are 7 and 4... I'm interested to hear how your trip went.. it is great so far! princess:

[heaven2dc]

What adorable girls you have!! I love that JoJo interacts with the characters esp at a young age (and so talkative!). My grandson will be 18 mos old this month and only says a few words we can understand. When we ask him "what does the kitty say?" he belts out really loud "meeeooowww!". It's hard to describe on here but it is the cutest thing :lmao: and when he sees a bird, he says "caw caw" instead of "tweet tweet" like his mommy taught him. Think he sees too many crows around here :rotfl2: He rambles on and on - just doesn't make clear sentences yet. I raised 5 kids and I still can't remember when they started talking clearly :confused3 (what a bad momma I am!)

Am really enjoying your report :thumbsup2 Great spot for Spectro too!

[My2Qtz0205]

Glad to hear it!

Off Topic: We went to Busch Gardens today to check out the new Sesame Street area. It was cute, but crowded! I waited entirely too long to ride a little boat ride with Johanna, and then we hightailed it out of that area! I might try to hit it again with the kids during the week.

Jo did get to hug Grover, Abby Cadabby (I don't know if that is how you spell her name), and Zoe.

There's a cool water play area that will be nice when it's warmer.






We went the first weekend BG was opened, and they hadn't opened Sesame Street yet. My kids were bummed, and so was I. I want to get DS on the Cookie Monster "roller coaster" to warm him up for BTMRR and Splash Mountain at DW. :cool1: He's tall enough to ride The Big Bad Wolf now, but DH won't let him ride until he's 8. :rolleyes:

[MushuGirl06]

just caught up with the rest of your TR and I must say that I enjoyed reading it.

Since you asked about POR and ASMu here ya go...
Out of the 2 I like POR better. One because it is a moderate resort. Two because the grounds are BEAUTIFUL and 3 because I like how there are different bus stop areas and how everyone stay at the resort doesnt go to one; i think that takes so much longer to get a bus that way with everyone at one stop (but that might just be me) and the POR food court/lobby area is really nice and from my experiences I think that their food court has more of a selection and quality then ASMu. I like ASMu even though its a value resort. I honestly dont care what resort I am at as long as I'm in WDW:goodvibes the pools there just get so crowded (again might just be my experience) and so does the food court but the suite itself is wonderful, i wish they had some at POR they sleep 6 and have a bedroom for the parents with another TV in it so the kids and adults can be watching 2 different things they also have a little kitcheny area which is nice to have (since we drive down we have breakfast in the hotel most days except on our down days to save time so thats why we like it)

hope this didnt bore you
sorry it was pretty long; i didnt expect it to go this long
but hope you enjoyed it

[carissanboys]

I'm here! :goodvibes You have a beautiful family! :lovestruc I will be back to get all caught up. :thumbsup2

[saratogadreamin09]

great TR:thumbsup2

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Hi subbing to this one... my girls are 7 and 4... I'm interested to hear how your trip went.. it is great so far! princess:
Thanks for reading! We had a wonderful trip and can't wait to go back.

What adorable girls you have!! I love that JoJo interacts with the characters esp at a young age (and so talkative!). My grandson will be 18 mos old this month and only says a few words we can understand. When we ask him "what does the kitty say?" he belts out really loud "meeeooowww!". It's hard to describe on here but it is the cutest thing :lmao: and when he sees a bird, he says "caw caw" instead of "tweet tweet" like his mommy taught him. Think he sees too many crows around here :rotfl2: He rambles on and on - just doesn't make clear sentences yet. I raised 5 kids and I still can't remember when they started talking clearly :confused3 (what a bad momma I am!)

Am really enjoying your report :thumbsup2 Great spot for Spectro too!
Before you know it your grandson will be talking up a storm! I love when they are little and so excited about everything. It's cute that he says "caw caw".


We went the first weekend BG was opened, and they hadn't opened Sesame Street yet. My kids were bummed, and so was I. I want to get DS on the Cookie Monster "roller coaster" to warm him up for BTMRR and Splash Mountain at DW. :cool1: He's tall enough to ride The Big Bad Wolf now, but DH won't let him ride until he's 8. :rolleyes:
I think both of my girls were 5 when they rode Big Bad Wolf. They love thrill rides now. Faith is tall enough for Apollo's Chariot this year, and Ruby can ride Loch Ness Monster. She was so annoyed last year that Faith could ride Loch Ness and she couldn't.

just caught up with the rest of your TR and I must say that I enjoyed reading it.

hope this didnt bore you
sorry it was pretty long; i didnt expect it to go this long
but hope you enjoyed it
I wasn't bored at all. I really appreciate your input. I think on our next family trip I'll try Port Orleans. I think the kids will like the pool, and the pictures I have seen look really pretty.

