Dreams Do Come True (and we are not even there yet)!-Trip 4 Started-6/28

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yes, the title says it all! This trip has already had two dreams come true and we are not even there yet. I will explain later on in my post.

Let me start by saying I attempted a pre-trip already on this trip. The post looked horrible and you had to scroll over to read the entire page. So, since it looked bad (and there were few readers :confused3) I decided to try once again. Plus, the best magic happened upon us this week and I wanted to share!

Let me start by introducing the list of characters.

Me-Erika DW to Tom and DM to Jeremy::MinnieMo

I am an accountant/finance manager by day. I have worked in the same industry for over 15 years now and absolutely love my job. I also do a lot of volunteer work in my community at Jeremy's school and with other organizations. My goal before Disney is to lose weight. I am slowly making progress. My love for Disney came five years ago when we took our first trip as a family. DS was 4 at the time and I can still remember the tears as I stood on the train station and looked out at the great land and adventure that awaited us. I had been to Disney twice before with my parents and once to Disneyland in high school but nothing compared to the feeling that day. When I am not at Disney, I am on the Dis, reading Disney books, or watching Disney shows. My favorite character is Daisy, favorite park is Magic Kingdom with Epcot a close second, favorite resort I have stayed at is Wilderness Lodge, and favorite restaurant is the Garden Grill.

DH-Tom :donald:

DH works in law enforcement by day and drives our local life squad at night. He is den leader for DS's cub scout pack and helps with DS's baseball team. His love for Disney has evolved. It took time, let me tell you, but he loves going now more than ever. This trip was actually his idea. I am not sure what his favorite character is but his favorite park is Epcot, favorite restaurant is Garden Grill or Liberty Tavern, and favorite lodge is Wilderness Lodge.

DS-soon to be 8-Jeremy:tigger:

Jeremy is our one and only, plus all grandparent's one and only so he is spoiled rotten. He is an honor roll student at school, plays baseball and piano, is in Cub Scout and 4-H, and loves swimming in the summer. Like his father, his love for Disney evolved. After our second trip, he did not want to go back. Then, we planned a trip to see MVMCP and he changed his mind. He only went last year as we invited his mamaw to go. But, it seems the bug hit him after that trip and he can hardly wait to go this year. He is even more excited about our 2011 trip (more to come later on that one----I will have to keep you guessing on what we have planned for that year!!!)

Here is my family at Tybee Island last year near Savannah:

<a href="http://s456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/?action=view&current=IMG_2214_1-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_2214_1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[jeremysdisneymom]

Here we go again with the picture! Boy, I am having trouble getting the hang of this picture thing :scared1:!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_2214_1-1-1.jpg

Let me give you some history about our Disney vacationing. Our first family trip came in 2006. I was fortunate to have a work meeting in Orlando and my family always traveled with me at that time. We took a few extra days and decided to go to Disney. We went to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. In 2007, we took a much needed spur of the moment trip to Disney after we had finished building our house and went to Magic Kingdom, Sea World, and Animal Kingdom. We also added two days at the beach where it was below freezing both days :scared1:! In 2008, we went to Disney over Thanksgiving and experienced all the Christmas offerings and MVMCP plus all the parks. In 2009, we went over Labor Day and did MNSSHP plus all the parks. Our plans have been to always go back over Easter to experience the Flower and Garden Festival and then to go over the 4th of July. So, this year we are going over the 4th of July and will be there for 10 days, 9 nights :woohoo:! This is the most we have ever stayed.

So, here is where our Dreams Came True. Our original plan was to spend four nights at Coronado Springs and then go to the Animal Kingdom Lodge Club Level Savanna View :yay::yay::yay::yay:! DH has always wanted to stay at this lodge and we knew we wanted to experience the Sunrise Safari so Club Level was a must. DH likes Club Level. He gets tired of me packing cereal every morning for breakfast and packing bottled water. Plus, let's face it, the man likes to eat--We all do! I like the thought of the planning assistance. So, dream 1 was accomplished :cheer2: for DH.

We live in Ohio so this past snow storm kept me home the first part of the week. I happened to see the end of a commercial where it advertised discounts for the summer. So, I called Disney and was able to save $1100 for our summer vacation. After thinking about the savings and knowing the money was already there, I convinced DH to make my resort dream come true! Soooooo, we are no longer staying at Coronado Springs but have switched to the Poly Club Level (DH insisted) Garden View :cheer2::cheer2::cheer2:! I am sooooo excited. This is going to be the best trip ever!

Well, I have a lot more to share on this exciting 10 day adventure plus a big reveal for next year's vacation plans.

Please come along for the ride! It is going to be magical!

Erika

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Okay, I'm in! I love any PTR that starts with a picture! Plus, we'll be there at the same time so maybe our paths will cross!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Okay, I'm in! I love any PTR that starts with a picture! Plus, we'll be there at the same time so maybe our paths will cross!

:welcome:I have my first poster!:yay::yay: Thanks for joining. I am finishing up my itinerary so hopefully our paths will cross during our stay. I hope to post by tomorrow. I am glad you like pictures---so do I! I am going to post some tonight of our first trip as a family.

Erika

[reyasmommy]

YAY for you!!!! Sounds like a wonderful time is in store for you.

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Poly, because that's where my husband and I got married almost 9 years ago. :lovestruc

I look foward to more.

[jeremysdisneymom]

YAY for you!!!! Sounds like a wonderful time is in store for you.

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the Poly, because that's where my husband and I got married almost 9 years ago. :lovestruc

I look foward to more.

:welcome: Oh, I am sooo envious. A Disney wedding would be magical! DH and I will be married 9 years on Friday. We have something special planned for our 10th next year so you will have to keep reading. That is our special vacation in 2011.

Thanks for joining!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am still working on my itinerary. I have some dining ressies I need to sort out and a few to cancel. So, to keep you interested, I thought I would share some memories of our four Disney trips as a family, starting with trip 1.

Now, before I start, let me tell you, something always happens on our family trips. Sometimes its extremely good, sometimes bad, or sometimes just a good laugh but there is always some story to tell when we get home. Let me give you some examples. We went to New Orleans several years ago. It was the week before Mardi Gras. Our flight was late coming in and it was rainy. We arrived at our hotel, the W, I believe. We were tired and worn out and did not want to go out for dinner so DH goes across the street to Subway to get sandwiches. At the time he was a smoker and was out side innocently standing on street smoking when a black SUV roles up, cops jump out, and put him against the wall. Now, DH is big man--6.5 over 250 pounds. So, they immediately take out his wallet to get id and find out that he is a cop also so that was a good thing. He asked what the deal was and they politely told him that during Mardi Gras you do not want to stand on a street without a purpose. I don't know if it was that part of town or what. He ended up meeting up with the cops every night as the parades came by so it worked out well.

Go back three years and we were in Boston. We leave to fly home and cannot check in at the airport for some reason. I go to the desk and they politely tell me that we cannot check in until 24 hours before departure---two days later. I had booked the wrong day to fly home :confused3. All I could figure out was that I had scrolled down on the website when my cursor was in the departure date without double checking. Needless to say, after some begging and explaining that I was subpoenaed to testify in a work case the next day, the airline found us flights home without charging. They had one seat directly to the airport and two flying to Atlanta with a connecting flight. So, DH flew solo and DS and I flew for the first time by ourselves :scared1:.

Stuff like this happens to us all the time and it has happened on every Disney trip we take. So, sit back and laugh with us as some are doozies :rotfl2:.

Now, on with our first trip. I had a meeting for work in Orlando in February 2005 so we added a few days and went to MK, DHS, and AK. It was over President's Day weekend. We stayed at the Royal Plaza near Downtown Disney---beautiful resort with spacious rooms. We easily walked to DTD. Bus service to the parks was okay with the exception to MK. For some reason, there was only bus running that day and we waited forever to get back.

We started with MK for a full day. Here is DS meeting Mickey for the first time:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000004.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000006.jpg

Here are pictures of us on the train station waiting to ride the railroad. This is when my love for Disney started. DS was soooo excited and it was magical watching him. I felt so much joy being there at that moment with my family. I couldn't hold back the tears.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000009.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000008.jpg

We took the train to Toon Town. DS got scared on the way to Frontierland so the conductor in the back let him stand with him the rest of the ride. It was fabulous. DS was and still does love trains. He is fascinated by them.

We get off in Toon Town and that was when the theme for the whole vacation was set-----He had to meet Characters! I don't remember doing this when I was a child but honestly, I loved it more than he did. It was wonderful watching him interact with each one. We have some memorable photos. The princesses were my favorite. They would call him little prince and get down to his level and it was absolutely precious.

Here is a photo with he and Eeyore:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000018.jpg

It is funny looking back on this how much I can remember. I know we rode Dumbo first. He loved that but would not let me go high which was okay. After that, we went on Pooh and believe it or not, that did it for rides the rest of the trip. When the honey pot started bouncing, he totally lost it and refused to ride anything else. I remember going to Philharmagic and setting down, the show started, and he says "I have to go to the bathroom." We have sense learned that when DS did not want to do something that was his number one way out. So, what to do when you child refuses to ride, :confused3 -- you meet characters!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/Disney%20Report/FH000021.jpg

I remember DS sleeping in his stroller before the afternoon parade. During the time we were there, they had baton twirlers parading before the parades (both afternoon and evening) so I enjoyed that as I was a baton twirler when I was younger. We watched the afternoon parade, met characters, had dinner, met characters, and watched Spectro Magic and Wishes. It was after midnight when we got back to the room. Looking back it is funny as we would never do that now. We were sooo tired I can remember and was exhausted at DHS the next day.

Up next: DHS and the "something always happens to us on vacation" moment along with our first time in AK.

[martinolichfamily]

:wave2: I'm in!
Jumped over from my PTR! I will have to get all caught up tomorrow on reading your PTR!!

[pooh'smate]

Joining in.

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!
I just found your PTR and joining in! Your past trips look wonderful! What great memories! I loved your story about standing at the train station and getting teary-eyed! I'm planning our first trip with DS6 and DS4 and just know I'll have some of those moments too! That's what makes it so great...I just can't wait! Looking forward to seeing your plans!
Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

:wave2: I'm in!
Jumped over from my PTR! I will have to get all caught up tomorrow on reading your PTR!!

:welcome:So glad you joined in for the fun! I am getting so excited for the
4th of July, aren't you? It is going to be amazing!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Joining in.

:welcome: Thanks for stopping by. I hope to have an update up this evening!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!
I just found your PTR and joining in! Your past trips look wonderful! What great memories! I loved your story about standing at the train station and getting teary-eyed! I'm planning our first trip with DS6 and DS4 and just know I'll have some of those moments too! That's what makes it so great...I just can't wait! Looking forward to seeing your plans!
Karen

:welcome: Karen, so glad you joined us. I looked at your pre-trip and remembered that I had been lurking there last week so I will come over and join. :cheer2:Yay, for your first trip with DS's. You will have so much fun. That is such a great age to be going. You know, I still have that feeling whenever we walk into the Magic Kingdom the first time of each trip. I don't cry but I feel so good to be there with my family. It is such a magical place! I hope to update the rest of trip 1 and get my itinerary up tonight. DS's birthday is Thursday and I am trying to get the house cleaned :sad2:!

Erika

[reyasmommy]

Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary!

I can't believe that my husband and I will be celebrating 10 years next year. Our first official date was my High School Senior prom. Where does the time go??!?!

I also cry every time I walk through the gates of Disney. It's amazing how a "place" can have so much sentimental value. This year I'm sure the waterworks will be out of control since I'll also be celebrating with my new baby boy. :wizard:

Love your pictures. popcorn::

[jeremysdisneymom]

I left off at the end of our Magic Kingdom Day on our first trip. Well, I forgot to add one picture that is one of my favorites. As you will remember, DS did not want nothing to do with the rides-- it was all about characters. So, that afternoon we waited in the sun to meet Ariel. DS had such fun playing in the Grotto that I had to share this photo.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/Disney%20Report/run.jpg

I had to change his clothes before we went to meet Ariel as he was soaking wet but he had so much fun it was worth it.

