The "I'll never do Disney in the summer", summer trip report! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

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simplymama

07-29-2009, 03:47 PM

I didn't do a pre-trip report, but our trip was so much fun, truly "Magical" so I am excited to share it with others who understand.

We are a large family with nine,yes nine children. Yes they're all ours. Yes we have a t.v. and Yes we have figured out what causes it:-):rotfl:

Our oldest two are in College now, and planning vacations to coincide with everybody's schedule is quite difficult. So that's how the name of my report came to be. Despite my always saying "I'll never do Disney in the summer" it's the only time that would really work for us.

Cast of characters

Me(Kat, wife, mother, mom, or as my user name says Simplymama)
DH(B,husband, dad extraordinaire to our crew)

Children: 6 sons... Kyle(20),Phil(17),Eric(16),Evan(11),Jack(4) and Baby Joseph(14 months)

3 daughters...Beth(14),Grace(9),Anna(6)

Transportation....one big red Ford E350 (11 passenger) ..FULL to capacity

Approximate Travel Time 8 hours and 41 minutes from our house to the World

ADR's....check
Special surprises packed....check
Golf Clubs......check
Too much luggage....check

Day 1...The adventure begins a day early...........

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures, of our fully loaded van to share but you can trust me when I say it was indeed packed utilizing every sqaure inch to it's fullest potential.

Just the day before we had decided to leave at about 1:30 p.m. on Friday instead of very very early Saturday with the thought that we'd drive part way and stop in Kingsland Georgia for the night and then have a pleasant drive into Florida in the morning.

We stopped in Savannah for dinner at about 6:00, and since all was going well with our youngest, Joseph so far,(in other words no major crying spells) we tossed around the idea of driving straight through. A quick check online with the i-phone seemed to show that the Double Tree Suites in Downtown Disney had rooms for us, so I made a quick phone call to reserve them and we were soon back on the road with even more excitement then before. The baby did really well and fell a sleep for a while, but when he woke up at about 10:00 p.m., finding himself in a dark van which he does not like, he started to cry. He cried pretty hard for a bit, and then just got really quiet and held on to me as I did my best to reassure him and hug him, which was not a very easy feat with him fastened into his car seat. Jack and Anna had both been a sleep for a bit too but woke up as we were nearing the hotel. Dark and late it may have been, but excited they definitely were.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYMrdiHT_DY/SnClEf_XlhI/AAAAAAAACpw/J_KA2lAMi5g/s400/disney+004.JPG
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QYMrdiHT_DY/SnCmqENLIfI/AAAAAAAACqA/AAjrp1YlaLA/s400/disney2+004.JPG
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QYMrdiHT_DY/SnCmVc-wJGI/AAAAAAAACp4/IEnMYvetVlw/s400/disney2+006.JPG

We pulled in right around 11:00 p.m. and I jumped out with the baby, so I could give him a real hug and my oldest daughter Beth to get us checked in. It was surprising to see so many people coming and going even at that time of night.

The 2 rooms were fine for a one night stay. They both had 2 double beds and a queen sleeper sofa and were actually quite large. Of course by now everybody was wide awake and it was probably about 12:30 or so before we all fell asleep.

Day 2
I awoke at 6:30 a.m. and just couldn't fall back to sleep, despite trying my best to do so. Dh woke up too which is pretty surprising because he usually has no trouble sleeping. I headed down to see if the restaurant had some coffee to go, but they directed me to a Starbucks cart in the lobby, which I'm pretty positive had coffee that been there from the night before. Yes, it was very bad. Oh well, who cares, we were in Disney. We showered and were ready to go by 9:00. We decided to head over to Downtown Disney for breakfast at McDonalds.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/3769584847_2cfaeeb4e2_b.jpg

Afterwards we made a stop in the Disney store for some new hats for little girls and the baby.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/3770404598_50ab361c88.jpg

We walked around for a bit longer and noticed this cool photo opt in the sky.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QYMrdiHT_DY/SnComi0CC5I/AAAAAAAACqY/4m4pWwCYGas/s400/040.JPG

It was hard to really enjoy being at Downtown Disney because some of us were just too excited about our real destination. Even though check in isn't really until 3:00 p.m. we knew we could at least get our park tickets and unload the van so off we went.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3638/3769607289_cbb03c0059_b.jpg

DisneyFreak06

07-29-2009, 04:36 PM

Wow! I can't imagine driving to Disney with such a large family. I'm one of a family of 10 children, 11 years between the oldest and the second youngest, and then the last came 3 years later.

