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View Full Version : It's hot, it's crowded, it's raining........BUT.....THE MAGIC LIVES ON! ** pictures *


live4christp1
06-08-2009, 10:00 AM
Hope you'll join me on my journey back through our trip. :thumbsup2

Just back at 10:00 PM last night and have lots of things to catch up:laundy:. Will be reporting as time permits. :surfweb:

In the meantime hope you enjoy my photopass pictures. :wizard:

SADLY MY PHOTOPASS PICTURES HAVE EXPIRED, SO NOW YOU WILL HAVE TO READ THE REPORT AND SEE THE PICTURES I'VE ADDED, I WILL BE ADDING PICTURES FROM MY PHOTOPASS CD AS WELL.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/share.aspx?share=270ac709-0862-41e6-b50d-9eef2e4003d1&site=Default&c=PROFESSIONAL&a=ALL




Also check out my pretrippie for some info on who we are and what we had planned. :3dglasses

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2043114

Will we stick to the plan?????? :confused:

Stay tuned for the first chapter coming soon......"Hi-ho, hi-ho...it's off to WDW we go!"

Thanks,
Cristy

Day One - Chapter One - Hi-ho….hi-ho….it’s off to Walt Disney World we go……..

soulmates
06-08-2009, 10:15 AM
Hi! Tried to look at your photo pass, but it requires a password. Let me know what you thought of that service. It's pricey, but I have it in my budget as it seems really worth it. There will just be me & my DP, so it makes sense, to do PP. If not, one of us will always be out of the shot! :guilty: Looking forward to your report!

live4christp1
06-08-2009, 11:23 AM
Hi! Tried to look at your photo pass, but it requires a password. Let me know what you thought of that service. It's pricey, but I have it in my budget as it seems really worth it. There will just be me & my DP, so it makes sense, to do PP. If not, one of us will always be out of the shot! :guilty: Looking forward to your report!

Hi! Thanks for dropping by. Please try the photopass link now and see if it's working. If not let me know. The photopass service itself is free. You just pay for anything you buy or pre-buy. After you get home and load them you have like 30 days to order anything you'd like.

live4christp1
06-08-2009, 03:08 PM
Hi-ho….hi-ho….it’s off to Walt Disney World we go……..

Monday, May 25th, 2009 – Memorial Day

We are up early and out the door by 4:00 AM:thumbsup2. The kids put a movie in and settle back, they might have made it half way through and they are out again. So they sleep for a good while. We drive until about 8:30 AM and decide it’s time for breakfast, stopping somewhere in Georgia (I remembered, it was Tifton....don't stop at Shoney's here). I’m sorry but right now I don’t remember which exit. We pass a Shoney’s and decide, “hey let’s go eat the breakfast buffet.” This turned out to be a bad idea. I didn’t notice until we left that half of their parking lot has vanished into what appears to be a sink hole.:scared: We are seated and get some food. There is this peculiar smell; I keep thinking…….it doesn’t smell so good in here. Then DD has to go to the bathroom. While walking to the rest room she says, “It smells bad in here.” DD has this thing for smells, if she thinks it smells bad…..she doesn’t want to eat there…..even if it’s just the smell of meat cooking. Then suddenly I realize what the peculiar smell is, it smells like a urinal. The whole entire places smells like urine.:scared1: We return to the table. DH is still eating and asks what’s wrong. “It smells like urine in here.” Okay, time to go. What was even worse…..it was Monday and they had it advertised at $5.99….well they charged weekend price they said because it was a holiday. :headache:

We are making good time and only stop once before hitting Florida to fuel up, arriving just after 1:00 PM. We get to Shades of Green and check in, our room is ready.:woohoo: We eat some snacks and head off to the pool spending about 2 hours enjoying the water & sun. This resort is very beautiful and quiet. :cloud9: Our room looks out toward the golf course and we see some turkeys from our balcony. Something about military……you feel like family even though you don’t know each other. This is a place I know I could stay and feel safe if I ever have to take a trip with just me and the kids.

Our plan for the evening is to go eat dinner and then head over for the campfire with Chip & Dale. So after making a stop in the lobby to buy our tickets (we decided on the special military salute offer of 5 days (DH was free) and added the water parks & more option) we head out.

DS & DD with the Mickey in the Shades of Green lobby.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009081.jpg

Waterfall in Shades of Green lobby.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009083.jpg

Head over to 192 to eat at Taco Bell (kids choice). It is clouding up and no one seems very excited about going to the campfire so I suggest Disney Quest. DH isn't really sure what Disney Quest is but once he realizes it's a whole building of unlimited video games he was more excited than DS was.:rotfl: We stayed until almost 10:00 PM and all had a great time though it is very noisy.:dance3: We walk over to the Marketplace area and do a little shopping before heading back to SOG.

Back at the resort our first day draws to a close. There is a quiet contentment knowing that our trip has begun…..we are here…..our favorite vacation destination as all drift off to sleep thinking about what exciting things are to come.:goodvibes

Coming soon - Hollywood Studios "A jedi in the making and converting DD to a lover of Star Tours."

tinysam
06-08-2009, 03:16 PM
Sounds good !!!

sneadae
06-09-2009, 12:20 AM
Hey hey! I'm here and following along. I was your next door neighbor on the ship :lmao:

Did I mention I'm jealous that you just got back yesterday? I wish I was going back tomorrow.

I read your PTR...you sound like me. I am Disney obsessed too. We are very special people :rotfl:

I will be starting my Trip Report at some point. My PTR link is below in my signature...but warning******it is very long:confused3

Anyway, glad you are back safe and sound :) I'll be reading!!

goofydad99
06-09-2009, 12:35 AM
Hi-ho….hi-ho….it’s off to Walt Disney World we go……..

So after making a stop in the lobby to buy our tickets (we decided on the special military salute offer of 5 days (DH was free) and added the water parks & more option) we head out.

Coming soon - Hollywood Studios "A jedi in the making and converting DD to a lover of Star Tours."

Cristy,

Did you see the DCL discounts? Come on you have to be at least a little bit tempted by them. :)

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 08:54 AM
Sounds good !!!

Thanks!!!!! Fourteen days of fun in the sun (and rain). :goodvibes

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 08:56 AM
Hey hey! I'm here and following along. I was your next door neighbor on the ship :lmao:

Did I mention I'm jealous that you just got back yesterday? I wish I was going back tomorrow.

I read your PTR...you sound like me. I am Disney obsessed too. We are very special people :rotfl:

I will be starting my Trip Report at some point. My PTR link is below in my signature...but warning******it is very long:confused3

Anyway, glad you are back safe and sound :) I'll be reading!!


Hey neighbor!!!!! I'd go back tomorrow as well, if my bank account would allow me. DD was so upset our last night when we left the parks.....she cried all the way back to the resort.

We had a wonderful time and it was nice to meet fellow DISers and put faces with names.

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 09:01 AM
Cristy,

Did you see the DCL discounts? Come on you have to be at least a little bit tempted by them. :)


I haven't looked at those. Just sent in a request for a quote on free dining in the fall yesterday for the parks.

We avoided that table on the ship with the rebooking on board because I was afraid they'd make an offer that was just too good to pass up. Right now we aren't really sure either about DH's National Guard unit status. Some of them are being mobilized to deploy with another unit and more will get orders next drill.