So, on to the next day at Disney's MGM Studios, as it was called then. I remember being so worn out. We got there late that morning and was exhausted. I don't think we did a lot in that park. I know we saw Playhouse Disney but DS was not into it that day. I think the night before had worn him out. We saw Beauty and the Beast. I know we met Jo Jo and Goliath as he loved that show then but I cannot find the picture. His best character experience was that day. DS loved Chicken Little at the time. We had gone and saw the movie and I believe that was the year he had a Chicken Little bday party. Chicken Little took his pen and wouldn't give it back. Jeremy just loved it.

This is one of my favorite photos. Jeremy just snuggled right in with him.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/chick.jpg

Now, I told you we always have a moment on our vacation. Well, it happened at the park and it was not a good moment. We wondered over that afternoon to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Play area. Jeremy was starting to get more alert and ready to enjoy the day. We played for a while and then headed to the slide-I believe it is the one that looks like a roll of film you go in and then slide out. Well, DS is ready for his turn and before you know it he is laying down to go head first. Well, the CM SCREAMED (and I emphasize SCREAMED) at him to not do that :scared1:! DS quickly scooted back into the roll of film and would not come out. The CM then turns around, looks at everyone standing there, puts his hands in the air and shakes his head, and then start complaining about kids like that. Well, that did not set well with DH. I had to calm him down and then I had to go up into the roll of film to get DS out. The CM starts saying something to me and I quickly let him have it. I was so upset I got DS and we left. Now, we didn't leave the park. We took a break, regrouped and decided we were not going to let this ruin our day. We stayed for the Stars Cars parade (sorry, I can't remember what it was called) which we actually really enjoyed. We did leave after.

Looking back, I wish had made a complaint on the CM. To this day, DS will not go to that play area-absolutely refuses to. I just hope the CM learned his lesson and did not do it again.

Coming Up: Our first visit to AK and my 4th of July itinerary--I promise!!

[martinolichfamily]

:welcome:So glad you joined in for the fun! I am getting so excited for the
4th of July, aren't you? It is going to be amazing!
Yes!!!! We can't wait til the 4th! I just called WDW to add the % off to my package so I saved some $$...DH will be glad to hear that!! :)

Last year we went for 4th of July but spent the 4th in DTD b/c we didnt check into our resort until the 5th. :( Excited to see what we missed last year.....although I would be happy to miss one thing.................the RAIN! It was bad last year...maybe we can luck out this time around. Keeping fingers crossed!

THe Poly looks so neat! Enjoy!! I hope to stay there one day! I had to make a ADR for O'hana so I could check out Poly! :)

[martinolichfamily]

Loving the flashbacks... Love Chicken Little...such a cute movie! :)
Poor DS getting screamed at. Yes, you do have interesting things that happen to yall during vacation.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Congratulations on your upcoming Anniversary!

I can't believe that my husband and I will be celebrating 10 years next year. Our first official date was my High School Senior prom. Where does the time go??!?!

I also cry every time I walk through the gates of Disney. It's amazing how a "place" can have so much sentimental value. This year I'm sure the waterworks will be out of control since I'll also be celebrating with my new baby boy. :wizard:

Love your pictures. popcorn::


DH and I both met after we each had a bad relationship. It was love at first sight. We dated for 3 months, married, and had Jeremy 364 days later! Even though we have not been together since high school I know the feeling. I feel like we have known each other forever. Our anniversary is Friday so stay tuned, I am going to reveal next year's big trip on that day!

BTW, your little boy's pictures are precious!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

THe Poly looks so neat! Enjoy!! I hope to stay there one day! I had to make a ADR for O'hana so I could check out Poly! :)

I saw on your trip that you are going to O'hana for breakfast. You will love it. The food and atmosphere is awesome. That was our favorite character breakfast yet!

Erika

[mom2mek]

Yay!!!! :banana::banana::banana: Erika is doing a trip report!!! :banana: I'm so excited that you decided to do one for this trip! It sounds like it is going to be just MAGICAL!!! The AKL is so pretty and the Poly....:cloud9: We loved it there!!! Can't wait to hear all about your plans!! :woohoo::woohoo:

Sara

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yay!!!! :banana::banana::banana: Erika is doing a trip report!!! :banana: I'm so excited that you decided to do one for this trip! It sounds like it is going to be just MAGICAL!!! The AKL is so pretty and the Poly....:cloud9: We loved it there!!! Can't wait to hear all about your plans!! :woohoo::woohoo:

Sara

:laughing:It's about time. I think you have asked me every time if I was going to and I had good intentions but never happened! I hope to post the itinerary by tonight but don't hold me to it. Jeremy turns 8 tomorrow so I have got to finish cleaning the house this evening and making cupcakes for school. I think I will have a few minutes late or first thing tomorrow.

I am going to do a short summary of the trips prior so at least I live up to part of my prior good intentions for the last 4 years!

So glad you joined in! I can't wait to hear about your February trip!

Erika

[MiaBella05]

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::

[jeremysdisneymom]

Okay, so life got the best of me last week and no itinerary got posted or no big reveal happened Friday. Jeremy turned 8 and we had our first Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. For those of you familiar with scouts, our pack just organized so our scouts received their first badge-the Bobcat badge. It was a fun evening and there was a Father/Son Bake Auction at the end. Jeremy and Tom had such fun making their cake and it brought-$30 :cheer2:! Granted, I ran it up and ended up buying it but it was worth it for the look on Jeremy's face-priceless!

So, I promised an itinerary and here it is for now! I am thinking of some changes so it will probably look different later on. Right now, we do not have park hopper. We always have bought in the past but never used them. But, looking at the hours I think I would like to try more EMH to avoid the heat. Even though I don't list it on each day, we do plan to leave the parks early afternoon for some R&R at the resort.

10 days of Magical Fun!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I have a board meeting at work this evening. Plans are to have everything ready and packed, head back to work for the meeting, come home, and leave. I will probably drive the first several hours and then let Tom take over. He can stay awake at night better than me. Our plan is to not stop but drive the entire way with bathroom breaks, gas fill ups and breakfast. It is about a 14 hour drive and we have done this before.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Arrive at the Poly early afternoon. :cloud9:
Hit the pool first thing as DS will not rest until we do. DH will probably go to sleep immediately if the room is ready.
We have no other plans this day. I know we will rest at some point after the pool and thought we might do evening EMH at MK if we feel like it.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Typhoon Lagoon
Dinner at O'hana's
Hoping that MK will have 4th Fireworks Preview. Watch on Poly beach or in the Park

Sunday, July 4, 2010

DHS
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe
Fantasmic
Fireworks

Monday, July 5, 2010

Epcot
Possibly the Behind the Seeds Tour???
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

MK-EMH Morning
Lunch at Tony's Town Square
Leave early afternoon and check in at AKL :cloud9:

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Jeremy is doing the Albatross Cruise from the Yacht Club this morning
Lunch will be around the World Showcase in Epcot
Dinner at Le Cellier
Illuminations

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sunrise Safari at AK :dance3:
AK all day until we are done
Dinner at Boma

Friday, July 9, 2010

Dinner at Chef Mickey's

Saturday, July 10, 2010


Sunday, July 11,2010

We will begin the drive home. I am not sure if we will drive the entire way or stop. It will depend on how late we leave Orlando.

I don't have anything on Friday or Saturday. One of those days will be for Blizzard Beach if we have not done it already in the week. We bought the water park and more option this time as we love water parks and want to try Disney Quest.

I also need to make one more dining ressie for the dining plan plus DS wants to eat at Rainforest Cafe. I would love any suggestions anyone has for our last ressie. I have thought about T Rex, Cape May Cafe for breakfast, Flying Fish, San Angel Inn, or The Wave.

Also, we thought about doing the Poly Luau and paying out of pocket for it so I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on that.

So, I promised a big reveal on Friday regarding our big 2011 trip but that did not happen either. So, here it goes! DH and I will be married 10 years next year in February. We initially thought to do something just the two of us but thought DS would really enjoy what we had planned as well. Plus, his birthday is the day before our anniversary. So, we are planning to take the 7 day western caribbean Disney cruise on February 20, 2011:sail: We will be sailing to Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and of course Castaway Cay on the Disney Magic. :yay::yay:We are so excited as we have never gone on a cruise before. I am in the process of booking it now with Disney. DH cannot decide on the room type so that is my only delay.

I want to share with you the last pictures and AK from our 1st trip and then start on a shorter summary of Trip 2. Hopefully that will happen tonight!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

popcorn:: joining in popcorn::


:welcome: Glad you joined in!

Erika

[martinolichfamily]

I saw on your trip that you are going to O'hana for breakfast. You will love it. The food and atmosphere is awesome. That was our favorite character breakfast yet!

Erika
Glad to hear it! :)

[martinolichfamily]

Okay, so life got the best of me last week and no itinerary got posted or no big reveal happened Friday. Jeremy turned 8 and we had our first Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. For those of you familiar with scouts, our pack just organized so our scouts received their first badge-the Bobcat badge. It was a fun evening and there was a Father/Son Bake Auction at the end. Jeremy and Tom had such fun making their cake and it brought-$30 :cheer2:! Granted, I ran it up and ended up buying it but it was worth it for the look on Jeremy's face-priceless!

So, I promised an itinerary and here it is for now! I am thinking of some changes so it will probably look different later on. Right now, we do not have park hopper. We always have bought in the past but never used them. But, looking at the hours I think I would like to try more EMH to avoid the heat. Even though I don't list it on each day, we do plan to leave the parks early afternoon for some R&R at the resort.

10 days of Magical Fun!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

I have a board meeting at work this evening. Plans are to have everything ready and packed, head back to work for the meeting, come home, and leave. I will probably drive the first several hours and then let Tom take over. He can stay awake at night better than me. Our plan is to not stop but drive the entire way with bathroom breaks, gas fill ups and breakfast. It is about a 14 hour drive and we have done this before.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Arrive at the Poly early afternoon. :cloud9:
Hit the pool first thing as DS will not rest until we do. DH will probably go to sleep immediately if the room is ready.
We have no other plans this day. I know we will rest at some point after the pool and thought we might do evening EMH at MK if we feel like it.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Typhoon Lagoon
Dinner at O'hana's
Hoping that MK will have 4th Fireworks Preview. Watch on Poly beach or in the Park

Sunday, July 4, 2010

DHS
Dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe
Fantasmic
Fireworks

Monday, July 5, 2010

Epcot
Possibly the Behind the Seeds Tour???
Dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

MK-EMH Morning
Lunch at Tony's Town Square
Leave early afternoon and check in at AKL :cloud9:

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Jeremy is doing the Albatross Cruise from the Yacht Club this morning
Lunch will be around the World Showcase in Epcot
Dinner at Le Cellier
Illuminations

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sunrise Safari at AK :dance3:
AK all day until we are done
Dinner at Boma

Friday, July 9, 2010

Dinner at Chef Mickey's

Saturday, July 10, 2010


Sunday, July 11,2010

We will begin the drive home. I am not sure if we will drive the entire way or stop. It will depend on how late we leave Orlando.

I don't have anything on Friday or Saturday. One of those days will be for Blizzard Beach if we have not done it already in the week. We bought the water park and more option this time as we love water parks and want to try Disney Quest.

I also need to make one more dining ressie for the dining plan plus DS wants to eat at Rainforest Cafe. I would love any suggestions anyone has for our last ressie. I have thought about T Rex, Cape May Cafe for breakfast, Flying Fish, San Angel Inn, or The Wave.