I love how you started your report with "Yes they're all ours. Yes we have a t.v. and Yes we have figured out what causes it:-)"

The longest trips we ever did as a family (back before seatbelt laws! :laughing:) was 1.5-2 hours. And I've never been to WDW with my family! I had to wait until I was 30 and went on my own. I can't wait to read about your family trip to WDW. So exciting!

simplymama

07-29-2009, 05:16 PM

letstalkboutdisney

07-29-2009, 06:26 PM

I'm in, I can't wait to hear more. I have four kids and I know how much work it was going to Disney last year. I can't imagine how much time it took you to plan this trip. Maybe I can get some tips!

dismagiclover

07-29-2009, 06:48 PM

Oh this sounds like fun! It's not everyday I get to read a trip report of a family of 11:cool1: I can't wait to hear the stories and all of the craziness. I'm predicting lots of good times:banana:

simplymama

07-29-2009, 06:51 PM

I'm in, I can't wait to hear more. I have four kids and I know how much work it was going to Disney last year. I can't imagine how much time it took you to plan this trip. Maybe I can get some tips!

It did take a fair bit of time to plan, but I had so much fun doing it. You know the first time we ever did Disney as a family was with our four oldest when they were little. It was Disneyland and we had such great memories from that trip. I'd have to say this trip we just took, even though we've been numerous times in between, was the most magical one since that very first one:-)

Thanks for reading!!!

simplymama

07-29-2009, 06:52 PM

Oh this sounds like fun! It's not everyday I get to read a trip report of a family of 11:cool1: I can't wait to hear the stories and all of the craziness. I'm predicting lots of good times:banana:

We really did have lots of good times, and yea a few of "those" type moments...lol. Thanks for joining in:-)

LPNmom

07-29-2009, 07:04 PM

rpbear

07-29-2009, 07:29 PM

Great start. I can't wait to read more.

simplymama

07-29-2009, 07:55 PM

We arrived at the Grand Floridian and told the guard at the gate that we were checking in. She asked for some ID and then directed us to drive up to the front of the resort. We pulled up to the valet area and just sort of glanced around for a minute deciding where we needed to go, when Dh saw a front desk area that said check in, so I got out of the van and headed towards it, but before I could even approach it, a Cast Member came up to me and asked if I was Mrs. XXXXX. Um yes, I am...!!

The Valet Attendant took care of the van, the Bellman unloaded the luggage and then the Concierge Cast Member took some time to guess who each of the children were, all correctly I should add:-)She informed us that one of our three rooms was actually ready(the one our three oldest would be staying in) so she would just be taking us up to it, and have all of our luggage delivered there, and then we could just move it to the other two rooms next door once they were ready.

The Lobby of the Grand Floridian was as beautiful as ever. We took the ride in the Gold Elevators, on up to the 4th floor. We exited the elevator and passed through the lounge area and I'll be honest here and admit my heart sank a bit when we turned right instead of left. I had heard here on the DIS boards, that you had to go left for a Magic Kingdom view which is what I had requested. When she let us into the room the first thing I did was walk to the glass doors, push the curtains aside, and stepped out onto the balcony.......

The Beach Pool was straight ahead...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3600/3769720081_bf94ef2c61_b.jpg

The Lagoon was off slightly to the left...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3207/3770520718_ec3b596ef4_b.jpg

And the beautiful Poly off in the distance...(zoomed in view)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3770754392_6285b2fbbf_b.jpg

Oh and even to the left we had a cool view...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3532/3770760960_1fcece8f8b_b.jpg

It was beautiful!! But silly me was so set on the castle that I was still feeling a bit let down. In my mind I had pictured the castle all lit up at night for the little girls to look at as they drifted off to sleep. I mean how magical would that be, right? More to come on this later:-)

The Cast Member gave us our, Keys to the World, and explained our Deluxe Dining Plan to us, she left us to settle in. Not long after though we decided we were going to head to Magic Kingdom, but as we walked by the lounge area we noticed it was now pouring rain out, so we decided we'd just go for a ride on the monorail over to the Contemporary.