I'm here! :goodvibes You have a beautiful family! :lovestruc I will be back to get all caught up. :thumbsup2
Hey! Thanks for popping over!

great TR:thumbsup2
Thank you and welcome! I am going to work on the next installment in just a few minutes. I have to get the kids to bed.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

I planned Tuesday to be an "off" day. We weren't going to get up early to hit a park. I scheduled a SEGWAY Tour for Jason, and I didn't tell him until we were on the plane headed to Disney. He was surprised, but I am not sure that he was excited.

When we woke up Tuesday morning Jason got ready, grabbed us some breakfast from Roaring Forks, and then he was off...More about him later. I gave the kids showers, and we decided to head out to the beach. We hung out there for a couple of hours. The girls played in the sand and on the little playground. (I know-why did I give them showers and then let them play in the sand? :confused3) I enjoyed the view across the lake and called my mom and my sisters to let them know how our trip had been so far.

While we were sitting there, Jason and the other SEGWAY riders rode right by us. The tour begins at Ft. Wilderness, but it takes the trail over to Wilderness Lodge and down by the beach/bike rentals. He didn't even see us!

When he was done he gave me a call, and we met up back at the room. He filled us in on his tour, and we decided what to do next. Jason, Faith, Ruby, and Johanna=swimming. Me=laundry.

I was only doing one small load, so it wasn't too bad. I took down my word search book and sat by the pool while the kids swam.

Here are some pictures from Jason's SEGWAY Tour:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/Segways.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/SegwayJ2.jpg

I think he enjoyed this a lot more than he thought he was going to like it. As the rode around the tourguides gave them little trivia and information about WDW and WL. They stopped and saw the horses at Ft. Wilderness. He said the SEGWAY was very easy to use, and he'd definitely do it again.

I was going to put in some pictures of our room at the lodge, but I don't think they are that good or interesting, so I am going to skip it.

We must have eaten lunch at Roaring Forks, and then I took Johanna up for a nap. She and I both slept for a little bit. :woohoo: I love naps! While we were sleeping, Jason took the older girls to the hot tub. After our trip was over Ruby said the hot tub was her favorite part. :rotfl:

We cleaned up and got ready to head back to Magic Kingdom. Tonight we were having dinner at Crystal Palace. This was the view from our table:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/ViewfromCrystalPalace.jpg

We ate here in 2007, and I ate here with my sister last October. Pooh and all of his friends are some of my favorite characters. We like the food, and the restaurant is pretty.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/TiggerandGirls.jpgTigger came to visit.

Eeyore
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/GirlsandEeyore.jpg I think Jo was busy eating and didn't want to get up for the picture.

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/GirlsandPiglet.jpgPiglet was next.

Finally we saw Pooh:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/GirlsandPooh.jpg

After dinner we headed to Tomorrowland. Jason took Faith and Ruby to Space Mountain, again. They rode it at least 10 times on this trip. By the end of the trip, this is how Jason felt about Space Mountain: :sick:

I took Jo to Buzz Lightyear, again. It was probably around this ride that she realized she could grab the joystick and control how the car moved. She thought that was fun. :cheer2: After the ride we got to meet Buzz! Jo told him all about how she rode his ride and had fun.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/JoandBuzz2.jpg

I love this picture, too:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/JoLookingUpatBuzz.jpg
After this we all met up again and headed to the Laugh Floor. We had never done this attraction, so we were excited. For those of you who have been to the Laugh Floor, you'll probably get a kick out of this. Johanna was chosen to play the part of Boo. The monsters said something like a cute little girl, flashed Jo's picture up on the big screen, and just at the exact same moment Jo stuffed her finger up her nose!:laughing: The whole theatre laughed! We had a lot of fun.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/LaughFloorSign.jpg
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/LaughFloorCanister.jpg

We rode Winnie the Pooh again, and I think Jason took Faith and Ruby to BTMR. While they rode, I walked around, and I struck up a conversation with a very nice family from California. There were two teenage girls and they were on their first trip. They had a lot of questions, and I got to share my Disney knowledge. :thumbsup2 It was really fun to be able to do that.

Time to head back to the resort.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/NightCastle.jpgOne last picture of the castle.

Here are a couple of nighttime pictures of WL:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/WLBoatDockNight.jpg The boat dock

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/WLLobby.jpgLobby Bridge

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%204/WLLobbyLightFixture.jpgLobby Light Fixture

Next time: EPCOT and 'Ohana

(There may be a small delay because I haven't uploaded those pictures to Photobucket yet. I'll have to do that first.)
Thanks for reading!