Also, we thought about doing the Poly Luau and paying out of pocket for it so I would appreciate any thoughts you might have on that.

So, I promised a big reveal on Friday regarding our big 2011 trip but that did not happen either. So, here it goes! DH and I will be married 10 years next year in February. We initially thought to do something just the two of us but thought DS would really enjoy what we had planned as well. Plus, his birthday is the day before our anniversary. So, we are planning to take the 7 day western caribbean Disney cruise on February 20, 2011:sail: We will be sailing to Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and of course Castaway Cay on the Disney Magic. :yay::yay:We are so excited as we have never gone on a cruise before. I am in the process of booking it now with Disney. DH cannot decide on the room type so that is my only delay.

I want to share with you the last pictures and AK from our 1st trip and then start on a shorter summary of Trip 2. Hopefully that will happen tonight!

Erika

Your days look great! I compared to our days but it doesnt look like ours days line up as of now.

T-Rex is FUN! The food was good too...we really enjoyed it..all of us! I hope to have lunch there this trip on one of our DTD days. :goodvibes We also had lunch at San Angel Inn....I enjoyed the food but our service was very very slow. We are going to be trying Cape May but for dinner..heard they have crab legs...DH & DS :love: crab legs! I'll take the shrimp!

We have never been on a cruise either....I was thinking to take one for our Anniversary as well next year...we will also be married for 10 years in April!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Your days look great! I compared to our days but it doesnt look like ours days line up as of now.

T-Rex is FUN! The food was good too...we really enjoyed it..all of us! I hope to have lunch there this trip on one of our DTD days. :goodvibes We also had lunch at San Angel Inn....I enjoyed the food but our service was very very slow. We are going to be trying Cape May but for dinner..heard they have crab legs...DH & DS :love: crab legs! I'll take the shrimp!

We have never been on a cruise either....I was thinking to take one for our Anniversary as well next year...we will also be married for 10 years in April!!


I will have to look at the menu for Cape May. Crab legs sound great!

You should do a cruise for your anniversary as well. DH is standing firm that he wants a verandah room which I think is kind of a waste so I still haven't booked it yet :confused3:. We are also mulling the idea of a 4-day Bahama cruise vs the 7 -day and adding a few days at Disney. DS's school usually releases next year's schedule by the end of March so I am anxious to see when spring break is. We may just go over spring break instead of taking DS out of school for a week.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Erika

[shelbys mommy]

Joining in! I can't wait to read more! Your title hooked me!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Joining in! I can't wait to read more! Your title hooked me!

:welcome: Thanks for joining! I hope to have more up this evening. Life has been busy lately!

[jeremysdisneymom]

It has been a while since I posted or at least it feels like it. We have been so busy lately. Plus, I am planning a spur-of-the-moment trip to DC for Spring Break! :scared1: We had originally planned to do DC this year over spring break put nixed the idea with all the snow we had. Well, it turns out DS is only losing two days from Spring Break so DC is back on. I have been doing a lot of planning in the last few days. We leave three weeks from tomorrow. I still have a lot to do.

I wanted to share with you the last day of our first trip to Disney several years ago. I was really looking forward to this day as it was our first time to Animal Kingdom. We started the day with a co-worker of mine and her husband at the Festival of the Lion King. The show was and still is one of our favorites. Of course, as was the theme of this trip, we met all the characters we could find.

Here is DS and Donald.
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/FH000011.jpg


I tried to remember all we did that day. I know we did the safari and DS absolutely loved it. We took the train to Rafiki's and met Stanley. I cannot find the picture but at the time DS loved Stanley. I know we were tired but hung around for the parade.

Can you see how tired DS was?
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/sleep.jpg

We loved the parade. We always watch it every time we are at AK. The next day we flew home after my conference was over. It was such a magical vacation and would be the start of many more to come.

Up next: Our 2nd Trip to Disney---Did we actually change hotels at midnight?

Plus, I need help with some dining recommendations for Disney.

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Congrats on the cruise! What sounds wo wonderful!!! DH and I will have our 10 year next August (2011) and we too are entertaining the idea of doing something - not sure if it would be with or without kids, it would be hard to go without them, so maybe we'd do a cruise with them too! We did a cruise for our honeymoon and always said we'd do another one.

I'm so glad to hear your DC trip is back on!! That is great! What days are you going? We'll be there April 8-11. I hope the snow is melted out there too!

Your itininery looks great!

Karen

[Happydog]

Hello, I finally made it over here and wow! SO that is why you were over on my little Cruise TR :rotfl: VERY COOL! We also spent the 4th of July at Disney World LAST year! IT was amazing!!! I think you are following WigD's TRs and PTRs and she is going to be at Disney for the 4th of July, too! Her Birthday weekend!

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans!

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Plans look good! Jeremy is adorable.

We are going to try to do the Behind the Seeds tour at some point, too!!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Congrats on the cruise! What sounds wo wonderful!!! DH and I will have our 10 year next August (2011) and we too are entertaining the idea of doing something - not sure if it would be with or without kids, it would be hard to go without them, so maybe we'd do a cruise with them too! We did a cruise for our honeymoon and always said we'd do another one.

I'm so glad to hear your DC trip is back on!! That is great! What days are you going? We'll be there April 8-11. I hope the snow is melted out there too!

Your itininery looks great!

Karen

Hi Karen,

So glad to see you up and dising! We will miss you by one day at DC. We are driving out on Good Friday. We should get there by late afternoon. Right now, we are checking out on Tuesday, but, that could change. DS does not have to be back to school until Thursday so we may stay all day in DC on Tuesday and then head to Monticello on Wednesday. I am so looking forward to it. I keep watching for the latest cherry blossom bloom forecast and it looks like we will both we there during peak!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hello, I finally made it over here and wow! SO that is why you were over on my little Cruise TR :rotfl: VERY COOL! We also spent the 4th of July at Disney World LAST year! IT was amazing!!! I think you are following WigD's TRs and PTRs and she is going to be at Disney for the 4th of July, too! Her Birthday weekend!

Looking forward to hearing more about your plans!

Yes, I love your reports. You have an adorable family. We are very excited about the 4th of July. We have never been during the heat but our plan is to go slow and just enjoy being there for 10 days! :banana:

I think we have pretty much decided to do the 4 day Bahama cruise next year in February. Jeremy will only be out of school 4 days with the way President's Day break falls. Plus, the aqua duck has Jeremy sooooo excited on the new ship. We will probably spend the rest of the week at Disney. Jeremy's birthday would be on Friday and our anniversary on Saturday. DH wants to stay at the GF if we do :yay::yay:---I just love that man!

Thanks for joining!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Plans look good! Jeremy is adorable.

We are going to try to do the Behind the Seeds tour at some point, too!!


Thanks! I still have a few more ressies to make. I am still deciding on the tour. What park are you doing on the 4th? I am not sure that DHS is the right choice over Epcot.

Erika

[swwake]

Hi Erika - I followed you from Diane's PTR and got hooked on Page 1. Looking forward to hearing about your past and future trips!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika - I followed you from Diane's PTR and got hooked on Page 1. Looking forward to hearing about your past and future trips!

Susan:

Welcome! So glad you joined in for the fun. I hope to have another update up this week from our second trip to Disney.

Erika

[Sooze]

Erika,
I made it over!! Not sure how much I'll be around for the next week... Because.... well, you know... I'LL BE IN DISNEY WORLD!!:woohoo:

Just wanted to let you know I'm here and I'm enjoying your flashback stories... especially the 'doozies'!!

Have a great Sunday!

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Thanks! I still have a few more ressies to make. I am still deciding on the tour. What park are you doing on the 4th? I am not sure that DHS is the right choice over Epcot.

Erika

I think that this is the kind of tour that does NOT have to be booked in advance. Any other tour, I would definitely want to secure ahead of time but from what I've read, it happens several times a day, it's only around $15 and you can sign up for it at a desk somewhere in The Land pavilion.

We will be at Epcot on the 4th. I would never pick DHS for the 4th but that's a personal choice. I wouldn't want to be stuck there all day but that's because it's our least favorite. I heard that they do the old "Sorcery in the Sky" show. That should be fun.

[martinolichfamily]

Thanks! I still have a few more ressies to make. I am still deciding on the tour. What park are you doing on the 4th? I am not sure that DHS is the right choice over Epcot.

Erika
We will also be in Epcot for the 4th...doing MK on the 3rd!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hello Everyone! Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I do have my 2nd trip to Disney photos uploaded and ready to go but I have been extremely busy. We are going to DC over Spring Break (I hope) and I have been trying to get all that planned out! Boy, it is a lot of work to cram everything into 4 days!

DH threw a wrench in the plans today. About six years ago, he had back surgery. He has flare ups every so often but it had been a year since the last spell. He had three epidural injections that time and really has been well since. Well, that changed today :scared1:! He was on a squad run when the hospital called me. Tom hurt his back helping with a patient. It was so bad his co-workers heard it pop and he went completely pale. Luckily, we only live a mile from the hospital so it was not long before we got there to find him in complete misery with one leg /foot going numb. They gave him some nice "happy" drugs and sent him home. He is to follow up with the doctor tomorrow. I am hoping they can give him another epidural this week. If they wait until next week, we will have to postpone DC. It takes a week for him to feel relief. Keep him in your prayers. He works so hard at the sheriff's office and the squad and I know he is wanting to get away. He even told me that he would rent a scooter to ride around in if that meant we could go:sad2:!

I promise to post more tomorrow plus I made some changes to our Disney trip. I planned a very special evening on July 3rd plus made some dining changes. Stay tuned for more!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Erika,
I made it over!! Not sure how much I'll be around for the next week... Because.... well, you know... I'LL BE IN DISNEY WORLD!!:woohoo:

Just wanted to let you know I'm here and I'm enjoying your flashback stories... especially the 'doozies'!!

Have a great Sunday!

Hi Sooze,

So glad you joined in. Oh, I am sooo jealous. I wish I was going to Disney next week! But, if I can't, I am glad you are. :banana:

You will love the doozie in trip 2. It happened before we even got to the park!

Now, I have to get over to your report to see what you will be doing a week from today!!! :yay:

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

I think that this is the kind of tour that does NOT have to be booked in advance. Any other tour, I would definitely want to secure ahead of time but from what I've read, it happens several times a day, it's only around $15 and you can sign up for it at a desk somewhere in The Land pavilion.

We will be at Epcot on the 4th. I would never pick DHS for the 4th but that's a personal choice. I wouldn't want to be stuck there all day but that's because it's our least favorite. I heard that they do the old "Sorcery in the Sky" show. That should be fun.

Thanks for letting me know about the tour. I am not for sure if we will do it now or now. I just booked something very special for us on the 3rd. Actually, I think you have something similar booked but ours involves some characters! Stay tuned!

Yes, I read that they do Sorcery in the Sky that night. I was not familiar with that. Have you seen it? I picked that park due to Fantasmic and I was hoping to avoid the crowds at MK and Epcot. I hope it was the right choice.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

We will also be in Epcot for the 4th...doing MK on the 3rd!

:yay:Maybe we will run into each other. Are you eating in the park that day? We are having lunch at 50s Prime Time. :yay: That will be a first for us. DH can't wait for the fried chicken.

Erika

[martinolichfamily]

:yay:Maybe we will run into each other. Are you eating in the park that day? We are having lunch at 50s Prime Time. :yay: That will be a first for us. DH can't wait for the fried chicken.

Erika

Hope your DH is doing better!

We have lunch ressies (right now anyway) for Chefs de France @ 1:40p & dinner ressies for Garden Grill @ 7:10p.

That would be cool to run into each other. :goodvibes

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Oh my goodness! So sorry to hear about your DH's back. Hope it's better by the trip!