The first monorail ride of a trip is always so much fun!!(I took this with my phone, so not the best_
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3770775712_df85be5ff8.jpg

The kids love the arcade there and wanted to check it out. I had read on the Resort boards that it had been redone but was surprised it had also been moved to a new location. The kids played some games and then the 4 oldest boys decided to head to the Magic Kingdom while the rest of us headed back to the Grand Floridian to get some items we had left without like a drink cup and diapers for the baby as well as some sunscreen, etc. Ok, I'm really letting it all out here when I admit that also at this point in my mind I was still secretly hoping I could get our rooms switched to a Magic Kingdom view.

To save you all from having to here the long story, I'll just say the next hour involved the following..........

1)Me believe it or not getting my wish for the Magic Kingdom view.
2)A BIG TREE
3)Me NOT liking the new view as much as the view we already had.
4)Me holding my head high (or was that tucking my tail between my legs) asking to be moved back.
5)Some rolled eyes I'm sure from Cast Members, because YES I was being ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
6)Thankfully having my request granted and being allowed back to our old rooms.
7)Finally all being well in my little fantasy world of what the magic was to be like.

simplymama

07-29-2009, 08:02 PM

Can't wait to hear more:surfweb:, I am planning a Grand Gathering for 12, but only 2 of those our my kids. So I can't imagine trying to keep 9 children together, happy, and as little melt downs as possible!

As you probably read in that second installment, mom was the one who needed to keep it together...lol. The kids were doing just fine!!!

Thanks for reading!!

simplymama

07-29-2009, 08:03 PM

Great start. I can't wait to read more.

Thanks for joining in!!

dismagiclover

07-30-2009, 06:46 AM

Your view looks lovely, but I can understand why you'd want the MK view:hug: Can't wait for more:goodvibes

simplymama

07-30-2009, 06:47 AM

By this time we decided just to text the older boys and tell them to meet us outside Epcot since we had a dinner reservation there at 4:30 and knew there was not much point in going to Magic Kingdom. We got there a bit before them, so found a nice place to sit while we waited.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/3769724503_a1e89d5716.jpg

When they showed up we headed through the gates and decided there was enough time to do a quick ride. Nemo had no wait at all, so we did it. Not exactly super exciting, but Jack seemed to enjoy it, and although I think the Baby was a bit scared by the dark, he just sat snuggled up on my lap quietly.

After that ride we headed over to Rose and Crown. We had a short wait, maybe 5-10 minutes, while they got a table big enough for our family ready, and then they paged us. We were seated on the balcony, which at first disappointed us a bit, since we were all very warm and wanted the cool of air conditioning, but the big fans and covered porch area we were seated on, ended up being just great for our family.

I wish I had gotten more pictures here, but I honestly just kept forgetting.

Quite a few of the kids ordered "Lamb Two Ways" and raved about it. I had the Fish and Chips and while it was good, it wasn't great. Dh and Phil ordered steaks and they seemed to enjoy them. At one point it started to rain realy hard while we were out there. Thankfully we were completely covered and didn't get wet, but a few of the patrons on the lower part of the patio had to be moved quickly. When DH went to check on the strollers, we discovered that the CMs had covered them up with plastic so score one point for Disney!!

When it came time to order desert, I could see how this whole Deluxe Dining thing was going to go. My kids, who love them some sweets, had to actually force themselves to even try anything.:rotfl:

I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding

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I was a bit disappointed in this. The cake part was very dry, although the custard/pudding part was pretty good.

Phil ordered the Trifle

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He only took two bites. He said he didn't care for it, but I also think being stuffed wasn't helping.

The rest of them ordered the apple crisp ala mode, and the littles got the "build your own sundaes"

After dinner, the 4 biggest kids headed off to ride Soarin, while DH took the middles to see "Honey I Shrunk the Audience". We took a toddler in that show before, and knew not to do it again...:rotfl:

That left Jack, Joseph, and I. We were walking around, when I saw the building with "The Land" in it and remembered it was a nice little boat ride,figured I could manage that Ok with them on my own, and off we went. It wasn't thrilling, but it was still fun. Just me and my little boys!!