Have you guys rebooked already?????

What did the kids think after it was all done? Where they blown away by the surprise?

goofydad99
06-09-2009, 12:42 PM
Have you guys rebooked already?????

What did the kids think after it was all done? Where they blown away by the surprise?

We talked to them about rebooking but the prices for next year are high. We would have only received a 10% discount and a $100 credit. As high as it was I didn't think it was worth it.

As for the children, it took them a long time for them to let it sink in. When anyone asks them now, they talk about how awesome it was. They also talk about all the movies we got to watch and the fun they had in the kid's clubs. They also talk about playing on Castaway Cay. I regret not checking out a hammock but we still had a good time. We are toying around with the idea of a 7 day in 2 years time.........I can dream right?

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 12:50 PM
We talked to them about rebooking but the prices for next year are high. We would have only received a 10% discount and a $100 credit. As high as it was I didn't think it was worth it.

As for the children, it took them a long time for them to let it sink in. When anyone asks them now, they talk about how awesome it was. They also talk about all the movies we got to watch and the fun they had in the kid's clubs. They also talk about playing on Castaway Cay. I regret not checking out a hammock but we still had a good time. We are toying around with the idea of a 7 day in 2 years time.........I can dream right?


I think I'd like to do the 4 or 5 night to at least have one day at sea. Don't know if I could stand the 7 night, I was so miserably full by breakfast on disembarkment morning that I didn't want anything......of course it was 6:30 AM.:rotfl:

I think next year we are going to do two weeks at WDW and have two days in each park so we don't feel so rushed. It was nice to have a few down days to just hang out at the resort....came home feeling more relaxed and rested.

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 01:39 PM
The making of a Jedi and converting DD to a lover of Star Tours

Day Two – Chapter One

Tuesday May 26th, 2009 – Hollywood Studios

We planned Hollywood Studios for Tuesday to see Fantasmic – though I’m concerned it is going to be crowded due to Disney cutting back the number of shows:rolleyes1. Everyone is up and eating breakfast. The room at SOG is really nice, somewhat bigger than the average room, has two beds plus a sofa sleeper and a table with 4 chairs. We brought the single serving cereal bowls along, as well as, home baked chocolate chip muffins. So breakfast is in the room (my kids aren’t big breakfast eaters and it’s a waste of $$ to pay for them to eat breakfast).

We arrive at Hollywood Studios right about opening. DD and I take off to grab fast passes for Toy Story Mania while DS and DH head over to ride Rock-n-Roller Coaster. The line just to get a fast pass is 15 minutes long:scared1:. The park is very crowded and it’s already hot and muggy.

Fast passes secured, DD and I head for Playhouse Disney.:cool2: Either she was still on the sleepy side or she has about outgrown the Playhouse Disney thing…:sad1:..DD just sat quietly and watched, didn’t want to get up and dance around or anything. She also didn’t care to meet any of the Playhouse Disney characters this year – good thing – those lines were long. Once we finish up Playhouse Disney the boys are out to meet us. We start to do Voyage of Little Mermaid but we just missed the next showing and don’t want to wait around – we’ll come back later.

Next stop Animation Building. We skip the show and head straight back to see Sorcerer Mickey – my favorite…:love:..we always have to get a group picture here. Last year we lucked up and were the only family in there….not so today….there is a bit of a line but not bad. We also find out the UP characters will be out in a couple of minutes so we get to be about 3rd in line for them. It was the dog and the man (sorry don’t remember names). DD wouldn’t got visit them, only DS.

Sorcerer Mickey, "my favorite!"
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009086.jpg

Just for fun here's a picture from our 2005 trip - look how much they've grown
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/Disney34.jpg
That's my mom with us. We had hoped to bring her and dad back with us this year but in January she lost her battle with cancer.

Charters from UP.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009088.jpg

Over to Pixar Place to use our Fast passes for Toy Story Mania. DS and I ride together….he beats me by 100 points:rolleyes:. DD enjoyed this ride today…..last year she wasn’t a big fan. The wait time all day for stand by is posted at 80 minutes.:scared:

Onward to Star Tours. There is a 5 minutes wait (not even that really) so on we go. DD didn’t like this last year and is a little apprehensive. She makes it through the ride and we look around in the shop for a bit. DS spends a chunk of his money here on Star Wars books…..that kid is a Star Wars fanatic:laughing:.

Next it’s over to the Jedi Training Academy. DS gets chosen which is good. He’d already been warned…..that we give it one shot, you don’t get in the show on the first shot, we aren’t coming back time and time again throughout the day. The photographer got some great shots of him. So once again DS has graduated from the Jedi Training Academy as an official Padawan. DD watches the show until Darth Vadar:darth: comes along and then she gets out of there……she doesn’t like him at all.

DS awaiting instructions from the Jedi Master - he's the one in the back wearing the blue shirt.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009090.jpg

Tummy’s are hungry so we head into Pizza Planet to grab lunch. This isn’t the greatest food but it’s a fun place to stop and we have to visit here at least once a trip. Time is slipping away very quickly so we don’t take time to play in the arcade.

We were very glad to hear that they added a second showing of Fantasmic tonight :wizard: as they only had one listed before we left home. Gives us a little more time in the park.

Where to next????:idea:

Stay tuned for Day 2, Chapter 2 – Mermaids, Adventurers, a downpour & the Twilight Zone!

PeytonSdiz
06-09-2009, 03:22 PM
Hello. I haven't read your pre-trippie yet. but I wasn't to subscribe over here so I could hear about how your trip went. :)

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 03:28 PM
Hello. I haven't read your pre-trippie yet. but I wasn't to subscribe over here so I could hear about how your trip went. :)


Hello and welcome!!!! Glad to have you along. :goodvibes I'll be adding pictures if I can ever get time at home. Thought I would do it tonight but then I realized that tonight is Faith & Family night at Riverbend Festival featuring Steven Curtis Chapman so we are heading there after work. Not sure what time it will be over, I'm guessing 11:00ish.

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 03:39 PM
Are any of you able to see my photopass pictures at all? Sometimes the link works for me, other times it doesn't. Still working on it but wasn't sure what you all were getting.

Thanks,
Cristy

PeytonSdiz
06-09-2009, 03:46 PM
Are any of you able to see my photopass pictures at all? Sometimes the link works for me, other times it doesn't. Still working on it but wasn't sure what you all were getting.

Thanks,
Cristy

No. It tells me to sign in.

live4christp1
06-09-2009, 04:04 PM
No. It tells me to sign in.


Okay. Still trying to get that to work properly.

live4christp1
06-10-2009, 12:31 PM
Day 2, Chapter 2 – Mermaids, Adventurers, a downpour & the Twilight Zone!


After grabbing some lunch it’s time for the Indiana Jones show. Honestly the rest of this day is kind of a blur and I can’t remember if we had fast passes for this or not:confused:. DD does not like this show. She doesn’t like loud noises or gun shots or anything of that kind. So when she started fussing rather than push her into melt down mode I told the boys to go ahead and do the show and DD and I would go do the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. :thumbsup2 Everyone was agreeable to this so we parted ways. The boys did get into the show and DD and I didn’t have much of a wait for the Little Mermaid. Our show finished up just a bit before the boys did so we waited for them in a shady spot (also waiting for the parade).