Thanks for letting me know about the tour. I am not for sure if we will do it now or now. I just booked something very special for us on the 3rd. Actually, I think you have something similar booked but ours involves some characters! Stay tuned!

Yes, I read that they do Sorcery in the Sky that night. I was not familiar with that. Have you seen it? I picked that park due to Fantasmic and I was hoping to avoid the crowds at MK and Epcot. I hope it was the right choice.

Erika

Oooh, can't wait to hear your plans for the 3rd! I've seen Sorcery in the Sky a loooong time ago. I don't even really remember it. I think DHS will be a good choice for you guys.

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

ohhh I'm so sorry to hear about your DH! I hope the injury is not too serious and hope the doctors are able to give him some relief. Those things just seem to happen at the worst time sometimes. Keep us posted and hope he feels better!

Karen

[adisneymama]

Hey Erika I finally made it over! I'm going to have to go back to finish reading but your little guy is so cute! Love your pics! Sorry about your dh! I hope he has a speedy recovery.

[jeremysdisneymom]

The Latest and Greatest Itineray!

First of all, thank you to all who sent DH well wishes! This is truly a remarkable, compassionate group of people on the board. :grouphug:

So, as for DH, well he is now no more like Goofy but has been renamed by me as Grumpy. :sad2: He went to see the doctor Monday and he loaded him up with steroids and pain pills and put him off work for 1 week. The pain pills have turned him into someone I never knew. You cannot please him this week. I have been told that supper sucked to that he could not eat lunch one day because I forgot to set a kettle out. Granted, the fridge was stocked full! :confused3 It has been a relief to go to work. He is starting to feel better but having some trouble in his right leg. So, we are still in limbo about DC. We are supposed to leave a week from today. I have stopped planning mode for that trip :sad1: until I know more on Monday and to see how he does over the weekend. I am almost convinced I will take DS myself if he cannot go but we will see. Keep him in your prayers.

So, I have been back to tweeking my plans at Disney and I do have a special surprise I booked for the boys that I am dying to share with you. So, here is the latest and greatest details!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Leaving home as soon as I get home from evening work board meeting. I tried my best to get the time changed for summer board meetings to 5 p.m. versus 7:30 but had no luck. Luckily, my presentation is first and my boss has already told me I can leave early. With the drive back home, we should be on the road by 9:30 , 10 pm at the latest. :drive: I will start the drive south with DH taking over after midnight. I will sleep during the night and probably wake up around 6:00 a.m. to take over.

Friday, July 2, 2010

We will stop for breakfast along the way. DH tells me no Cracker Barrel this trip as I make him eat there all the time we are traveling so who knows where breakfast will be.. :confused3 We should arrive at the Polynesian :cloud9: around noon. I have told Club Level we will be there at that time. I am hoping the room will be ready so DH can sleep. If not, I guess we will look around and probably let DS change and go swimming. If the room is ready, I will go hit that lovely Volcanoe pool with DS while DH sleeps. The only thing we have planned that evening is a late O'hanas dinner - this will be a first for us. I would like to do EMH at MK that evening but we will have to see. Who knows, I may go by myself!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Breakfast will be in the Club Level Lounge.

We plan to hit Typhoon Lagoon at opening. :cool1::cool1:This will be our first time at the Disney water parks so we are all super excited. We will stay until early afternoon. Dinner is at Whispering Canyon Cafe at 5:10 p.m (another first).

So, this is the evening I have planned special for Jeremy and Tom. We had planned to either go to MK or the Poly Beach and watch the fireworks as they should debut the 4th of July fireworks. Well, I have booked a Pirates and Pals Voyage. :banana::banana::banana: We are all super excited about it. We go to the Contemporary at 7:45 p.m. for snacks and meet Captain Hook and Smee (another first character meeting). Our captain Patch will join us and take us to the boat where we will get to see the fireworks and the Electric Water Pagent (I think that is what it is called) Parade. Once the fireworks are over, we will head back to dock and Peter Pan is supposed to be waiting to meet us!!! (another first character meeting) I am sure it will be a magical evening!:wizard:

Sunday, July 4

Breakfast will be at O'hanas. Jeremy asked for this and it is our favorite character breakfast on property. We love all the food offerings. Plus, I figure Jeremy will start growing out of the characters so I wanted to give him something special.

We will then head to DHS and see if I can finally beat DH at Toy Story Mania :3dglasses. This is our favorite ride plus favorite Wii game at home. We will leave early afternoon and come back for dinner at 50's Prime Time (another first). Fantasmic is after dinner. This is our favorite show on property. We :love::love::love: it! Our plan is to stay for fireworks. Last year they showed Sorcery in the Sky so I hope they do again this year!


Monday, July 5

Breakfast at Crystal Palace at 8:15 a.m. (another first). We love breakfast when we get to go in the park before opening. Although, I do like the opening at MK and walking Main Street with all the cast members out waving. We will hit our favorites and probably head out late morning for a nice afternoon at the Volcanoe pool. Dinner is at Tony's and I hope to see the summer time parade.

Tuesday, July 6

This is the day we leave the Poly and head to AKL. Our plan is to get up and head to Epcot. We will Soar over California, take a ride around test track, and visit Spaceship Earth. We want to spend more time in Innoventions this trip---:love:the trash game. You have to do this if you never have. DS has so much fun pushing the garbage truck. I think I will call Club Level and see if they can let me know when the room is ready. If so, we will leave Epcot when we know it is and head to the savannah :cloud9:! This rest of the afternoon will be spent enjoying the resort. Dinner is at Boma.

Wednesday, July 7

Breakfast at the lounge. Jeremy is going on the Albatross Cruise from the Yacht Club at 9:30 a.m. I hope to catch a glimpse of Stormalong Bay when we are there. I would like to stay there one time so Jeremy could enjoy the pool area. I have nothing planned for the afternoon. Dinner is at Le Cellier :yay:(another first) that evening with illuminations. We will spend the evening enjoying the World Showcase.

Thursday, July 8

Sunrise Safari this morning! :woohoo: I can hardly wait. I have always wanted to do this and am so glad I can afford to stay Club Level this time so we can! Thursday is our Animal Kingdom Day. We will stay there all day. I have a late lunch scheduled at the Rain Forrest Cafe (another first). DS requested this.

Friday, July 9

Right now, this is our Blizzard Beach day :woohoo:! This water park looks super neat! Dinner will be at Chef Mickey's this evening. If we still have more things to see at Magic Kingdom, I would like to do evening EMH.

Saturday, July 10
I have nothing planned for this day. I would like to take a tour of DVC. I am thinking we might do it on this day.

We head home on Sunday, July 11th with visions of coming back in February!

I know that during the week we want to try Disney mini golf and of course head to DTD. DS and DH want to do Disney Quest as well.

I am determined not to mess with any more dining ressies and leave the plan as is. I want to start making my list for attractions we want to do and see at each of the parks.

Coming up: I want to share with you Trip 2, 3, and 4 to the World. So, hear are a few spoilers:

Trip 2---Do we change hotels at midnight? :confused3
Trip 3---Does Mickey really think Jeremy is a Happy Hustler? :scared1:
Trip 4---Will we survive a trip with my Mother? Well, yes or I wouldn't be typing this but will I leave my family stranded on Tom's Sawyer Island for the afternoon? :rolleyes1

Erika

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

First off, sorry to hear DH is not feeling too much better...and sorry to hear that he's been a bit of a gump! :goodvibes Hopefully things will improve this weekened. Would you still do your DC trip if he couldn't go?

Your Disney Itinerery looks AWESOME!!! The Priates and Pals cruise looks so cool, I'm sure the boys will love it!! Thats great that you'll be able to do some of those special events on your trip!

I'm looking forward to hearing about your past trips! uh-oh...trouble on Tom Sawyer Island....that can't be good!
Karen

[martinolichfamily]

Your plans sound great!

I too am trying to keep my dining ressies as is and not change them any more! Its so hard though! ;) I added and extra day onto our package today....so we will get in there on the 2nd now! <-- i must add ressies for lunch or breakfast at least! :rotfl:

Doesnt look like our paths will cross...but who knows once we are there!!
Friday 7/9..our plan is to hit MK for EMH..maybe we'll see ya there! :goodvibes


I have been throwing around the idea of booking that Pirate & Pals cruise as well for us but keep it a surprise until we get there....not sure though if it will actually get added in there.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

First off, sorry to hear DH is not feeling too much better...and sorry to hear that he's been a bit of a gump! :goodvibes Hopefully things will improve this weekened. Would you still do your DC trip if he couldn't go?

Your Disney Itinerery looks AWESOME!!! The Priates and Pals cruise looks so cool, I'm sure the boys will love it!! Thats great that you'll be able to do some of those special events on your trip!

I'm looking forward to hearing about your past trips! uh-oh...trouble on Tom Sawyer Island....that can't be good!
Karen

Hi Karen:

The funniest thing happened this afternoon. After I kept telling him he needed to get up and move around and he kept telling me that wasn't going to help, lo and behold, the doctor's office called to confirm his appointment on Monday and they let the doctor actually talk to him. Well, Guess what! The doctor said the reason he is isn't getting better is that he needs to get up and move around :idea:! He actually called me at work all excited that he thought that was all he needed to do to feel better :rolleyes:! I walk every evening and he went with me today---actually walked a mile and was feeling some better when we got done. :woohoo: So, to answer your question, yes (if DH is not better) I will still go. I need this vacation. He told me tonight that if worse came to worse, he would go and stay in the room. I guess I will be back to planning DC. Jeremy's teacher spent a summer a few years ago in DC teaching so she sent home a nice map she made of the Metro system with all these explanations of where to go and what stops to get off. It was super nice:thumbsup2. Are you getting excited about going? It looks like the weather is going to be really nice and the cherry blossoms should be at peak during both of our trips.

I am really excited about the Pirate and Pals cruise. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in 2008 and we loved the boat ride over to the Magic Kingdom. I am starting to second guess the CL at the Poly. I don't think we need it even though DH does. I will broach that subject once he is in a better mood!

Hope to have trip 2 up tomorrow! You won't believe what we did that trip before we even got to Disney World. :sad2:

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Your plans sound great!

I too am trying to keep my dining ressies as is and not change them any more! Its so hard though! ;) I added and extra day onto our package today....so we will get in there on the 2nd now! <-- i must add ressies for lunch or breakfast at least! :rotfl:

Doesnt look like our paths will cross...but who knows once we are there!!
Friday 7/9..our plan is to hit MK for EMH..maybe we'll see ya there! :goodvibes


I have been throwing around the idea of booking that Pirate & Pals cruise as well for us but keep it a surprise until we get there....not sure though if it will actually get added in there.

Good Luck keeping with your plans. I am constantly thinking about some where new to eat and keep looking at Disney Dining. We will have to help each other and face the temptation! :goodvibes

If you decide to do the cruise and it is on the 3rd, let me know. We will have to meet up during the reception.

Erika

[adisneymama]

Hey it looks like we'll be in the same park a couple of days! Sounds like a good plan!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hey it looks like we'll be in the same park a couple of days! Sounds like a good plan!

Great, we will definitely have to meet one of those days!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Karen:

The funniest thing happened this afternoon. After I kept telling him he needed to get up and move around and he kept telling me that wasn't going to help, lo and behold, the doctor's office called to confirm his appointment on Monday and they let the doctor actually talk to him. Well, Guess what! The doctor said the reason he is isn't getting better is that he needs to get up and move around :idea:! He actually called me at work all excited that he thought that was all he needed to do to feel better :rolleyes:! I walk every evening and he went with me today---actually walked a mile and was feeling some better when we got done. :woohoo: So, to answer your question, yes (if DH is not better) I will still go. I need this vacation. He told me tonight that if worse came to worse, he would go and stay in the room. I guess I will be back to planning DC. Jeremy's teacher spent a summer a few years ago in DC teaching so she sent home a nice map she made of the Metro system with all these explanations of where to go and what stops to get off. It was super nice:thumbsup2. Are you getting excited about going? It looks like the weather is going to be really nice and the cherry blossoms should be at peak during both of our trips.