It wasn't too long after we were done there that DH texted and said they were done. So we met up and were going to leave, but J#1 really wanted to go on the "ride in the golf ball"...lol. The baby was asleep by now in his stroller, so I decided to just wait on a bench and people watch while they rode the ride.

When they were done we headed to the monorail and back to the resort. The big kids, showed up and never did get to ride Soarin as it had a 90 minute wait, but they had road Test Track. Now that we were all getting a little hungry again we headed up to the lounge to check out the desserts and get a cold drink.

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Turn down service had already been in.
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It was lovely.

We sat on the balcony and could actually see the fireworks over Epcot in the distance. We also were out there in time to see the Electric Water Parade.

Of course you can't have a trip without new PJs for the little ones.
Grace had no problem filling the role of princess in her new Cinderella nightgown:-)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3769725985_88f9369437_b.jpg

Later after the littles were in bed, Beth and I went down to the lounge and found a table that would allow us to view the fireworks over Magic Kingdom. While we waited we listeneded to the orchestra and enjoyed a nice chat.

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After that DH and I sat on the balcony. Well that was, until I saw a GIANT Palmetto bug run by out of the corner of my eye. :eek: I was gone inside in a flash.

Lights out for me. But instead of sugar plums dancing in my head, it was the thought of GIANT icky bugs taking up residence in my thoughts.

Would I ever be able to get to sleep?

dismagiclover

07-30-2009, 06:58 AM

Your view looks lovely, but I can understand why you'd want the MK view:hug: Can't wait for more:goodvibes

I didn't have to wait long:rotfl: Sounds like you had a nice dinner. How difficult was it to get your ADRS for 11? And you have the Deluxe plan. I bet that was some phone call;) Cute picture of the turndown service:goodvibes

simplymama

07-30-2009, 07:07 AM

I didn't have to wait long:rotfl: Sounds like you had a nice dinner. How difficult was it to get your ADRS for 11? And you have the Deluxe plan. I bet that was some phone call;) Cute picture of the turndown service:goodvibes

It took a lot of work to get all the ADRs. We only booked about 60 days out, so some of the ones I wanted to get were difficult. But a $100 phone bill later and probably just as many calls :rotfl: I had just about everything I wanted. It really is true when they say keep calling and things open up.

The online system, opened up about 2 weeks before our trip, so that helped me get a few last minute ones as well.

I never thought I'd care about turn down service, but you know, it really was very nice:-):goodvibes

Thanks for reading!

rpbear

07-30-2009, 07:22 AM

I'm caught up waiting for the next post. I got to work early to catch up before I started my day. You have a very beautiful princess in her new PJs.

Lucy

cosmicrays

07-30-2009, 07:27 AM

What a lovely family you have.

simplymama

07-30-2009, 07:28 AM

I'm caught up waiting for the next post. I got to work early to catch up before I started my day. You have a very beautiful princess in her new PJs.

Lucy

Aww thanks. Her birthday was actually the day after we returned, so we made it a sort of celebration for her and did a lot of things for her and her younger sister this trip to make it special for them.

simplymama

07-30-2009, 07:29 AM

What a lovely family you have.

Thank you so much!

simplymama

07-30-2009, 08:15 AM

I had awoken a few times in the night, thinking of that Palmetto bug for one thing and as is usual for me when in a strange place, I had a bit of trouble, turning off my thoughts and falling back to sleep. What was unusual for me, was I actually slept in. We hadn't set the alarm, because I'm an early riser normally, and the Baby never lets me sleep in. Well, I guess that's unless he's at Disney. So much for making rope drop at Animal Kingdom :sad2:

After a quick bite from the lounge, and even quicker showers, and yes, a fair bit of ribbing from the older boys ;) who showed up on time ready to go :rolleyes1 we were on our way down to the valet for our van.

I wonder how often the valet attendants get to drive a beauty like ours??? :woohoo:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3472/3771032134_72314a4137_b.jpg

We walked through the gates about 15 minutes too late for the opening show and headed straight to the Safari ride.

Our Safari Guide was feeling a little tired that morning too.

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We were off on our Safari before we knew it as there was no wait at all.