Now DH isn’t much into the parades. He liked the Stars and Motor cars parade because he loves cars but the rest he can take or leave. So when the emerge from the show and I say we are waiting for the parade I go ahead and tell him if he doesn’t want to wait he can go look around in the shops or Streets of America, etc. He doesn’t even hesitate and is off. DS gets tired of waiting for the parade to make it around to us……this new parade (Block Party Bash) doesn’t move like your typical parade. DS doesn’t want to wait……..DD does……oh the drama of having two kids with almost 6 years between :rolleyes:. So I call DH, he is in the store at Star Tours I told him to look for DS who I send over to meet him and they head off to Muppets 3-D:3dglasses.

Now before the trip I ordered both kids the “Kids Guide to the Magic” books and DS is obsessed with finding all the hidden things that are mentioned in the book. So he is on a quest to find the hidden key under the rug at the entrance:upsidedow. DH has no clue:laughing:.

The parade finally makes it around to DD and I and just at it is winding up at our location the skies darken. The wind picks up. We head down to double back and avoid the parade route to end up in the Muppets area. DD has to have an “Itzakadozie” which we grab real quick along the way. We make it to the store across from the Muppets exit and it starts pouring. The little store gets pretty crowded with people trying to avoid the rain. DH & DS call and say they are outside the show under the covered portion of the exit. Finally it lets up enough that they dash over to the store as well. We look around here and wait out the rain for a bit. When it slows to a light drizzle we get out our ponchos and head out.

We had planned to watch the stunt show at this point but it was rained out:sad2:. Bummer, that’s the one DH really wanted to see. It’s one show I can take or leave – I really hate climbing all those stairs to this show.

DD wants to do Muppets 3-D so off we go. DS makes a point of taking us all over and pointing out the hidden key under the mat. He is so proud to know all these little secrets about Disney.:woohoo:

After this we walk around the Streets of America some, stopping to see Mater & Lightning McQueen. It’s still raining lightly and DS is gloomy. Onward we press!

We head over to see the last showing of Beauty & The Beast. The line is already pretty long despite the fact that we are rather early. Once we are seated we have about 25 minutes until show time. DS has yet to ride Tower of Terror and says he is doing it this year. So while we wait I run over to snag two fast passes so we can go on once the show is over. The FP distribution time works out to coordinate really well so I am pleased.

DD had worn her Belle dress and hoped to be picked to be the princess to receive the rose but it wasn’t to be. She was a little disappointed but still had a fun time watching the show. This is another favorite and one show I feel like I need to see each trip.:cloud9: It was wonderful as usual though I really miss 4 for a Dollar opening the show!

This chapter is getting rather long and there is still lots more in store for this day so I will close here.

Check back to see if DS really does ride the Tower of Terror with me (last year I rode alone – DH doesn’t really like it) or will we have to take the chicken exit???????:scratchin:

:listen:

Coming soon – Tower of Terror Yes or No?, dinner at the Commissary and everything else we can squeeze in before the finale of Fantasmic.

live4christp1
06-10-2009, 12:33 PM
Hey everyone! I promise I am going to add some pictures to these soon. We went to see Steven Curtis Chapman at Riverbend last night and the concert wasn't over until almost 11:30 PM.

Can't figure out how to get my photopass link to work, it's always worked when I've added it in the past. Will try doing it from my home computer tonight or tomorrow.

Hope you are enjoying my report and I'm not boring you to tears to bad!!!!!! :rotfl:

Cristy

WeLoveTheMouse
06-10-2009, 05:05 PM
I am enjoying it! We were hiding in the bathroom at Coronado Springs Pool during that thunderstorm. It was terrible for a little while. I am waiting for you to get to the cruise but I am thinking about what we were doing at the same time.

I did not make it to the cruise meet but I spoke to you briefly in the line for kids club registration. I love the title of your trip. It did rain a lot but it was still magical.

live4christp1
06-11-2009, 09:09 AM
I am enjoying it! We were hiding in the bathroom at Coronado Springs Pool during that thunderstorm. It was terrible for a little while. I am waiting for you to get to the cruise but I am thinking about what we were doing at the same time.

I did not make it to the cruise meet but I spoke to you briefly in the line for kids club registration. I love the title of your trip. It did rain a lot but it was still magical.

Hi! We really enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people from the DIS this trip but I am just kicking myself for not thinking to take pictures. My DD was talking last night that her favorite part was WDW and the cruise :rotfl:. We had such a great time. I purchased the Wishes CD at WDW and we were listening to it while driving to church yesterday evening and DH said, "okay, we gotta go back, the fireworks will probably be about 9:00 PM tonight." It was 6:40 PM so I asked him if he thought he could get us there in time to see them????:rotfl:

live4christp1
06-11-2009, 11:03 AM
Day Two, Chapter 3
Tower of Terror Yes or No?, dinner at the Commissary and everything else we can squeeze in before the finale of Fantasmic.

After exiting the theater DS and I head over to Tower of Terror. He’s starting to get a little nervous as we approach the building. There are very few people entering through the FP line so it’s a pretty quick walk through into the study or library waiting room. DS starts having 2nd thoughts and I keep encouraging him that it really isn’t that bad. We exit out of this room and into line for our elevator. DS says he’s changed his mind and doesn’t want to ride. :scared1: My reply is, “if we exit now all these people are going to know we chickened out.”;) So we stay. We end up in the middle row and we had a blast. I tell you, this thing moves so fast when it starts dropping that after the first initial drop I can’t tell if we are going up or down. DS had a great time on the ride and is glad he rode it. :goodvibes Now he can say he has been on every single ride at WDW.:thumbsup2

We join DH and DD who have been waiting for us on Sunset Blvd. and all head off to get some dinner at the ABC commissary. DH has the cheeseburger combo. The kids have the meals with the chicken & fries of course, along with a chocolate chip cookie. But wait, the menu is missing my favorite item from last trip, the Cuban sandwich……I am so disappointed:sad1:. The chicken sandwich is not appealing either and I’m not really interested in the other items so I end up with the kids ham & cheese wraps with fries and a cookie.

We wanted to do One Man’s Dream but it closed at 4:00 PM today. We head over to Journey Into Narnia and walk through it. This is the first time we’ve gone through here since they have redone it with the Prince Caspian movie. DH likes to look at all the things from the movie.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009097.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009098.jpg



Next over to The Great Movie Ride, definitely not a thrill ride but one of our favorites. DH particularly likes this ride. DD is not very fond of the guns or the alien, but she survives.

DH & the kids outside The Great Movie Ride
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009096.jpg

It’s still been raining a little off and on and we stop to ask if Fantasmic will still go on, the CMs say it will unless it’s just storming really bad. We still have some time to burn up before the last show (think it (the show) was 10:30). DD, out of the blue, requests to go ride Star Tours again…….WHAT??????:eek: She has decided that she likes this ride! :woohoo: YEAH!!!!!! So off to Star Tours we go, there is no line and we walk right on.

After this we walk over and do the Voyage of the Little Mermaid again and get rained on inside (must not think we are getting enough outside). The theater is very empty as is the park. It is almost completely deserted in the Animation Courtyard. DS & DH go back into the Animation building to look around while DD and I sit outside on a bench. The air has cooled off quiet a bit and DD says she is cold.