I am really excited about the Pirate and Pals cruise. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge in 2008 and we loved the boat ride over to the Magic Kingdom. I am starting to second guess the CL at the Poly. I don't think we need it even though DH does. I will broach that subject once he is in a better mood!

Hope to have trip 2 up tomorrow! You won't believe what we did that trip before we even got to Disney World. :sad2:

Erika

Hi Erika!

HA! :rotfl2: that is so funny about your DH - they never want to listen to us when we offer suggestions to help them! My DH is the same way!! I'm glad the doc told him to get up and moving, and that he did it! Hopefully that will help - glad he's feeling a little bit better.

I don't know what it is about men and medical issues - I kid you not...EVERY time one of the kids gets sick DH makes up some ridiculous alternate explanation for what it could be - it's NEVER that they're actually SICK!! If one has a stuffy nose and I say "oh, looks like he's getting a cold" DH will so "no, it's just allergies". If one of them gets a tummy ache or throws up, I think they have a stomach flu, he'll say "no, maybe it's just something they ate today". Last week I thought Mater had pick eye he tried to pull the old "maybe it's allergies" line, but I took him in and yup, it was bacterial pink eye. It's like he can't admit they they're actually sick until a doctor confirms it! :sad2: I don't even debate it with him anymore, I just roll my eyes and go on with my day knowing that I'm right. :laughing:

I am getting excited for the DC trip - I feel like I haven't been planning as much as I should be - I did start a list of what to pack and bring, but I need to spend some time this next week reading and planning our days a little more. I'm really excited for the Cherry Blossoms - should be really beautiful! I'm glad you're still going, and hope DH can go too - hopefully by then he'll be feeling even better after being up and about.

Have you ever done CL before? You're right it's probably not that you "need" it, it's just a perk! I guess it just depends on if it's worth the extra cost to have that luxury? I'd say if your DH really wants it then I'd do it - making sure he knows the cost involved and that you are fine either way. I know there are lots of things my DH thinks are worth the money that I just shake my head at, but hey, if it something he really wants then I bite my tongue and go for it. Once you've done it you'll know if you every want to do it again.

Have a good weekend!
Karen

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Your plans looks fantastic! The fireworks cruise sounds wonderful with the characters! You will LOVE dinner at 'Ohana AND breakfast at Crystal Palace. CP breakfast is one of my favorite things to do!

Hey it looks like we'll be in the same park a couple of days! Sounds like a good plan!

Great, we will definitely have to meet one of those days!

Me too, me too! ;)

Actually, I'm looking at your plans to mine and let's see...we could fun into each other at the Contemp. while we get ready for our cruises on the 3rd... We are planning on being at DHS in the morning on the 4th....

I think that's it for now. We have some days that are questionable (other than ADRs of course) so who knows?!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Are you busy planning and packing for your DC trip on Friday! Hope you have a great trip and good weather. I was looking at the bloom forcast and it looks like you'll be there right at peak, it might be a little past peak for us, we'll just have to wait and see. Hope your DH is feeling better and can make it along with you and Jeremy this weekend!

Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Are you busy planning and packing for your DC trip on Friday! Hope you have a great trip and good weather. I was looking at the bloom forcast and it looks like you'll be there right at peak, it might be a little past peak for us, we'll just have to wait and see. Hope your DH is feeling better and can make it along with you and Jeremy this weekend!

Karen

Karen:

Thank you for the well wishes! You are so sweet!:hug: DH went back to the doctor and lo behold, he had his first injection yesterday afternoon! Still no relief today. Luckily, the doctor is very good to us so I think she is going to try one more before Friday. DH is determined he is going so we will see. :confused3 I do have to finish my plans. That will probably be on the agenda at lunch tomorrow. Without DH to help, all I get done doing is running Jeremy here and there and doing laundry!:laundy: I am getting excited. I bet the trees will be beautiful! Well, time to head to piano and then to baseball.

Take care,
ERika

[Happydog]

Just wanted to hear more about the pirates and pals cruise! Might look into that now ... where did you get the rates, etc? On the DIS?

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!!

How was your trip to Washington DC? I hope it was good! We just got back this afternoon, I'm completely exhausted! I took over 500 photos...I have a lot of work to do the next few weeks editing them all (plus the 150 pix my mom took)!! I was just checking in to see if you had posted an update yet...hope to see you back on the DIS soon!

Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

:wave2:Hello everyone!

I feel like I have been gone forever. I have been so busy since we got back from DC that I have hardly had the time to even breathe!

We had a fabulous time in DC. DH was able to go. The doctor gave him a second shot the day before we left. Granted, the drive up was a killer with me often asking him if he wanted to turn around and go home but we made it. We had such a good time that we decided to stay two extra days. I am going to try and upload my pictures tonight and will give you a short trip report.

I vowed to not make any more changes to our Disney plans but the DC trip add on resulted in a major Disney change. The extra two days meant of course two more nights lodging and extra expense so we decided to change resorts once again for the first part of our Disney trip. We are no longer at the Poly :sad1:. I guess it will have to be put back on my dream trips of the future. I called and booked the first four nights at Coronado Springs. I did keep the last five nights at AKL Club Level. We like Coronado and Jeremy loves the pool so everything worked out okay.

So, I promised a short report on our second trip to Disney. I hope to have it up tomorrow. Bare with me, I have been back 4 days and have to get to the grocery tonight as there is nothing in our house to eat. Plus, I made a very big decision about My health this past week and I have the first meeting regarding it today. I will explain more later this week.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Just wanted to hear more about the pirates and pals cruise! Might look into that now ... where did you get the rates, etc? On the DIS?

I found the rates on all ears and the reports/reviews on the Dis. I just searched for pirates and pals and it will bring up some trip reports. You meet at the Contemporary and have light snacks (soda, pretzels, fruit--nothing fancy). While there, Captain Hook and Smee comes out for meet and greets. Then Patch (I think both captains are named Patch or Patches) come and they are your guide for the evening. You get on the boat at the contemporary (there are two boats). You go out and it says you may see the Electric Water Pagent on some nights. You will anchor for wishes and then on the way back Patch tells the story of Peter Pan who will be waiting to meet you for a meet and greet when you dock. It looks like Patch does fun games with the children on board and give thems prizes. You do have to prepay for this when you book it.

It looks like fun. It was a real plus for us to do since we did not want to fight those crowds for the 4th of July preview fireworks on the 3rd.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!!

How was your trip to Washington DC? I hope it was good! We just got back this afternoon, I'm completely exhausted! I took over 500 photos...I have a lot of work to do the next few weeks editing them all (plus the 150 pix my mom took)!! I was just checking in to see if you had posted an update yet...hope to see you back on the DIS soon!

Karen

Hi Karen:

We had a blast in DC. We loved it so much we stayed two extra days. I am going to post a short trip report later this week.

Like you, I am still exhausted. I went back to work the next day after we returned home and that was a big mistake. I have been worn out ever since.

I am going over to your report now to read your post. I glanced quickly and noticed you are doing a report as well. :surfweb:Can't wait to read!

Erika

[adisneymama]

Glad you had fun! Our Disney trips are getting closer! Can't wait!

[martinolichfamily]

Glad to hear that DH was able to go....and that ya'll had a good time!

Maybe next time for Poly! ;)

I have added another adr of course but I also vowed not to change ANYTHING else! :rolleyes1

Decisions are so tough when it comes to Disney!! ;)

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hello to all who are still following this very slow moving, ever changing Pre-Trip Report. I can't believe it has been 20 days since I last posted anything in this report!:scared1: I promise I will do better.

If you notice my ticker I have once again changed my plans. Yes, I changed resorts! I think I last mentioned that we had changed to a split stay at CS and AKL Club level. Well, DH was still not happy about CS so I changed the entire 9 nights to AKL and dropped the club level. Well, guess what? You got it. We changed yet again and for the last time---I promise! Tom and I debated the AKL and its location and we decided that although I think it would be magical to stay at AKL, WL would be much better for us since it is closer to MK and Epcot-our two favorite parks. We loved our stay there a few years ago. Plus, Jeremy loves the boat ride to MK so we switched this weekend. I am actually getting really excited about it and can't wait to go back.

So, of course you know I couldn't leave the dining ressies alone either so I did make some changes to those as well. I will share those later.

My intent all along has been to do short trip reports of our trips to Disney. So, here is Trip 2.

Do we really change motels at midnight? :scared1:-Trip 2

At the end of 2006, DH and I were in the middle of building a new home, literally. With the help of my dad, we subcontracted out the various parts of building our house and then DH and dad finished the inside. We moved into our home in 2007. I got the bright idea a few weeks before DS's spring break that we should take a quick vacation to Florida since we really needed a break.

We booked two nights on the beach and three nights in Orlando.

I will admit right here, that I have always had a resort/change problem. When I booked the three nights in Orlando, I booked at a timeshare we own. Well, I listened to a friend who had just been to Orlando tell me about this chain (I won't mention the name) who had a great rate in Kissimee and how wonderful the place was. So, I switched resorts.

This trip started on St. Pete's Beach with freezing temperatures. Yes, it was below freezing Easter morning. We never even got in the water the two days we were there. :sad2:

Needless to say, I was anxious to leave Easter morning and head to Orlando. So, we go to the motel and it looks okay outside, except for all the police who are there!:scared1: That should have been clue #1 to leave but we decided to give it a try. The room was okay, nothing to brag about. We go out for dinner and come back, and oh my, I felt so uncomfortable. There were people partying everywhere. Guys drunk and yelling at each other. Now, DH is a big man and a cop and I didn't even feel safe with him there. We decided to stay the night and if it didn't get better we would leave in the morning. We go to bed and the bed literally is like sleeping on plywood. DH and DS actually get to sleep. But, for me, well I can't take it no more. At midnight, I get up and start calling to find a room for the rest of the trip. DH wakes up and finds me in the bathroom on the phone. He gives me the go ahead and we book a Fairfield Inn for the evening and yes, we packed up and left. :woohoo: I was never so happy to leave a place in my entire life.

That is our moment for that trip! Something always happens to us on vacation!

Next:
Will we make rope drop at the MK with only a few hours of sleep?
Trip 3-Does Mickey think DS's a hustler? Stay tuned.

Erika

[martinolichfamily]

Still here!! :goodvibes

WL looks so warm & cozy! We will be there 7/2 eating dinner @ WCC @
8:45p!!

I too am changing the adrs...hopefully I'm done though now! :lmao:
DD wanted to eat with Alice in Wonderland...so...we canceled CM on our last day and eating at 1900PF for breakfast.

OH.....our tickers are under 2 months now!!
:woohoo::woohoo::dance3::banana::banana:

We are getting so excited around our house!!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Welcome Back! Glad to see your update and glad you got your resort all switched around and figured out! WL looks beautiful!

I'm not much of a switcher - once I have my mind set on something, that's it! There's no changing it!

Wow - sorry to hear your first hotel on the last trip was so awful! I've never really had a bad hotel here in the US, but once in Mexico a friend and I got ourselves into this horrible hotel - I seriously thought we might be in trouble there - 2 young girls all alone in a really shady part of town and really bad hotel. We literally baricaded the door and just prayed for morning! I was never so happy to leave a place - so I can relate to how you felt there!

Looking forward to reading more of your updates!
Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

Still here!! :goodvibes

WL looks so warm & cozy! We will be there 7/2 eating dinner @ WCC @
8:45p!!

I too am changing the adrs...hopefully I'm done though now! :lmao:
DD wanted to eat with Alice in Wonderland...so...we canceled CM on our last day and eating at 1900PF for breakfast.