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Nevermind the hidden Mickey's, do you see the hidden lion. There are 2 lions in this picture.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/3771022916_7c8b66bf56_b.jpg

This guy put on a show for us and let out a couple of huge roars. That was really neat to see and hear...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2533/3772051176_77fa781a57_b.jpg

My personal favorite, is always the giraffes.

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After the Safari ride we decided to split up again, so the older kids could ride Expedition Everest while we took the younger kids off to find some more age appropriate things for them. We walked a couple of the trails and then headed to Dinoland to let Grace and Anna ride Dinosaur.

As I previously mentioned Baby Joe had slept in, woke up for a bit to eat a bit of a muffin, but then slept through the entire Safari ride, and was now still asleep in his stroller. Dh took Anna, Grace and Jack on the Triceratop Spin ride

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3440/3770299699_38534b5993_b.jpg

while I found a place in the shade. Joseph was still sleeping and I was getting more worried. I was wiping him down with cool cloths and yet he still basically slept.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3770227309_75af90b161.jpg

so I did the unthinkable and sort of forced him to wake up and tried to get him to drink some.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3772149114_6fe6147865_b.jpg

What on earth was I thinking??? :idea:

He wasn't dehydrated just catching up on his zzzs from being up so much, and of course now was wide awake, a bit :mad: and wanting to get moving, NOW. OOOPS
Silly mommy, don't you know not to wake a sleeping baby?!

After that we offered to the kids to take them to get a snack and cold drink. Mistake number two. None of the places we passed were open. What the heck was the deal with that? It was already really HOT!! We had to walk further and further and further and my leg was starting to hurt for some reason more and more and more. No it can't be that I'm out of shape, or getting old. :rolleyes1 :confused3

We stopped for a photo. Anything to stop the pain for a second.

Don't they look thrilled?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/3771025898_eb8507ed3b.jpg

After the snack we realized it was almost time for the Nemo show, and thought the kids would enjoy it, and that we'd all enjoy the air conditioning. Joseph, was pretty good at first, and we were enjoying the show, despite the 35 year old couple making out in front of us,:scared1: but it was a long show. Joseph started to fuss, so DH took him out. Jack kept asking me if it was over yet. By the time it was over, I noticed the line to the outside was moving very very slowly. :confused3

Soon I realized why nobody was in a hurry to go out there because it was now pouring absolute buckets. We braved it out in the rain, (meaning I basically dragged Jack) which thankfully quickly changed to a lighter rain. By this time, the older kids had found DH and when I texted them, it didn't take us long to connect. They had all really liked Expedition Everest!

We decided to head out, as we had a dining reservation at 3:25.

My older kids kept :lmao: at their gimpy mother limping along. Yes, :sad2:their nice that way!!!

Up Next... Day 3 Part 2. Forget the Lions. Bring on the Tigers and Bears!!

DisneyFreak06

07-30-2009, 08:44 AM

Oh funny. Do you like having a large family now that you are an adult? I hope so..lol. Thanks for reading!!! The drive down was amazingly happy, with no bickering or anything!!

I would not trade my family for anything. We are quite close, and all the cousins really enjoy playing together, and fighting just like we always did. We still have our "moments" but for the most part we get along, and we are always there for each other. Actually most of us live within a half hour of each other so we get together often.

Do you play the same game in the van as we did? Mom used to offer us a dime (might have been a quarter later) to whoever could be quiet the longest! :rotfl:

Great start to your TR! Talk about my dream vacation, the whole family on vacation together, and at the GRAND FLORIDIAN! :woohoo: :woohoo:

I'm shocked that you woke the baby though, but I can understand your concern in the heat.

Looking forward to reading more.

cmfranklyn

07-30-2009, 09:08 AM

Your large family makes this a unique perspective. Can't wait to read more! But, I have to say, why did you wake a sleeping baby:scared1: :lmao:

simplymama

07-30-2009, 09:50 AM

I would not trade my family for anything. We are quite close, and all the cousins really enjoy playing together, and fighting just like we always did. We still have our "moments" but for the most part we get along, and we are always there for each other. Actually most of us live within a half hour of each other so we get together often.

Do you play the same game in the van as we did? Mom used to offer us a dime (might have been a quarter later) to whoever could be quiet the longest! :rotfl:

Great start to your TR! Talk about my dream vacation, the whole family on vacation together, and at the GRAND FLORIDIAN! :woohoo: :woohoo:

I'm shocked that you woke the baby though, but I can understand your concern in the heat.