We head up to Fantasmic about 30 minutes before show time and there is no huge crowd lined up. In fact when the show starts the stadium might have been about 1/3 full. Wow, nothing like I had anticipated. I guess the rain worked in our favor. The show is incredible as always. :cloud9:This is my favorite show of all and something I didn’t want to miss. :goodvibes As we exit the park everyone is tired but content. It turned out to be a wonderful day despite the rain.:banana:

JOIN ME NEXT TIME AS:
We Celebrate my birthday Magic Kingdom style!!!!!!:bday:

live4christp1
06-11-2009, 11:55 PM
:goodvibes Finally got some photos added tonight. Also, if you go back to post #1, I think my very first photo pass link is fixed now.

Enjoy!
Cristy

goofydad99
06-12-2009, 12:39 AM
Cristy,

I would like to know how in the world you get Micah to take pictures without argument? Ian won't go anywhere near the princesses much less take pictures and get autographs from them. I will have to send you a picture of him. You wouldn't believe the trouble he causes!! The pictures are great. Did you end up buying a photopass cd? Check your inbox. I will send you a link.

sneadae
06-12-2009, 12:43 AM
I'm enjoying your report. As you describe the rain storms each day, I can totally picture where I was that week during that particular rain storm. Gotta love those crazy downpours at WDW. :lmao:

ToT is our family's FAVORITE ride. It is a must do for each trip. Having said that...guess what I didn't do on our most recent trip??? I even went so far as to get our fast passes for it, but I just did not make it on. I think DH and DS went on it, and DD and I ended up finding a cool quiet place maybe?? Must have been her naptime or something..

live4christp1
06-12-2009, 09:01 AM
Cristy,

I would like to know how in the world you get Micah to take pictures without argument? Ian won't go anywhere near the princesses much less take pictures and get autographs from them. I will have to send you a picture of him. You wouldn't believe the trouble he causes!! The pictures are great. Did you end up buying a photopass cd? Check your inbox. I will send you a link.

:rotfl: Well, Jasmine is easy because he thinks she's hot. This year I really thought that he wouldn't want to wait in line for the princesses (he did want to see Tink) but when I told him that's where Alicia and I were headed here he came. Last year we did the pirate and princess party and he dressed as the pirate with hat and all, he made a big deal of removing his hat and bowing to each princess and they just went crazy over it......he likes the interaction.

I haven't ordered my CD yet, was waiting to see if they found any more of my SWW photos, DH had gotten one of the wrist cards and none of the photos that were scanned to it have shown up yet. I do plan to purchase it though, crossing my fingers that they find them before the 16th as I saw were the price is going up then.

Cristy

live4christp1
06-12-2009, 09:06 AM
I'm enjoying your report. As you describe the rain storms each day, I can totally picture where I was that week during that particular rain storm. Gotta love those crazy downpours at WDW. :lmao:

ToT is our family's FAVORITE ride. It is a must do for each trip. Having said that...guess what I didn't do on our most recent trip??? I even went so far as to get our fast passes for it, but I just did not make it on. I think DH and DS went on it, and DD and I ended up finding a cool quiet place maybe?? Must have been her naptime or something..

Thanks! I've been reading through your pre trip report and really enjoying it as well. Sorry you didn't get to ride ToT this time. I'll be glad when DD is a little more adventerous so we can all go on again. We sometimes do the child swap but sometimes it just takes up to much time.

live4christp1
06-12-2009, 09:09 AM
DH really hates standing in those character lines and we didn't do as many this year as we usually do. If they had them we usually skipped them unless the line was pretty short. I know there is a day coming though when they won't be interested in doing the character photo thing......so I'm enjoying every minute of the magic I can.:goodvibes

live4christp1
06-12-2009, 04:02 PM
Day 3, Chapter 1
We Celebrate my birthday Magic Kingdom style!!!!!! :bday:

Let me start off by saying this: when we originally planned this trip I had told the family that I wanted to get to MK extra early on by birthday like 7:15 or so in the hopes that we might get selected to be the family to open the park for the day. Well, that was when I thought the hours for DHS were until 8:00 figuring we’d be out of Fantasmic and the park by 9:00 PM at the latest.

So on the drive back to the resort last night DH and I discussed this…..remember we watched the 10:30 Fantasmic and I’d say we were pushing midnight by the time we got everyone tucked in.:faint: We decided that the chances to be picked were unpredictable and getting to the park 2 hours early might not be a great idea with the late night and no guarantee…..it would be pretty disappointing to wait that long and the kids would be hot, tired and grouchy before entering the park.

Okay, Wednesday morning we head out about 8:10 AM. Shades of Green is just down from the TTC, you are actually already on the other side of the pay to park gates. We get over to the parking area and can’t figure out how to get into the parking area. We can only find an entrance for 15 minute parking and drop off. :confused3 DH decides that he should drop us off, drive back:drive: to Shades of Green and walk back over. (You will find out later that this might not have been a great idea).

So me and kids wait at the entrance of the monorail. Taking a few pictures.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009106.jpg
We wait some more, and some more.:rolleyes1 Finally DH returns and we make a beeline for the monorail. We are coming down the exit ramp to MK just as the opening show is starting. I need to go to guest relations and get my $75 birthday so I send DH and the kids through the turnstiles with instructions to go ahead and see a character if they are waiting for me.

Getting my birthday card was very easy and just took a couple of minutes.:goodvibes Soon, I was walking through the tunnel, entering the MK. Though I was a little disappointed that we had missed the opening, but hey, I got $75 to spend. DH & the kids were getting in line for Pluto so we got pictures there and then moved over to Chip & Dale. While waiting for Chip & Dale DH notices the barber shop quartet riding on the back of the trolley and walks over to ask them to sing to me…….so they call me over and proceed to sing “Happy Birthday” along with a few additional lines they added, very embarrassing:blush:. When we rejoin DS & DD in line the lady behind us says, “he (meaning DS) was disowning you both.”:laughing:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009108.jpg

We see Chip and Dale and start to head down Main Street when they spot Mary Poppins. :woohoo: So over we go to see her and they spend several minutes talking, etc. Finally we head down Main Street, stopping once more for the yearly picture in front of the castle. As we get closer we can see that the show is going on the castle forefront and DD wants to watch. After a few minutes DS is ready to go so I advise DH that he and DD finish the show, DS and I will walk on toward Adventureland and get FP’s for Jungle Cruise.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009110.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009111.jpg

Along the way we see Aladdin & Jasmine and I tell DS to get in line while I get the FP’s really quick but the line is closed, they will be back out in a little bit. DH & DD catch up with us and off we go to POCpirate:. DD is not thrilled about riding this ride but I will only allow her to weasel out of so much……if it isn’t too intense (POC is a very mild ride) then she has to do it. After all, I didn’t pay $$$ for her to ride in a stroller all day, :rolleyes:we could stay home and go to the park and do that for free. After POC we see Peter Pan & Wendy or DS does, DD doesn’t want to, but she does go to see Smee….okay Peter Pan is scary but Smee is not?????? :confused3 Then we head over to visit with Aladdin & Jasmine. DD doesn’t like Aladdin at all but goes to see Jasmine…..she just stands as far away from Aladdin as possible. The lines aren’t to terribly bad in Adventureland in the morning so not very much of a wait, though the character lines are crowded and DH is about at his limit for standing in line for autographs and pictures.:p
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009113.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009116.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009114.jpg

Now generally we like to take two days for the MK so we don’t have to rush but with the cruise and all this year we have today….that’s it……so we are packing as much into one day as we possibly can. :hourglass We had already talked to the kids about what they didn’t mind skipping if we had to.