[carissanboys]

I'm through page two and wanted to make some comments before I forget!

You mentioned how much you enjoyed the boat ride at WL. We felt the same way about POR. It was one of my favorite things about the trip - being able to take the relaxing boat ride to DTD. :goodvibes

Tom Cruise Island - :rotfl: Too funny!

Your littlest is a thumbsucker too, eh? I love pictures of little ones sucking their thumbs. :goodvibes My youngest is almost 5 and still sucks his, but I guess because he's my "baby" I find it very endearing.

We've been on the Great Movie Ride many times, but this last time I guess my middle son remembered what it was like and he hates the dark. He hid in my lap for a lot of it. :rolleyes1

I'll be back to read more later!

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

Sorry I have been M.I.A.-This past week was pretty busy around here because the girls were on Spring Break. We went to Busch Gardens three times, the park twice, visited my mom, and had Easter dinner with my Dad. I haven't had much time to spend on my report. :upsidedow

Hopefully now that everyone's back to school and work I'll be able to post an update tonight.

[VAisforDisneyLvrs]

The day dawned bright and beautiful-and so were my girls!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/GirlsReadytoGo.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/GirlsReadytoGo2.jpg

Today we were headed to EPCOT. We had all really enjoyed it on our visit in 2007, and we were looking forward to the day. We hopped on a bus, and away we went.

Once we arrived at the park, we sent Jason ahead to Soarin' to get Fastpasses and we headed towards Test Track. http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/TestTrack.jpg

It took a little bit of for Jason to get to us (The Land is a haul from the front of the park!), but Faith and Ruby were too scared to go on Test Track alone. We just kind of hung out and waited for him. When we finally met back up, Jason took the girls on TT and I took Jo into Innoventions (whichever building is closest to TT.)

It was dead in Innoventions, and Jo and I walked around a little bit. Two very nice CM's asked if Jo wanted to be a Safety Tester or Engineer or something. Jo was mad because she wanted to play in the water outside by TT. (I thought it was too cold, but of course another woman had her little girl playing in the water. Jo was not happy with me!:headache:) Needless to say, the safety testing didn't go so well! I think she only did one of the tests-trying to break the TV Screens. The CM gave her the certificate anyway.

After TT (Which I think they rode a couple of times with Daddy and then with me, too-plus we picked up FP for later), we headed to :
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/SpaceshipEarth.jpg

I liked the changes! :thumbsup2 The computer part at the end was a lot of fun. Here are Faith and me enjoying our future lunch:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/FaithandMommyFutureSE.jpg

After the ride we spent a little time playing the games. There were a lot of people though, and the games are not really quick. Here's Faith testing her memory:
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/FaithMemoryGame2.jpg

We headed to The Land to get some lunch.
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/SunshineSeasons.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/SunshineSeasonsMenuBoard.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/FaithSunshineSeasons.jpg

Sorry no pictures of food. I know Jason had chicken and I had the salmon-and it was yummy! I definitely think Sunshine Seasons is a good use of a counter service credit. :thumbsup2

Next, we rode Living With the Land. I love this little boat ride!
http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/LWTLBoatride.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/LWTLBoatrideRuby.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/Lemon.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/MickeyPumpkin.jpg

I am certain we must have taken turns on Soarin'-but I am not sure if we did that before or after Living with the Land. Soarin'=FUN.

Next we headed to the Nemo ride in The Seas. The queue for this ride is SOOOO long. I think I'd die if I ever had to wait that long for this ride. We visited the aquariums. We actually spent quite a bit of time in here. We all like museums, aquariums, etc., so the girls liked to look at each tank to see what they could find. Here are some of the things we saw:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/Manatee.jpg A manatee

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/Clownfish.jpg Clownfish

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/Eel.jpgYUCK! Eels

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/HiddenMickey.jpgHidden Mickey

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/VAisforDisneyLvrs/Disney2009/Day%205/Seahorse.jpgSeahorses

Next we went to watch Turtle Talk with Crush! It was fun, and Faith got to ask a question! I can't remember what it was though!:confused3 I'll ask her in the morning! :thumbsup2

Next time: World Showcase

[carissanboys]

I promise I'll be back to get caught up tomorrow! :thumbsup2

[carissanboys]

All caught up! :cool1:

How cool that your husband got to do the segway tour! I'd love to do the one at Epcot one day. :thumbsup2

Space Mountain 10 times?? :scared1: (once was enough for me :rolleyes1 )

I love Sunshine Seasons and Living with the Land. :goodvibes

Can't wait for more! :yay:

[DisneyMissy]

Just found your TR. Your daughters are beautiful! After reading this I am very excited to take my 2 year old niece to Disney! Your pictures of Jo are just priceless!!