Looking forward to reading more.

I'm so glad you have a good relationship with your family. It's what I really hope for my kids. They all do get along really well now. Of course they argue sometimes, but they are good kids.

Looking back, I can't believe I woke the baby either...lol

simplymama

07-30-2009, 09:54 AM

Your large family makes this a unique perspective. Can't wait to read more! But, I have to say, why did you wake a sleeping baby:scared1: :lmao:

Thanks.

In hindsight it seems silly that I woke him but I did it because he NEVER sleeps. He's an early riser and then he go go goes all day with only two very short naps a day. So I was really getting a bit worried, that maybe the day before being in the heat and then that mornings heat really was making him dehydrated. In truth, I think the drive and late nights had just caught up to my boy, but being his mom, I worried.

cmfranklyn

07-30-2009, 10:05 AM

I wasn't criticizing, I just thought it was funny! I'm sure I would have done the same thing in your situation.

dallastxcpa

07-30-2009, 10:15 AM

Your children are all so precious. What a blessing for you and your DH.

I am so enjoying your trip report and can't wait to read more. :thumbsup2

simplymama

07-30-2009, 10:17 AM

I wasn't criticizing, I just thought it was funny! I'm sure I would have done the same thing in your situation.

Oh I know, I'm just justifying, my motherly craziness...:)

simplymama

07-30-2009, 10:19 AM

Your children are all so precious. What a blessing for you and your DH.

I am so enjoying your trip report and can't wait to read more. :thumbsup2

Oh thank you so much! I love your siggy pictures. Is that the castle in the background of your wedding photo??:)

TinkLovinMomma

07-30-2009, 12:11 PM

I'd like to join in as well!! I just came back from a trip with my DS4 and DS2 and was practically losing it at some points, and now am going back in January with my boys and my little brother in law (He will be 5 1/2) for my boys birthdays. I am going to be paying close attention to your techniques in keeping your cool because DH and I will be outnumbered lol

By the way your family is beautiful! I would love 9 kids but DH has told me 4 is my limit lol

disneygirlinnj

07-30-2009, 12:43 PM

i'm joining in! I love all the big family trip reports :) sounds like you guys had an amazing trip so far

MelanieC

07-30-2009, 01:04 PM

Great trip report so far, can't wait for more :)

simplymama

07-30-2009, 02:42 PM

simplymama

07-30-2009, 02:43 PM

i'm joining in! I love all the big family trip reports :) sounds like you guys had an amazing trip so far

Welcome, and thanks for reading!!

simplymama

07-30-2009, 02:44 PM

Great trip report so far, can't wait for more :)

Thanks, I'm hoping to get some more up later tonight:-)

simplymama

07-30-2009, 09:04 PM

We got back to the GF in short order. Grabbed drinks and some snacks from the lounge as the lunch offerings were out.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3773900644_724fea85e1_b.jpg

Mom downed some Advil in hopes it would help the leg pain, and then we got ready for our 3:35 reservations.

A short ride on the monorail and we were soon walking into MK just as the "Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade" was rounding City Hall. I must say that other than our sleeping in incident, our timing seemed to be sprinkled with pixie dust on this trip!!

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Then as we rounded our way through the crowds, there it was. Our little girls were thrilled. While they'd seen it from the lounge of the GF this was so much better:-)

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We made our way through the crowds from the parade and arrived with a few minutes to spare at our destination.

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I got us checked in and then we found a spot to sit while we waited.

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Phil had a reason to celebrate this trip.

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Oh did you want to know the reason???

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Being that this was our first character meal of the trip, we all were wondering how Joseph would do with the characters. We worried he'd be one of the ones that scream in terror at the mere sight of them but our worries were soon put to rest...

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(excuse my dh's sunglasses, they are prescription, can't see more than a foot without them, and he'd left his regular glasses back in the room, Oh and excuse my men's hats, they are usually so good about removing them in a restaurant, that it shocked me to see them here. I must have not been on the ball that day, or I certainly would have reminded them. I'll blame it on the leg pain and excitement)

Look at Jack's smile!!!!
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The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't all that good either. It wasn't about the food though. It really was about the experience. Even the big kids all said it was worth it to see the little ones with the characters. They just had so much fun.