How far will we make it?????? Is it possible to do and see everything in the MK in one day?????

You’ll have to wait until next week to find out.

Up next – Jungle boats, Tiki’s, flying carpets and on to Frontierland!!!!!!

live4christp1
06-18-2009, 11:49 AM
Day 3, Chapter 2
Jungle boats, Tiki’s, flying carpets and on to Frontierland!!!!!!

Next stop is Jungle Cruise. This ride is another family favorite corny jokes and all. I must say though that sometimes it’s more fun than others….just depends on your captain – I’m sure it gets old repeating those same lines over and over again but some of them have fun and make it a fun trip for everyone while some drivers seem to be on auto pilot or repeat mode. We make it through the jungle uneventfully and are returned safely to shore.

Next we cross over and hop on the Magic Carpets. DD is very proud that she is being “brave” and riding the carpets…..she really doesn’t like them or Dumbo at all! The camel got our carpet a couple of times so riders beware…..there are camels…..and they do spit!

The kids want to do the Tiki room, I thought this was one of those we would skip to save time but they “really want to do it”. This is not one of DH’s favorite things and all morning he has been saying, “I should have stopped at Main Street Bakery for a cinnamon roll.” Yes, DH has it bad for the cinnamon rolls from Main Street Bakery. So I suggest (in order to save him from sitting through this show (and us listening to him bemoan the fact that he doesn’t like it)) that he walk back to Main Street for a cinnamon roll while the kids and I see the show. I really had to twist his arm to convince him to do this (NOT!)…….I think he was gone in about ½ a second. The Tiki show winds up just as DH is headed back so that worked out pretty well.

Adventureland has been conquered, heading to Frontierland. We did not stop and wait for the Capt Jack show this year in order to save some time (plus it’s really hot standing out in the sun) we have watched it several times and DS has been picked to be in it. We know we will get a chance to see Captain Jack in a couple of days when we cruise anyway.

First stop in Frontierland is Splash Mtn for some Fastpasses, the line is about 50 minutes long. BTMTRR is also a pretty good wait. We did get two Splash Mtn FPs and two BTMTRR FPs as DD will not ride these. What to do, what to do? Of course the boys want to go to Tom Sawyer Island. DD isn’t a fan so we head over to watch the Country Bears while the boys play on the island.

After Country Bears DD is hankering to see her some princesses and wants to change into her Cinderella dress. The boys are still running wild on the island and though I don’t like cutting across the park like this, there just isn’t much else to do here. So off we go to County Bounty to see Cinderella.

The boys call once we get in line for the princesses. When we got there the princess line had a wait of 45 minutes posted and the fairies show 60 minutes. I figured the boys would go off and do something else while we did princess stuff but oddly, DS wants to come see the princesses as well. Really he wanted to see Tink but we’ll keep that a secret. When the boys meet up with us I have DH get in the fairies line that way he is about 15 minutes behind us. So after we finally make it inside and get our 30 second visit with Cinderella, Belle, & Sleeping Beauty out of the way we go around and I send the kids across to DH. While they are visiting Pixie Hollow I look around in County Bounty and wait, and wait, and wait some more.

Finally they emerge having transformed back to full size human from the shrinking to enter Pixie Hollow. Time is ticking away very quickly, they are starting to rope off parade routes, etc. as we head to get some lunch. We end up going to Columbia Harbor House which is almost empty at this point. We enjoy a nice lunch here and surprisingly the kids eat pretty well, guess they worked up an appetite. I had the tuna sandwich which was surprisingly good.

We make it out of CHH and start back toward SM and BTMTRR just as the parade is starting. So DS and I cut across the bridge to BTMTRR while DH and DD stop to watch the parade.

Coming soon – Splash Mtn. x2 followed by lets walk across the park as many times as possible.

Angies1274
06-18-2009, 06:55 PM
I'm enjoying your trip report:thumbsup2 Your photopass pics turned out great!! Can't wait to read more.popcorn::

dd50
06-18-2009, 09:33 PM
Sounds like you had a great time there.

MickeyReeds
06-18-2009, 11:22 PM
Hey everyone! I promise I am going to add some pictures to these soon. We went to see Steven Curtis Chapman at Riverbend last night and the concert wasn't over until almost 11:30 PM.

Can't figure out how to get my photopass link to work, it's always worked when I've added it in the past. Will try doing it from my home computer tonight or tomorrow.

Hope you are enjoying my report and I'm not boring you to tears to bad!!!!!! :rotfl:

Cristy

I am enjoying your report a lot! I just found it tonight!

So cool that you got to see Steven Curtis Chapman--he is amazing! I heard him at a Women of Faith event in May and with Michael W. Smith last November in Omaha. My DH is a huge Mercy Me fan, so we went to Kansas City on Sunday for their faith and friends day at the Royals game. It was a great show!!

What part of TN are you from?

live4christp1
06-19-2009, 09:22 AM
I am enjoying your report a lot! I just found it tonight!

So cool that you got to see Steven Curtis Chapman--he is amazing! I heard him at a Women of Faith event in May and with Michael W. Smith last November in Omaha. My DH is a huge Mercy Me fan, so we went to Kansas City on Sunday for their faith and friends day at the Royals game. It was a great show!!

What part of TN are you from?


Thanks!

We just had a great festival here last weekend (JFest) that went from 8:00 AM until about 8:00 PM featuring: John Waller, Salvador, Building 429, FFH, Mark Harris, Francesca Battistella and many local groups. It was great!

We are in Chattanooga (actually right outside in a rural area but it's a 15 minute drive into the city).

I'll be adding more pictures when I have a chance to sit down at home and down and upload them to photobucket.

Cristy

live4christp1
06-19-2009, 09:24 AM
Sounds like you had a great time there.

Yes we did. From your count down ticker it looks like you will be headed to visit Mickey really soon! :thumbsup2

I am already dreaming about the next trip!

live4christp1
06-19-2009, 09:25 AM
I'm enjoying your trip report:thumbsup2 Your photopass pics turned out great!! Can't wait to read more.popcorn::

Thanks! I love photopass. They always get some really good shots and I just love the one of DH with fairy wings.......talk about a blackmail picture:rolleyes1 . I had lots of fun playing with them yesterday and adding borders, etc. Now if they could only locate the dozen or so that didn't upload to one of cards that would be great!

live4christp1
06-19-2009, 12:37 PM
I can't believe I forgot this!
This is an addition to day 3, chapter 2

The rain!