OH.....our tickers are under 2 months now!!
:woohoo::woohoo::dance3::banana::banana:

We are getting so excited around our house!!

I know! :banana: I am starting to get very excited. We eat at WCC on 7/3 but maybe I will bump into you in the lobby on 7/2.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Welcome Back! Glad to see your update and glad you got your resort all switched around and figured out! WL looks beautiful!

I'm not much of a switcher - once I have my mind set on something, that's it! There's no changing it!

Wow - sorry to hear your first hotel on the last trip was so awful! I've never really had a bad hotel here in the US, but once in Mexico a friend and I got ourselves into this horrible hotel - I seriously thought we might be in trouble there - 2 young girls all alone in a really shady part of town and really bad hotel. We literally baricaded the door and just prayed for morning! I was never so happy to leave a place - so I can relate to how you felt there!

Looking forward to reading more of your updates!
Karen

Hi Karen:

Oh my, that is scary! I would have died in Mexico.

I don't know what is it but I have the hardest time deciding where to stay on Disney. I wish I could travel all the time and stay at all their resorts. They are so beautifully themed. We did love the WL a few years ago and I know it will work best for us.

Erika

[mom2mek]

All caught up! :goodvibes What a scary sounding hotel on that trip! :eek: I don't blame you for finding someplace else to go! That would have been me too - sitting in the bathroom, dialing every hotel in the phone book!

WL will be great! You are going to have a great time! Other than the Poly, it's the next place I would want to stay. Dang that 4 to a room thing though. :headache: Guess I could always leave Shawn at home! :lmao:

Sara

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 2-Will we Make Rope Drop at the MK?


After changing hotels and getting to bed in the early hours of the morning, we still managed to make it to Magic Kingdom right after it opened. It was the day after Easter and was raining. Luckily for us, the park was not crowded and we got so much done that day.

And, surprisingly to us, Jeremy wanted to ride this time. DH and I both were hesitant about Pooh's ride as the bouncing honey pots did it for us last time, but he loved that ride. It was sooo great! :cool1: We rode Dumbo, Pooh, Tea Pots, Peter Pan, the Carousel and Snow White within no time. We ventured to the Barnstormer, anxious to see if Jeremy would want to ride or not. Well, he loved it. I cannot remember how many times we rode it that day. I can remember the morning very well but the rest of the day is hazy. I know we rode Splash Mountain as we got stuck on the ride. A duck was in the water!! They gave us a free fast pass that we used on the Jungle Cruise. Jeremy loved that! The guide was hilarious and kept making jokes about Cincinnati. All in all, it was a great day and really got my Disney addiction going.

We went back to our new motel that evening with visions of Sea World in our head!

The next day was our first trip to Sea World. We only stayed about half of the day as it was yet again raining. We loved the Believe show. It is amazing to watch what they are able to do with whales. I know we watched the Clyde and Seymour show as the pre-show was hilarious. They have this guy that entertains the audience like he is directing you into the stadium. He is soo funny. We definitely want to go back here some day and enjoy the entire park.

At this point, I should let you know that I did take pictures of these days. It was on my old camera that actually took film. For some reason, I cannot find the CD's. I could only find a picture from our last day in Orlando at Animal Kingdom on all my CD's. Go figure!:confused:

Finally, the very last day of this trip started feeling like Florida weather. We were headed to Animal Kingdom this day and it was hot. I know we did the safari, the Lion King show, It's Tough to Be a Bug, the train, and visited Dino Land. This was also the first year for the Nemo show and Jeremy loved it:love:. I think we all do. It is one of our favorite shows on property. The best thing happened on this day!!! Jeremy wanted to ride Expedition Everest. Granted, I am not a huge coaster fan but if my five year old child is brave enough, well than surely I can try. Our ride picture is hilarious. Tom is beaming, Jeremy looks like a deer in headlights, and I am behind them with my eyes closed hanging on for dear life! :rotfl2: All in all, we loved the ride and it is a must everytime we go.

Here is the only photo I can find from this trip!
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG025_0001-1.jpg

This short trip to the world only had me wanting to go back for more! Disney World is truly such a magical place. :wizard: Needless to say, I started planning our November 2008 trip in October 2007.

Up Next:

Our first Thanksgiving at Disney World.
What became our favorite show at Disney?
Will we like the resort?
Do we finally eat table service at Disney?
Do we get to raise the flags?

Plus, tons of pictures (over 800 to be exact).

Oh, and will Mickey think Jeremy is a hustler?

This picture tells it all!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1052-1.jpg

Erika

[adisneymama]

I'm still here too. I'll be back later to finish reading though! Got to cook dinner!

[jeremysdisneymom]

All caught up! :goodvibes What a scary sounding hotel on that trip! :eek: I don't blame you for finding someplace else to go! That would have been me too - sitting in the bathroom, dialing every hotel in the phone book!

WL will be great! You are going to have a great time! Other than the Poly, it's the next place I would want to stay. Dang that 4 to a room thing though. :headache: Guess I could always leave Shawn at home! :lmao:

Sara


:rotfl2::rotfl2:There are times I would like to leave Tom at home too!!!! Too funny!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I'm still here too. I'll be back later to finish reading though! Got to cook dinner!

Thanks for sticking around! I promise to do better.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney World!

After Trip 1 and Trip 2, I knew we had to go back to Disney! But, the question was when? So, after much research and debate, we settled for going over Thanksgiving in 2008. I started planning in October 2007. Unlike the other trips, I bought every book I could find, I read everything online :surfweb:, joined the DIS :thumbsup2, and watched as many Disney shows as possible. I bought our airfare in January, made ressies in May, bought MVMCP tickets the first day the were on sale. You get the picture. I was overly planning So, with all my knowledge in hand, we embarked for Disney the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, 2008.

Day 1-Tuesday

Our flight left Cincinnati around 9:00 that morning. We were all so excited to be going that we were at the airport way early. I wish I had taken a picture of the parking lot. It was empty in long-term parking. The driver told us that was so unusual for that time of year and was really a sign of the times. It was a smooth flight to Orlando and we were on our way to our first ride on Disney's Magical Express. It didn't take long for us to get on the bus. I was a little disappointed as I couldn't wait to get a picture in front of the bus. Well, it would be our luck that they were extremely busy that day and we ended up with a regular Mears bus. So no, picture :confused3

It wasn't long before we were pulling into the beautiful Wilderness Lodge. Oh my, we were all amazed when we walked in. The resort at Christmas was breathtaking. I knew we had made the right choice. :cloud9:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0895-1.jpg

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The only bad experience I had here was at check-in. This nice girl was checking me in and told me that our room was ready. She stated that I had a courtyard view with 2 queen beds. :eek: I politely told her that no that was not possible as I had booked courtyard view with bunk beds. Jeremy was really excited about sleeping in a bunk bed! She told me that they were both the same price and we had to take whatever was available. :rolleyes1Uh no, they are not and I paid more money for the bunk beds. She then said she could get them for me the next day but not today. :headache:Now, Tom could see I was starting to get aggravated and that made him get aggravated. However, I politely asked for a manager who quickly resolved the issue but we would have to wait for our room. No big deal! I had not expected to get in the room yet anyway.

We then headed for Roaring Forks for some lunch as it had been a long time since breakfast. Boy, we love :love: Roaring Forks. I have not ate anything bad there. The sandwiches are delicious. While we were eating, the call came that our room was ready.

I was anxious to see if we would have a towel animal but no such luck.

Here is Jeremy on his bunk bed.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0899.jpg


Up Next:

Our first view of the castle lights!
Why do the princesses keep looking at Jeremy's shirt funny?

[mom2mek]

Great recap of the start of your trip, Erika! The pics in the lobby are so cute!

I'm so happy you are doing a trip report with a pre-trip report!! :cool1::cool1:

Sara

[micandminforever]

I came over from Jen: MegansMom report I have read the first page and I am hooked. Now I need to read the rest.

[martinolichfamily]

Thanksgiving at WDW!! Cool!! :)
Love the pics @ WL....cute!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Great recap of the start of your trip, Erika! The pics in the lobby are so cute!

I'm so happy you are doing a trip report with a pre-trip report!! :cool1::cool1:

Sara

Thanks, Sara.

I guess I should have listened to you before and done a trip report. ;) I am actually enjoying reliving my trips.

Thanks for reading!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

I came over from Jen: MegansMom report I have read the first page and I am hooked. Now I need to read the rest.

:wave2: Welcome, I am glad you joined in for the fun.

I see that you have a trip coming up soon and celebrating 25 years at that! Wow, congratulations! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading,
Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Thanksgiving at WDW!! Cool!! :)
Love the pics @ WL....cute!

It was soooo magical! The place is gorgeous at Christmas time. I think I have some better pictures coming up.

Thanks for reading!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney World-Day 1 and Day 2 Completed

After we finally got into our Courtyard Bunk Bed room at the Wilderness Lodge, we all took a much needed nap. I woke early and our luggage had still not arrived so I called bell services and they brought it up immediately.

We all got freshened up and head to the Magic Kingdom. I was sooo excited to be seeing the Castle Lights for the first time. Oh my, they are gorgeous. Now, here is the weird part. I have no pictures from that night. So, you will have to wait until MVMCP evening for those.

We headed to Fantasy Land and rode It's A Small World. That was the first time we had ever rode it and we loved it.

Jeremy wanted to meet characters so we took off in search of short lines before Wishes and Spectro Magic.

Here is where the trip started to get interesting. I packed a mixture of clothing for the trip but failed to pack Jeremy only one hoodie. As it was cold in the evening, I had him put it on. You can see it in the pictures that follow.
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0908.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0905.jpg

Now, I noticed he got some looks and the princesses acted sort of funny. But, honestly, I figured it had to do with my big 6 year old boy wanting to meet the princesses. Jeremy is so much bigger than his age and yes, we do get looks even when he was 7 waiting to see Santa! He looks like he is 10 or older. :eek:

We ended the evening watching Wishes and Spectro Magic and then head back to the Wilderness Lodge to get rest for our first full day at Disney.

Day 2-DHS Morning

We awoke bright and early to make rope drop at DHS. We had breakfast in the room. I tend to always take cereal with us on vacation so we can eat in the room while each other is getting dressed.
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0938.jpg
Our mission this morning was to make rope drop and have Tom head with the masses to Toy Story Mania.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0995.jpg

We got there just as the opening show was finishing up. Tom, along with everyone else, headed for Toy Story mania. Jeremy was typical Jeremy and wanted to meet characters. These lovely ladies were the first out and we were excited. Daisy is my favorite character and up until this point we had never found her in the parks.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0944.jpg

Up next, was Stitch. He was hilarious. He kept playing jokes on Jeremy. He would take his pen and stick it up his nose. Jeremy loved it!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0947.jpg

Continued in Next Post:

[jeremysdisneymom]

More Stitch photos!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0953.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0956.jpg

Our final meet was with Donald.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0960.jpg

At this point, Tom had secured Toy Story fast passes and we were ready to move on. Now, Jeremy had Tom and I hyped up before the trip as he kept going on and on about riding Tower of Terror. So, we were anxious to head that way. Well, guess what, Jeremy has a fit and no longer wants to ride. We didn't want to force it so we skipped Tower of Terror and head to Playhouse Disney. :sad1:Now, this would be our last time to see Playhouse Disney for awhile. Jeremy refused to go in 2009 as he informed me that he was now too big for that show. Boy, they grow up fast!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0962.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0964.jpg

It was after this show that Jeremy started the "I want to go swimming" whine. Tom and I informed him that we wanted to do some things and that possibly we would try to let him swim before dinner this evening. This would not be the last time we heard it that day before we finally headed back to the resort.

After Playhouse Disney, we headed to meet more characters.