I have to add that CP was the only one to acknowledge DS's graduation even though we had noted it on other ressies. He got a card signed by all the Winnie the Pooh gang.

After we went and rode a couple of rides.

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Mom's score. I didn't do to bad for my first attempt in a few years...

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It started to rain, so the camera ended up in the stroller and sadly, I didn't get any more pictures from the day. Next trip, I must do better in this department.

Anyways the day pretty much concluded like the rest of them though. Snacks in the lounge, fun conversation, a stroll around the grounds and some time on the balcony enjoying the view.

AmyBWV99

07-30-2009, 10:06 PM

Fun report! Kids are adorable!

cosmicrays

07-30-2009, 10:27 PM

what wonderful pics!

PiperGirlInWondrland

07-30-2009, 10:52 PM

I'm enjoying your report can't wait to read more! :thumbsup2

DisneyFreak06

07-31-2009, 06:35 AM

Great pictures of CP! Looks like everyone's enjoying themselves so far!

dismagiclover

07-31-2009, 06:53 AM

Adorable CP pictures! It looks like everyone is having lots of fun:goodvibes

letstalkboutdisney

07-31-2009, 07:28 AM

What a great picture of the castle!
Do you remember where you were standing to get that shot?
Beautiful pictures of the kids with the characters!
I hope the advil helped your legs feel better.

simplymama

08-02-2009, 06:30 PM

Sorry I went MIA, but my laptop's hard drive decided to die on me on Friday. Thankfully I had all my photos still on the memory card, so no loss there, but I had to get them uploaded onto my new net book.

Yesterday, dh and I were busy celebrating 23 years of marriage. WOW!!:banana::cheer2:

Hope to get another post up tonight.

simplymama

08-02-2009, 06:33 PM

What a great picture of the castle!
Do you remember where you were standing to get that shot?
Beautiful pictures of the kids with the characters!
I hope the advil helped your legs feel better.

If I remember correctly, it was just at the top of Main Street, where we made the turn to head to CP.:)

simplymama

08-02-2009, 07:16 PM

I love the way my little guy wakes up with smiles even when it's early:-)
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Minnie skirts would be appropriate dress for our first destination of the morning.

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Our two oldest had gone off to the Magnolia to Golf so there were only 9 of us going today. This was honestly I think the only time that we walked out to the Monorail at the Grand Floridian that there wasn't either a train waiting or one approaching quickly. It was so early everything was hazy and covered with morning dew including my camera lens. But it was so peaceful and empty it was the perfect opportunity for a photo.

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Just a monorail ride away to our destination.......

DevonsDisneyMom

08-02-2009, 07:53 PM

Enjoying the report!! You have such a lovely family!!! 9 kids!! Wow, and I thought dealing with one was tough!!! Can't wait to read the next update!

simplymama

08-02-2009, 08:19 PM

sorry about that...lol

I love the way my little guy wakes up with smiles even when it's early:-)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2524/3774041550_9c25a91141_b.jpg

Minnie skirts would be appropriate dress for our first destination of the morning.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2672/3782445477_9d23a7afe1_b.jpg

Our two oldest had gone off to the Magnolia to Golf so there were only 9 of us going today. This was honestly I think the only time that we walked out to the Monorail at the Grand Floridian that there wasn't either a train waiting or one approaching quickly. It was so early everything was hazy and covered with morning dew including my camera lens. But it was so peaceful and empty it was the perfect opportunity for a photo.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2672/3773236875_472c1b55f9_b.jpg

Just a monorail ride away to our destination.......

Echo queen

08-02-2009, 08:23 PM

Great report, enjoying the kids.

simplymama

08-02-2009, 08:56 PM

We were there. The coveted reservation. The one that took many many many phone calls and many many many rejections until we heard the magic words of YES. Persaverance pays off, especially when it comes to wanting to eat with a Mouse...

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After loading up our plates with some pretty yummy breakfast foods it wasn't long before the Chef himself was at our table.

Happy giggles and smiles by all...
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(there's that hat again...bad son, bad mama)

A high five for Goofy....
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Pluto's nose was wet and cold. Yep, he's in good health!!
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Donald was in a dancing mood..
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The girls were so excited to finally see her...