How could I forget to mention the rain???????:confused:

Well, while DD and I were making our way to Toontown, the clouds were rolling in, storms coming. Well, I think, DH & DS are going to be in for it because they are on Tom Sawyer Island and I have the backpack with all the ponchos. Oh well.:rolleyes1

The wind is picking up a bit as we park the stroller, it's not looking good for the boys. I take out a poncho and cover DD's stroller and we head inside and join the line of other waiting to meet their favorite princesses. :yay:

The boys did make it to County Bounty just as the rain was starting so crisis was averted. But just minutes later it was pouring!:scared1: That's the good thing about County Bounty's long character lines - they are inside and it's air conditioned.:thumbsup2

When we came out from the princess area and the kids joined DH in the Pixie Hollow line it was still raining pretty good and County Bounty was full of people getting seeking shelter. So I guess even though I don't particularly like to cross back and forth around the park, this worked in our advantage. When they finally came out of Pixie Hollow the rain had all but stopped.

I should add that while we were in Toontown DH & DS went on Goofy's Barnstormer (couldn't convince DD to get on it again this year) so DD and I went through Minnie's house and boy was it crowded!!!!! We would not have time to return to Toontown this trip.


Okay - next we will resume the regularly scheduled trip report already in progress.
:thumbsup2

live4christp1
06-19-2009, 04:43 PM
Fantasmic Info I forgot to mention

So I was off reading on another thread and realized I didn't report this about the Fantasmic showing we saw. Well if you remember correctly in the past there have been scenes were there is actually fire on the lagoon and Mickey uses the water to put the fire out. There was no real fire this time, only projected flames on the water walls. Was a little disappointing as it didn't come across the same. Don't get me wrong, I still really like this show, just not sure if I'd stand in line for 3 hours to see it.

Also, I'm not sure this is the case with all the Fantasmic showings now or if it had anything to do with the rain, etc. but there was no fire at our 10:30 PM show.

Me&3
06-20-2009, 02:32 PM
Great start to your TR :goodvibes. Your photopass pics are so cute I can't wait to see Mr. Fredrickson from UP. We love to stay at Shades of Green I go with my two DS's alone when DH can't go with us. I feel very safe there when he is there. We also love seeing the turkeys its fun when they come up to the sliding glass door. Can't wait to see and hear more:)

live4christp1
07-01-2009, 03:05 PM
Day 3 - Chapter 3 - Splash Mtn. x2 followed by lets walk across the park as many times as possible.

When DS & I exited BTMTRR the parade had just finished up so DD & DH met us at Splash Mtn. DS decides that he wants to ride it with me and DH so up to the FP line we go to request a rider swap. DS insists that I should go first since it's my birthday......gotta love him. In not to terribly long of a wait we are boarding our log......we got the front seat (great!).

Splash Mtn. is the best water flume ride I have ever been on. I love the themeing (is that a word?) and you never really realize how high up you have made it until you peek out over that drop. We got so wet!!!!!!!

Off the ride and away to find DH & DD who were playing (or so we thought) at the playground under the bridge. DD is sound asleep in the stroller. DH said she played maybe 5 minutes, climbed in the stroller and was out. So of DS & DH go to ride Splash Mtn. When they exit, I thought we got wet but compared to what they got on that trip......we just got sprinkled on.

Time is slipping quickly away. We decided to skip Haunted Mansion so we only passed through Liberty Square on our way to Fantasyland. Grab a FP for Pooh as DD is dying to ride and go over to do Philarmagic. My favorite of each parks 3D or (4D) films. I love this and could watch it over and over.

Next its over to Snow White's Scary Adventure and then our Pooh ride. We checked out Peter Pan but the wait was pretty long. Decide to head over to Tomorrowland ......have to get in a trip on Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Also do Stitch while here.....talked DD into going (she's never done this one before). Personally I think this attraction is really lame and don't care for it at all but DS likes it......and I get to sit down in air conditioning so I'll tolerate it. After Stitch it's over to Laugh Floor to hang with the Monsters.

Space Mtn and TTA are down. Consider COP but kids want to go back to Fantasyland and we are almost out of time. We head over and do Peter Pan although the wait was about 50 minutes :scared1:. After Peter Pan we have just enough time to go on Philarmagic one more time before we need to head toward Main Street for Wishes.

There is no Spectromagic tonight.

Coming Soon - Hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, firewords, flying fairies, tears, shopping & will we ever make it back to SOG.....refer back to Day 3 Chapter 1.

live4christp1
07-15-2009, 03:43 PM
:sad1:Sadly my photopass pictures have expired.

My CD should arrive any day now though and I'll be sure to post lots of pictures!:goodvibes

live4christp1
07-15-2009, 04:11 PM
Day 3, Chapter 4 - Hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, firewords, flying fairies, tears, shopping & will we ever make it back to SOG.....refer back to Day 3 Chapter 1.

With another viewing of Philarmagic under our belt, we head toward Main Street to find a spot for Wishes. Wow! There are a lot of people!!!!! I never imagined it would be so crowded......what with no Spectromagic, no EMH......:confused3

We find a space along the sidewalk, knowing once they shut off the lights we will step out into the street to watch fireworks. We are right down from Caseys and of course the kids start with "I'm hungry". Off to Caseys to grab two hot dogs, drinks & fries. There are lots of people with the same idea. Entering the shortest line to the far right I am still in for a bit of a wait as the lady at the register has no idea what she wants, then she can't find her money......you know......usual complaints we read here on the DIS. :rolleyes1

Finally I return to DH and the kids with food in hand and deposit it into the hungry little hands. Then DH says, :idea: another cinnamon roll would be good. So again I set out to find food for the weary and hungry. As I wait in the line at the bakery I am getting kind of anxious, it is fast approaching fireworks time and the cinnamon rolls are disappearing quickly. Finally it's my turn to order. I decide that ordering 3 would be a good idea (one for us to share tonight and two for breakfast in the morning). They have two but I'm assured they have more in the back.....so I wait.......and wait.......and wait some more. Finally someone emerges with the promised tray of rolls, packaged and off to the cashier.

Make it back to DH and the kids right as the lights go out. The hot dogs and fries are gone. We step to the street to enjoy the most amazing fireworks show I have ever seen. Really didn't think Tink would fly tonight do to the afternoon storms and it had remained overcast throughout the day with hearing some thunder in the distance on many occasions. However, :wizard: we were in for a surprise and Tink did indeed fly. No matter how many times I see this fireworks show, it still brings tears to my eyes and my kids are always looking for them so they can say, "mom's crying again". The fireworks end and the massive crowd rushes like fleeing from a stampede.

Of course I still have a $75 gift card to spend so off to the shops we go. We spent a good bit of time here and ended up with a new Mickey purse for me, two picture albums, and the Wishes soundtrack CD.......seems like I purchased one other thing but for the life of me I can't remember. Think I ended up owing $3 and change so thanks Disney for the :bday: gift! As I am collecting my bags DH is getting the ponchos out and covering the kids, reporting to me that it is raining AGAIN!!!!!!

So ponchos in place we exit the building to guess what?????? NO rain! He says, "I promise it was pouring just a minute ago." :rolleyes: We make our way to the Monorail ramp.....going to the express side as we no the secret that this one stops at TTC also. However, there are either lots of other people who know this secret or lots of people trying to get to their monorail resort. We wait a minute and notice the boat ramps have almost no one waiting. So I mention we could ride a boat to the Polynesian or Grand Floridian and hope on the monorail there back to TTC.