Sorcerer Mickey was up first!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0978.jpg

Characters from Bolt! Once again, we had a great character interaction. They were super with Jeremy.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0985.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0986.jpg

Mr. and Mrs. Incredible

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0988.jpg

After visiting with some great characters in Animation Studios, we headed to Toy Story Mania. We were all excited as this was our first time riding. We get there and this very nice elderly CM takes our fastpasses and says, I am sorry but these are for tomorrow. :confused3 At this point, I will admit, I am a very gulable person. I am thinking what in the world did Tom do this morning when he went to get those fastpasses and I am starting to panic as we had no plans to go to DHS on Thanksgiving. I start giving Tom the look :mad: and the CM burst out laughing. He said that one never gets old! :worship: I will admit, he got me good. I knew better. Fastpasses are only good for that day.

We get our glasses and are on our way!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0991.jpg

Jeremy and I rode together and Tom was by himself.

Here is our score:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0990.jpg

Yes, we sucked the first time! Of course, Tom beat us. He always does. Funny story---we got the Wii game this Christmas. Tom was beating me every time we played. Well, I pay more attention to details and finally figured out how to hit the high point items. I beat him all the time now! He gets so mad. I love :love: it! I can't wait to see if the Wii game will help better my score this summer.

After our disappointing loss on Toy Story mania and Tom's victory, we decided to call it a day early afternoon and head back to Wilderness Lodge. Tom and I had already decided that we needed to let Jeremy get the swim thing out of his system so we would not have to hear it any more this trip. Plus, we wanted to rest before the evening.

Up Next?

1. What will our first table service restaurant be at Disney World?
2. Is Jeremy really a hustler?
3. Will I be scared to death on Everest at night?

Stay tuned..........

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney World

As we made our way back to the Wilderness Lodge, Jeremy was super excited to find his first (and only) towel object of the trip-a piece of candy!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_0996.jpg

Jeremy got changed for the pool and he and I headed down. It was actually very pretty out that day, but it was still too cool for me to get in the water. Tom eventually joined me and we partaked in a nice pool beverage while Jeremy swam.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1002.jpg

After an hour, we headed back to the room to get ready for our very first table service dinner at Walt Disney World. Plus, we were heading to our first EMH at AK.

We took the boat over to the MK. Jeremy loved the boat ride. It didn't matter when it was, he always had to sit outside. I nearly froze to death many times but it didn't seem to bother him. Here is a picture on boat with the monorail overhead.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1008.jpg

We made our way into MK and headed for Liberty Tree Tavern. We were having Thanksgiving Dinner the day before Thanksgiving. We got there and were quickly seated.

I :love: the food at Liberty Tree. I am a stuffing girl. I could eat stuffing every day of the week. DH fell in love with the flank steak. There were no negative comments from us that evening. Before long, the characters started coming to the table.

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http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1026.jpg

I really hate that this is no longer a character dinner. I just loved seeing them in their colonial clothing.

After dinner, we head to the monorail to go to the ticket counter and catch a bus to AK. It was starting to get cold outside so I had Jeremy put his one and only hoodie on--the Happy Hustler one! We get to the loading area of the monorail and I notice that no one was in line to ride up front with the driver. I asked the driver if we could and he said sure. :cheer2: Jeremy has always wanted to do this so he was suuuuuupppppppeer excited!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1039.jpg


http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1032.jpg

It was starting to get dark and AK was calling our name.


Stay tuned...................

[Belle_princess]

Hi Erika:yay:

I'm caught up on your PTR now! Woo-hoo! Can't wait to hear more about your 2008 trip. . .you know, it was too bad you and I didn't get a picture together at the Christmas Party! OH well.

I hope you have a fantastic trip- I know you will! I look forward to your TR when you return. It will tide me over until my trip comes!!!

Take care,
Kristin

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Love reading about your previous trip! Thanksgiving - how nice! WOW - you got TONS of character photos! Sorry to hear it was chilly...and just 1 sweatshirt - that's why mom's always overpack for their kids! I know I always pack way too much but reading things like this confirms why I do it!

Looking forward to reading more on your trip!
Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika:yay:

I'm caught up on your PTR now! Woo-hoo! Can't wait to hear more about your 2008 trip. . .you know, it was too bad you and I didn't get a picture together at the Christmas Party! OH well.

I hope you have a fantastic trip- I know you will! I look forward to your TR when you return. It will tide me over until my trip comes!!!

Take care,
Kristin

Kristin:

Thanks for joining! I was just thinking the same thing yesterday--we should have gotten a picture together. My first DIS meet and I have nothing to show for it. Oh well, there is always next time. Maybe our paths will cross again in the world some day.

Now, I have to get over to your trip and join in the fun.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Love reading about your previous trip! Thanksgiving - how nice! WOW - you got TONS of character photos! Sorry to hear it was chilly...and just 1 sweatshirt - that's why mom's always overpack for their kids! I know I always pack way too much but reading things like this confirms why I do it!

Looking forward to reading more on your trip!
Karen

Karen:

That was such a tough trip to pack for. It was really warm during the day and really cool at night. I was so concerned about luggage space that I only packed the one hoodie when he had tons hanging in his closet at home.

Needless to say, we soon realized that the shirt was drawing attention (more to come in the next update) and we shelled out the money and bought him a new Disney hoodie.

Yes, we did see a lot of characters that trip. I am glad as Jeremy had a lot of fun with it. He still wanted to meet characters in 2009 but not like 2008. I am afraid he may be done with it this trip. It really makes me sad.

Erika

[MousekaMaddi]

please!:cheer2:

[jeremysdisneymom]

please!:cheer2:

:welcome: I should have another update this afternoon. Thanks for joining!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney-Day 2 Complete

We got off the monorail and boarded a bus to AK for EMH. I was so excited to be heading to our very first EMH. We had never stayed on property before and this was such a treat! I was also excited as Jeremy had been talking about riding Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl.

It is getting very dark when we arrive so no pictures of the Christmas tree this evening. The tree of life was beautiful at night, but no pictures that I can find. I really have trouble with my camera at night. I need to read the owner's manual again.

I knew there was a late Finding Nemo show before the park closed so we walked very fast to get there. We were one of the last ones in but amazingly, found a seat down front. I love :love: this show. It is one of my favorites on property. Afterwards, we had about five minutes to get to the Lion King Show. EMH had started and boy what a difference that made. We get to the show and the place was not even halfway full. It was so nice and relaxing.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1064.jpg

After the show was over, we were anxious to hit some rides-esp. Everest and Dinosaur. Guess what happens, Jeremy refuses to ride Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. He wants nothing to do with it. Tom and I really don't want to push the issue with him. I want him to ride something because he wants to, not because we forced him. He still wanted to ride Everest but we knew there was plenty time for that. So, we asked Jeremy what he would like to do. I will give you one guess as to what it was?

You

guessed

right!!!

Meet characters! He really enjoyed it this trip and I guess I should be very glad. Looking back on our trip last year his interest wasn't as much. I know it will be even less this year. Boy, my baby is growing up! :sad1:

Here are the characters dressed in their holiday gear at AK:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1059.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1057.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1068.jpg

After Jeremy had met Mickey and Minnie, Tom and I were both starting to get dumbfounded. Every time Jeremy went to meet a character, they would point to his shirt and make a movement like they were laughing. I still did not understand why.

Here is a picture of the last character greeting we had that evening.

I love Lilo in her Christmas Dress and Stitch in his shirt.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1052-1.jpg

As Jeremy is meeting Lilo and Stitch, Stitch points to Jeremy's shirt, nudges Lilo, and they both start laughing. He then makes an issue to point it out to the cast member. The cast member looks at me and say "Where in the world did you find a shirt that says Happy Hustler". :idea:Ding, ding, the light goes off. Oh my, they think I am letting my child wear a shirt that says he is a happy hustler (defined as one who knows how to get money from others and happily at that). That is soooooo not what the shirt means. I quickly explained to the cast member that DS is in 4-H and his club is called the Happy Hustlers (defined as one who moves or acts energetically or rapidly). She got a big kick out of that while Tom and I were mortified.

Needless to say, Jeremy got a new hoodie the next morning at the Wilderness Lodge gift shop for $60 and it was worth every penny I spent. You will see it a lot in the next installments.

So after solving the hoodie mystery, we headed to Expedition Everest. It was sooo eerie at this point walking in the park. There were a lot of times we were the only ones and it appeared that they were pumping fog into the areas. I wish I had taken pictures. Expedition Everest was wonderful at night. The view of the tree of life is amazing plus the ride has a different feel in the dark. I would love to do that again.

Up next:

Thanksgiving at Disney World
Will Tom like Boma?

[jeremysdisneymom]

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney - Thanksgiving Day


I had planned for Thanksgiving Day to be a sort of down day for us at Disney. We got up that morning and took a cab to the Grand Floridian. I had mixed thoughts of whether or not I would like this resort. It appears to me that it would not be kid friendly and a little uncomfortable for me. Boy was I wrong! As soon as I stepped in the lobby, I fell in love. It was soooo gorgeous and I definitely want to stay here some time. Tom even loved it and commented that he definitely want to stay there in the near future! :thumbsup2

The Christmas tree was gorgeous! --notice Jeremy's new hoodie in the picture!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1074.jpg

The gingerbread house blew me away! It was so pretty. I bought us some shingles to share when we left the GF. I thought it was pretty good but the boys not so much.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1075.jpg

When I started planning this trip, I found that there were some special things that children could do other than the kids club. I found the Pirate Adventure out of the GF and thought Jeremy would really like that. It would give him some alone time with other children his age, allow us to see the GF, and give Tom and I some time to explore MK on our own.

I checked Jeremy in at the marina and they gave him some Pirate ears and a vest to wear.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1083.jpg

I think he is trying to be a pirate here. The boat for the adventure looks like a pirate boat which Jeremy loved.

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Here is Jeremy getting ready to head out on his hunt for treasure!

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As the boat pulls out of dock, the children yell Aaargh! If my memory serves me right, I think they go to the Poly, WL, and Ft. Wilderness Beaches. I know they have lunch on the beach at Ft. Wilderness.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1102.jpg

Once the boat was out of sight, Tom and I headed to the monorail to spend some alone time at the MK. On the way there, I ask Tom for my card. The night before I had unlocked the door and Tom decided to head down to Roaring Forks for a snack. I gave him my card to get back in the room instead of getting his own out of his pocket. Well, guess what-------------my card is laying on the dresser :scared1:! I was really aggravated as it threw a major wrench in our plans. I was sooooo looking forward to that morning. We decided to get a cab back to the WL. We go to the front of the GF and tell the gentleman we need to get a cab. There is man standing there in a suit that asks where we are going. We tell him and he says he will take us. It seems that the GF has someone who takes guests where they need to go in an SUV. He was super nice and told us that the day before, he had been down to Clearwater as a guest had left their labtop at the GF and he needed it. Wow, that is service! Tom went to tip him very nice and he would not take it.

I get the key and we decide to just eat breakfast on the outside area off of Roaring Fork. We ended up having a nice morning. We took the boat back to the MK and then the monorail to GF.

As Jeremy's pirate crew started coming into dock, this is what we saw.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1104.jpg

He was mad it was over! He had a blast. At the end, each child got a bag of loot. He didn't stop talking about it the entire trip! It was worth every dime we spent.

We boarded the monorail and headed to the ticket counter. Our next stop was a Safari in Africa and a Jingle Jungle parade!

Stay tuned............................................. ....

[martinolichfamily]

GF is so pretty! I would like to stay there some day too! We only saw a little bit of it though when we were there for dinner @ 1900 PF! Loving the Christmas Decor!

Pirate Cruise looks neat...i had thought about it for my DS but not sure he would just go off like that...