Everybody Loves Minnie!!!!
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It was so much fun. I'm so glad that I kept trying to ge this resrvation. It was well worth the effort!!

Up next...A family tradition......

3BoysRDisneyFreaks

08-02-2009, 09:13 PM

What a nice looking family! I get comments all the time about having 4 boys. I can only imagine what you hear!

Sarah

simplymama

08-02-2009, 09:29 PM

Enjoying the report!! You have such a lovely family!!! 9 kids!! Wow, and I thought dealing with one was tough!!! Can't wait to read the next update!

Aww thanks!!!!

simplymama

08-02-2009, 09:35 PM

What a nice looking family! I get comments all the time about having 4 boys. I can only imagine what you hear!

Sarah

Thank you. I bet you can imagine. I'm a lot tougher now, than I used to be. Of course having older kids now, were not out as much as a group. This last Disney trip, we only had one off the wall comment, that had us :rolleyes1 lol

mousebymarriage

08-02-2009, 10:53 PM

Wonderful trip report and pics can't wait to hear more. You have a beautiful family!

adsrtw

08-02-2009, 11:20 PM

What a great looking family! I can't wait to read more.

disneygirlinnj

08-03-2009, 06:33 AM

awwww i love seeing all the kids with the characters! :)

simplymama

08-03-2009, 06:46 AM

Wonderful trip report and pics can't wait to hear more. You have a beautiful family!

Oh thank you. I'm working on the next part of our day now.

simplymama

08-03-2009, 06:47 AM

What a great looking family! I can't wait to read more.

Thank you so much!

simplymama

08-03-2009, 06:49 AM

awwww i love seeing all the kids with the characters! :)

They really enjoyed it so much. I think that's the one problem with always being the photographer. Your so busy taking photos, in some ways you sort of miss out on the actual excitement in the kids faces in the moment. When I look at their expressions, I can see how those aren't just smile for the camera smiles, but real true having the time of our lives smiles.

simplymama

08-03-2009, 07:52 AM

After breakfast we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. Our timing was good again, and as we approached the castle it was just in time for to catch the majority of the "Dream along with Mickey" performance.

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After that we headed over to Fantasyland. The line for Peter Pan was a bit long with a 45 minute wait so we grabbed Fast Passes.

It's a Small World was a walk on. Just walked right up to our boat and we were off...

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So back to that family tradition.

Well it's a ride that we stand in line for no matter how long it is. Once, about 6 years ago, we stood in line for it for 2 hours for Beth, much to the protest of some older brothers. Today the wait was only about 40 minutes. Jospeh was having another nap. No way was mommy waking him this time. Despite, the seemingly endless naps, he really only gave us an hour or so asleep in his stroller each day, so he needed to catch his zzzs when he could. I went and found a covered spot to sit.

They moved through the line and as they neared the front, I found a better spot where I could get some pictures. Thankfully my spot was under a tree, because just as they were first in the line a BIG cloud decided to open up.

The raindrops were HUGE!
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The Seats were WET!
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But it didn't stop the SMILES!
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After Dumbo, Jack wanted to climb his Beanstalk.
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But needed a little help from big brother.
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We then rode "Snow White's Scary Adventure" and used our Fast Passes for Peter Pan, before we headed back to the Grand.

There was a big surprise for the little girls coming up, so we had to get ready.

DisneyFreak06

08-03-2009, 09:02 AM

Great Chef Mickey's pictures! I love breakfast there, although I've only been once.

I love the rain pictures, especially your little girl's face/body as she smiles but flinches in the rain.

Thanks again for sharing your trip with us!

letstalkboutdisney

08-03-2009, 12:42 PM

Oh, a surprise for the girls! Can't wait to hear what it could be!

MouseFan Down Under

08-04-2009, 09:25 PM

More please!!!!popcorn::

Loving your report so far!

Sweet Pea UK

08-09-2009, 02:31 AM

Can't wait to read more although from the looks of your ticker I expect you are packing for your next trip!!!

simplymama

08-09-2009, 05:49 AM

I was really hoping to get it done before we left, but it's been busy here with end of summer and now our last minute get away. I'm sorry. I will definitely finish it though when we get home.

This next trip, is just low key, hanging at the pool and some good food. A little celebration for our 23rd anniversary!!