Well, remember that we couldn't figure out how to get into the TTC parking area this morning????? It's about to get really interesting.;)

DH remarks :idea: well the Polynesian is right across from Shades of Green, we can go there and walk, I cut through their parking lot walking back. This brings a little uneasy feeling to my stomach but he insists it will be okay. So off we go to board the boat to the Polynesian. Boat ride is uneventful, aside from the fact that DD doesn't want to ride the boat and makes sure we are well aware of that. "When you are a grown up you can choose.....but right now you do as you're told." :laughing:

We exit the boat at the Polynesian and walk around through the garden toward the main building (it's very pretty at night with all the torches). DH is in a hurry though so we have to speed look. We get around to the front and DH says we need to go this way through the parking lot. Okay. Now I think it would have been a better idea to just follow the sidewalk down and I'm almost sure there should be a walk way or path or cross walk or something across the road......but we will never know the answer to that question. Across the parking lot we go.....to emerge at the road leading out of the parking lots......lots of traffic, two kids, lots of bags, no sidewalk and we are going to need to walk down a ways and cross the road. :headache: So, I make a decision that it's not a good idea and I am not pushing a stroller down that busy road at 11:00 PM at night. The kids and I turn around and head back across the parking lot and take a seat. Leaving DH to go get the van and come back and pick us up. That was rather mean of me, I know but I was really concerned about safety in my defense......and if DH would just stop and ask a question every now and then like "hey, how do we get in the parking lot from here?" we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place.:thumbsup2

Finally he arrives to collect us and we return to SOG. We need to get packed up and everyone cleaned up and in bed......we leave tomorrow morning for Port Canaveral and our first cruise on the Disney Wonder.

Next issue: Day 4, chapter 1 - Cruising with the Mouse!

live4christp1
07-29-2009, 03:41 PM
Day 4, Chapter 1 – Port Canaveral here we come!!!!!

The drive to the port is about an hour so we are up about 7:30. Get everyone ready, pack up last few items and head to the front desk to checkout. Leave a package at the guest services desk for one of DH’s buddies from BCT/AIT and his family who are arriving the next day for their first ever visit to the world.:thumbsup2 Shades of Green was such a beautiful resort, I really hate that we didn’t have more time to spend here.:sad1:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009131.jpg
The Disney Wonder as we approach the port.

The drive to the port is uneventful and shortly after 10:00 DH is dropping us and the bags at the curb to check in. :woohoo: There was already a pretty good line but after they got most of the stations open it went pretty quickly. We got in the #4 boarding pass window. After taking care of that and getting our photo’s taken I head over to register the kids for the their clubs. Captain Mickey made an appearance while I was in line so DH takes the kids for photos with him. While standing in line a overhear a lady in front of me telling another lady in line about the DIS and all the great information on here. So when they finish their conversation we started talking.....I think it was WelovetheMouse - Hi friend!!! Am I correct??? It is so cool to meet people from the DIS while on Disney vacations!!!! Gives me a little encouragement that I'm not so strange after all to be so obsessed with Disney.:goodvibes The kids return to the line with me and get their arm bands. DH had stepped outside to take pictures of the ship and struck up a conversation with one of the CM’s there. A really nice man, I think his name was Hal, he bumped us up to #2 boarding…..YEAH!!!!!!:yay:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009133.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009140.jpg


Minnie Mouse has arrived for pictures so we get in line and see Minnie as a family and before we know it they are calling us to board. I didn’t note the exact time but I’m thinking it was about noon. We step into the atrium as we are announced and WOW!!!!!! :wizard: It is just beautiful!!!!! Everyone is welcoming us aboard :welcome:and directing us to were we can find lunch. Now I had planned on going to Parrot Cay for lunch today but the CM DH had been talking to said the buffet was excellent so we head up to Beach Blanket. There are very few people here, I think we were maybe the 4th or 5th table seated. So many wonderful choices of delicious food. There was a delicious chilled soup of some sort each day and I really enjoyed those. We have a wonderful window seat and enjoy our meal, after having handed out the appropriate motion sickness medication to everyone of course. DH goes for some dessert and returns and find that we are seated next to one of our DIS meet/FE exchange friends! Hi Natalie (aka goofydad99) and family!!!!! :wave2: The kids are eager to get to the pool so we finish up and head out to the Mickey pool.

Soon we are joined by our new friends and the kids all enjoy the pool while the parents talk and soak up the wonderful sunshine. :sunny: The older kids decide they want to check out the Goofy family pool so the dad’s head over with those while Natalie and I talk a while longer. Soon it’s time to go check out our room so we all say goodbye and plan to meet up with the other DISers a little later. Chip and Dale are walking around the deck as we leave so we stop for a quick picture! Don’t know who the extra kid in the photo is but she wanted in the picture, I’ve covered her face so as not to offend anyone by posting a picture without permission.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009145.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009144.jpg

We are in room #2524. This sailing was booked under the kids sail free promotion (what a great deal :thumbsup2 that was and what finally gave us the opportunity to take our first cruise!) so I had originally booked the lowest category because we didn’t plan to spend much time in the room anyway. We got upgraded to a category 9 before sailing :cheer2: which was an outside room with large porthole window. The room was beautiful. The bathrooms are rather small though (more like two side by side porta-potties:rotfl:, one having a shower/tub & sink, the other a toilet & sink). We had a hard time getting used to having to step up or down into them for some reason. We loved our room though. It was very beautiful and just like the pictures we had looked at here on the DIS. Part of our luggage had arrived, we were still waiting on two bags (our FE exchange stuff – please don’t let it be lost:eek:). We arranged the stuff a little in the room and rested for a few minutes before heading back up to the Mickey pool to meet up with our other DIS friends.

Stay tuned for : MiNi – DIS meet, safety drills, Deck party, room service and sleeping at dinner.

8caliace
07-30-2009, 07:32 AM
Day 3, Chapter 1
We Celebrate my birthday Magic Kingdom style!!!!!! :bday:


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009110.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009111.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009113.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009116.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/wdw2009114.jpg

[/B]

I had to ask about the t-shirts you and your family are wearing. I can make out that it is Mickey saluting, but not the words. Are these t-shirts that you bought, or that you made yourself? As a miltary member myself, I really like the items with Mickey saluting. Thanks.

live4christp1
07-30-2009, 10:59 AM
I had to ask about the t-shirts you and your family are wearing. I can make out that it is Mickey saluting, but not the words. Are these t-shirts that you bought, or that you made yourself? As a miltary member myself, I really like the items with Mickey saluting. Thanks.


Someone over on the DISign board made them (the design) and customized them for us. They then send you a link and you print them and iron them on or if you can find someone to screen print them that's even better.

The top part says God Bless America and then each shirt was personlized for each individual. DH's read "Army National Guard 230th Sustainment Brigade", while the remaining read "Proud wife/son/daughter of an Army National Guardsman".

I'll go find the link and also post some close ups of the design's. There are a lot of wonderfully talented people on that board that do such great work and all just for the joy of it and to spread the magic!!!! The kids had personalized shirts for almost every day.

Here's the link to that thread. Lots of other great designs there as well.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2117759

live4christp1
07-30-2009, 11:27 AM
Here are the designs in case they didn't pull up on the other thread.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/Disneyguardmicah.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/Disneyguardcristy.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/Disneyguardalicia.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y184/live4christp1/Disneyguard1.jpg

live4christp1
08-19-2009, 03:55 PM
DAY 4, CHAPTER 2 - MiNi – DIS meet, safety drills, Deck party, room service and sleeping at dinner

Back on deck by the Mickey pool we are in search of fellow DIS members that we have been chatting on the Cruise Board with. I’ve struggled with my list of names from our FE exchange and our meet thread trying to remember everyone who was there but my brain is not so cooperative. If I leave you out please forgive me:littleangel:, it’s not intentional and if you’ll post me I’ll make sure and add you to my report:goodvibes. Here’s a shout out to all those I know (or am pretty sure of) were at the meet. Hey Jenn (Jenn 52), Ami (jamdkvan), Natalie (goofydad99), Lisa (44disney), Andrea (astempel), I’m almost positive there were others but it got very confusing with all the DIS names versus real names. We also got to meet our next door neighbor in the hallway, she’s another DISer – Hi Andrea (Sneadae). We had a nice time chatting with each other and talking about how excited we were to be on the cruise, etc. It was nice to get to know some others who love all things Disney as much as we do!!!!!:wizard:

I’m not certain but I think we started getting a slight sprinkle while meeting and I think that’s the rain we had for this day. This day is such a blur though I might be mistaken. Soon we all need to go retrieve our floatation devices and report to our stations so we say our goodbyes and hope to see each other again. We did find out before departing that several of us have the same dining rotation/time!!!!!:cheer2:

Stop by room and make sure everyone is properly outfitted with their new bright orange accessories and head off to our station. :thumbsup2 The room number is located on each life jacket and they check us off as we enter the theater. Now I was kind of concerned that this was going to be a long process, especially after passing a lady in the hallway who was stating quiet sternly to those accompanying her that “she was not going to the safety drill.”:rolleyes: So soon we are on our way back to the room.

Drop of life vests and head up on deck for the Sail Away celebration. This was high energy and loads of fun. We run into our new friends goofydad99 & family again on deck. The kids loved dancing along with the cast and characters. :banana: Soon we are underway – next stop Nassau Bahamas. Party ends and we say goodbye again to our friends…..sadly we don’t have the same dining rotation but hope to meet up again.

Back at the room the kids want to order French fries & Mickey bars :mickeybar: from room service so we order and are told it will be about 30 minutes. DH volunteers to stay and wait (nap) while the kids and I head up to check out the clubs real quick.

The kids clubs are amazing…….wish I could be a kid and go to the kid club. They look around in each one for a couple of minutes then we headed back to the room. I was really afraid I’d have a hard time finding my way around on the ship…..I can get really lost in a hospital, but the ship was a breeze and everything is labeled nicely. Room service has arrived and the kids devour the fries & ice cream. DH naps a while longer while the kids enjoy watching the Disney cartoons before grabbing a shower and getting changed for dinner, I run over to the laundry:laundy: to iron clothes.

Soon we are on our way to dinner at Parrot Cay/early seating. We had requested a table for 4 and our request has been granted. We are seated and soon meet our server Ralph and assistant Agnelo:thanks:. Let me just say up front, these guys did an outstanding job and took amazingly good care of us. The meal here at Parrot Cay ended up probably being my favorite, it was delicious. I had the chicken tender appetizer, it wasn’t very pretty to look at but it was really good. DH had the crab dip (can’t remember exact name) and enjoyed it as well. The kids ordered chicken tenders & fries. While waiting for the food to arrive poor DD fell asleep. DH & I both ordered the beef entrée and it was excellent, cooked just as requested, yum!!!!! DS finished up and headed off to the club, didn’t want to stick around for dessert. DD soon followed after once she finished her meal (DH walked her up) and I was the only one to enjoy the conga line and limbo through the dining room. Ralph (our server) was kind of disappointed that the kids left before this but that’s one thing I had not read about here on the DIS, had not clue that this was even going to happen. DH returned and he and I enjoyed a nice quiet dessert. We are beyond stuffed and decide to walk around the ship some before going to the Golden Mickey’s.

Next up – “game show shenanigans, the red carpet, Golden Mickey’s & premiere of UP in 3-D at 12:01 AM.”

live4christp1
09-22-2009, 02:52 PM
Update coming soon.

live4christp1
10-12-2009, 04:35 PM
Day 4, Chapter 3 - The "red carpet", Golden Mickey's, Match Your Mate & UP....zzzzzzz

We explored the boat for a while before going over to pick up the kids to go to the Golden Mickey's. Stopped to get DD first. Then over to get DS. He was having so much fun in the club he was torn between what to do and decided he'd stay at club instead of going to the Golden Mickey's. So off we head - minus DS. Upon approaching they pull DD aside to interview her on the red carpet. Now she is really shy and normally won't dream of speaking to someone she doesn't know but with anything Disney it's different....that magic just draws her out of her shell and I was surprised, she answered all the questions she was asked and was just beaming from ear to ear.

Into the theater and grab some seats....wow.....we are early and it's already filling up. The show was good and we liked it but if we go again and it's still one of the nightly shows we wouldn't go again. The red carpet was the highlight.

After the Golden Mickey's we take DD back to kids club and DH and I head over to Match your Mate. This was fun to watch and the couples were so funny. The couple that won that night was the last couple picked. They picked a newlywed couple and then a couple together for a long time....then he asked for any other couple that want to play they had to impress him. So he went through the few that raised their hands and I can't remember what all they did but the couple who got the spot.....when he got to them they just jumped up and ran onstage and took the seats...:rotfl: They ended up the winners! :wizard: Congrats to them!!!!

Okay, off to pick up the kids again and then over to see the premiere of Up in 3-D. Let me tell you.....I was crying within the first 15 minutes of this movie.:sad1: We lost my mom early this year.....she had cancer and became bed ridden toward the end......it just reminded me so of her and my dad (except they had kids). Now my dad is a widower.......I was a mess. As the story moved on though I dozed.....it's well after midnight remember......I think DS was the only one to stay awake through the entire thing.....this kid is the energizer bunny.

Finally.......after a very busy day we make it back to the room, teeth brush, pajamas, bed........I think DD did wake up enough back at the room to eat one of the chocolates left by our room steward Herbert and check out the towel turtle he made us.

Next up Nassau Bahamas, carriage ride, shopping, change of plans...........

WeLoveTheMouse
10-13-2009, 01:15 PM
We had the same reaction to UP. My dad died a year and a half ago and me and my DD7 cried several times during the movie. Of course it did not help that it was between midnight and 2 and we were absolutely exhausted from a fun day.

I am enjoying remembering along with you. I never took the time to write it all out. It was all such a whirlwind.

live4christp1
11-12-2009, 03:40 PM
We had the same reaction to UP. My dad died a year and a half ago and me and my DD7 cried several times during the movie. Of course it did not help that it was between midnight and 2 and we were absolutely exhausted from a fun day.

I am enjoying remembering along with you. I never took the time to write it all out. It was all such a whirlwind.

Thanks! I've got to find time to add some more pictures soon. I just hate doing it from home....our dial up is so slow to load anything like that. Maybe I just need to take the day off and spend it at one of our local coffee shops that has free wi-fi......:surfweb:

Sorry for the loss of your dad. I don't remember a lot about the movie and have yet to see it again but the first part really had me all choked up....and the last part, I did wake up enough to watch the end.....but the end was a happy cry.