That's too funny about the hoodie!! I like the new Mickey one though!! ;)

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Love your trip updates! Again more great chatracter pix! :rotfl: Happy Hustler :rotfl: that is hilarious. I would have done the same thing though - forked out the cash for a new sweatshirt asap! Lion King show looks SO good, I can't wait to see that!

The pirate cuise looks really cool, glad Jeremy liked it so much!
Karen

[mom2mek]

Erika - boy, you are chugging right along with your report! I'm loving it!! That hoodie story is hilarious and now every time you look at those photos it must make you guys laugh! :rotfl: Boy, that day before Thanksgiving was a doozie - 3 parks PLUS swimming! You really get a lot done!

Love the Thanksgiving Day so far! Sounds like a great day and the pirate cruise looks like a blast! I keep thinking I will do that for the kids and for some reason have never booked it. :confused3 Might try next time (at least for the girls - Michael might feel too old for it now...:confused:)

Standing by ready for more.....

Sara

[jeremysdisneymom]

GF is so pretty! I would like to stay there some day too! We only saw a little bit of it though when we were there for dinner @ 1900 PF! Loving the Christmas Decor!

Pirate Cruise looks neat...i had thought about it for my DS but not sure he would just go off like that...

That's too funny about the hoodie!! I like the new Mickey one though!! ;)

Heather:

The GF is beautiful. I would love to eat dinner at 1900 PF. It looks like so much fun. DS won't have anything to do with princess dinners now so I guess I will have to add to my futures list.

Jeremy was 6 when he did the cruise. He is going on one this trip out of the Yacht Club. It goes around the world showcase before it opens I believe. Jeremy can hardly wait!

Boy, we are getting closer. I am soooooooooooooooooooooooo excited!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Love your trip updates! Again more great chatracter pix! :rotfl: Happy Hustler :rotfl: that is hilarious. I would have done the same thing though - forked out the cash for a new sweatshirt asap! Lion King show looks SO good, I can't wait to see that!

The pirate cuise looks really cool, glad Jeremy liked it so much!
Karen

Karen:

Guess what? I have a ton of character pictures still to come from this trip! :rotfl2:

The pirate cruise is a lot of fun. Jeremy is doing one this trip and he is super excited? It is out of the Yacht Club. I am anxious to check out that area so Tom and I are not going to do a park while he is gone. Don't want another room key mishap!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Erika - boy, you are chugging right along with your report! I'm loving it!! That hoodie story is hilarious and now every time you look at those photos it must make you guys laugh! :rotfl: Boy, that day before Thanksgiving was a doozie - 3 parks PLUS swimming! You really get a lot done!

Love the Thanksgiving Day so far! Sounds like a great day and the pirate cruise looks like a blast! I keep thinking I will do that for the kids and for some reason have never booked it. :confused3 Might try next time (at least for the girls - Michael might feel too old for it now...:confused:)

Standing by ready for more.....

Sara

Sara:

I am truly enjoying reliving this trip. I can't wait for July to get here. Unlike some people :rolleyes1 I have 50 days to wait!

Michael might still enjoy the pirates cruise but I am sure the girls would love it. Jeremy is going on another one this July from the Yacht club.

I have my pictures loaded so the last part of Thanksgiving Day will be up this afternoon! I am on a roll!:woohoo:

Erika

[Lady Lallie]

Phew.

I'm here and I'm caught up!

So many resort changes. :rotfl: You sound like me before I fell in love with POR. :rolleyes1

Jeremy looks like such a cutie!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Phew.

I'm here and I'm caught up!

So many resort changes. :rotfl: You sound like me before I fell in love with POR. :rolleyes1

Jeremy looks like such a cutie!

:welcome: I am so glad you come over. I really enjoy your reports and you are such an inspiration to me with your weight loss!

The resort change thing is crazy! I do better when I have less time to plan!

Thanks, I think Jeremy is a cutie too but he is getting so big. He is in 2nd grade and looks like he is in 5th or 6th. The child is going to be tall like his daddy!

Erika

[Lady Lallie]

:welcome: I am so glad you come over. I really enjoy your reports and you are such an inspiration to me with your weight loss!

The resort change thing is crazy! I do better when I have less time to plan!

Thanks, I think Jeremy is a cutie too but he is getting so big. He is in 2nd grade and looks like he is in 5th or 6th. The child is going to be tall like his daddy!

Erika

Seriously, anytime you need a boost, PM me. I know how hard this journey is. :goodvibes

I actually haven't had a lot of planning changes this trip and I'm a little lost without them. :rotfl:

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney-Trip 3-Thanksgiving Day Completed


After a wonderful pirate cruise for Jeremy at the Grand Floridian, we hopped on the monorail to the ticket counter to catch a bus to AK. We still needed to do the Safari and really wanted to see the Jingle Jungle Christmas parade.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1114.jpg

The park was not crowded at all for Thanksgiving Day. I was trying to recall whether or not we fastpassed the safari. I originally thought we had not but thinking back I believe we did with a return time of less than an hour.

We saw this guy on the way and had to get a picture.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1117.jpg

We had not been to Rafiki's planet since our first trip so we decided to take the train over and see if we could find Jiminy Cricket. :laughing:I know, another character greeting but no one was out when we got there. We enjoy riding the train to Rafiki's. Jeremy thinks it is so neat that you sit sideways as he calls it. I also think it is neat to pass the buildings where the animals sleep at night.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1119.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1118.jpg

The safari was great that day. The animals were out and closest than we had ever experienced before. Here are some pictures without the zoom lense. It was neat seeing them that close.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1127.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1132.jpg

After our trek through the safaris of Africa, we went in search of Thanksgiving lunch. Whenever we are at AK, we :love: Flame Tree BBQ. But, barbeque did not sound that great for Thanksgiving Day. So, where do you go for a good Thanksgiving lunch at AK-------------Pizzafari, go figure!:confused3 The menu has since changed when we ate there on Thanksgiving Day as they no longer have this sandwich I had which was to die for. Tom had pizza and Jeremy had spaghetti.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1135.jpg

It was time to find a spot for the parade. While we waited, some CMs were out with hula hoops and surprisingly, Jeremy joined in the fun.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1137.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1141.jpg

Jeremy also wanted a tatoo. Tom and I finally caved. It lasted for a few days and finally I scrubbed it off much to Jeremy's dismay.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1164.jpg

I love the parade at AK. I was really excited about seeing it all decked out for the holidays. It did not disappoint!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1146.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1147.jpg

Santa Goofy's Naughty and Nice List!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1152.jpg

Once the parade was over, we and most everyone else headed to the buses. We got back to the Wilderness Lodge, rested, and got dressed for Thanksgiving evening. We had plans for a late dinner at Boma but we had a stop along the way.

I love Samantha Brown's Christmas show at Disney and thought it would be neat to do a carriage ride around Ft. Wilderness. The camper's really go all out for the holiday and was hoping that some decorations would be up Thanksgiving weekend.

Here is where we hit a snag! We were going to take the boat from the Wilderness Lodge to Ft. Wilderness to get there. We arrived at the dock an hour before our ride time. The boat goes to the Contemporary, Wilderness, and then Ft. Wilderness. Every time a new boat came, it would be almost full and only a few people would get on. A lot of people were going to the Fort for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't know why we didn't turn around and board the bus but we stuck it out. About 10 minutes before our ride time, we finally got on a boat :scared1:. We were about 10 minutes late when we got there but the driver was nice about it and told us not to worry.

Here is Jeremy with our very nice driver.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1177.jpg

She took us around the camp ground for about 30 minutes. She made sure she went through areas with lights up for the holiday. It was very neat. She told us all about Samantha Brown's taping and the families that decorate each year. She said that it gets even more festive the closer to Christmas.

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http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1166.jpg

Once the ride was over, we took the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge. It was much easier getting back than going.

We took a cab to AKL for dinner at Boma. The AKL was breathtaking. It was dark at this point so we could not see outside at the animals. It did not take long to get a seat. I was really looking forward to eating at Boma. I like new things and knew I would enjoy the food here which I really did. Now, Tom, on the other hand, not so much. He has agreed to go back this year and give it one more try.

Up Next:

-a full day at the Magic Kingdom
-an awesome Christmas Show
-the most dazzling Lights I have ever seen
-our first time seeing Fantasmic! Will it be our last?

Stay Tuned............................................. .........................................

[jeremysdisneymom]

Seriously, anytime you need a boost, PM me. I know how hard this journey is. :goodvibes

I actually haven't had a lot of planning changes this trip and I'm a little lost without them. :rotfl:

Thanks so much! I will definitely PM you when I need a boost! I appreciate the support.

Erika

[martinolichfamily]

Great updates!
The Parade at AK was cute w/the Christmas Decor on the vehicles and all! :)

[jenjolt]

I recognized your name from Leslie's PTR so I thought I would check in and I have so enjoyed traveling back with you over all of your trips!! What a treat!!

Your 10 day adventure in July sounds amazing! You guys are going to have such a great time!!

So count me in!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Great updates!
The Parade at AK was cute w/the Christmas Decor on the vehicles and all! :)

Thanks!

Boy, we keep getting closer. :cool1: I am getting soooooooo excited.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

I recognized your name from Leslie's PTR so I thought I would check in and I have so enjoyed traveling back with you over all of your trips!! What a treat!!

Your 10 day adventure in July sounds amazing! You guys are going to have such a great time!!

So count me in!

:welcome: Thanks for joining! I have read about your trips with Leslie and it looks like you two have had a lot of fun.

I am going over know to check out your trip report!

Erika

[martinolichfamily]

Thanks!

Boy, we keep getting closer. :cool1: I am getting soooooooo excited.

Erika

Yes we are!! :banana::banana:
We are very excited around here too!!! I've been good so far and have not changed my ADRs!! :cool1:

[adisneymama]

Hey I'm still here reading! The dis has been so slow lately I can't post anything! I tried this morning and it seems to be ok so I wanted to give a quick shout out to you!

Getting closer!!!!!:banana::banana:

[moparop]

Ok, I am going to join in but do not have time to go back and reaad everything right now. So, I am bookmarking my spot and will comment once I am done. Looking forward to hearing all about your magic!!

[Sooze]

I LOVE Animal Kingdom PM EMH!! So glad you got to see both Nemo and FotLK!! They are our favorite shows on property.

The Hoodie situation is such a good story! How funny!

[Sooze]

So glad Jeremy had fun on his pirate adventure! Tyson did that a few years back and didn't quite enjoy it. We wish we would've done it in a situation where he had a friend to buddy up with. Tyson isn't very social, and didn't quite bond with any of the kids on the ship! It still looked like a very cool adventure!!

LOVE the new hoodie!

[Sooze]

Love those cuddly train pictures on the way to Rafiki's Planet Watch... adorable!!

The decorations at Ft. Wilderness are crazy, aren't they? Even during Spring Break, there are several camp sites that are just bursting with lights, statues, and all kinds of stuff! Glad you were able to make it (almost) in time for your carriage ride!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hey I'm still here reading! The dis has been so slow lately I can't post anything! I tried this morning and it seems to be ok so I wanted to give a quick shout out to you!

Getting closer!!!!!:banana::banana:

36 days! :banana::banana::banana: I am gettng sooooooooooooo excited!

5 weeks from to day we will begin our 14 hour drive down south through the night! :cool1::cool1:

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Ok, I am going to join in but do not have time to go back and reaad everything right now. So, I am bookmarking my spot and will comment once I am done. Looking forward to hearing all about your magic!!

:welcome: So glad you joined in for the fun. It is nice to have another Ohioan on board.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

So glad Jeremy had fun on his pirate adventure! Tyson did that a few years back and didn't quite enjoy it. We wish we would've done it in a situation where he had a friend to buddy up with. Tyson isn't very social, and didn't quite bond with any of the kids on the ship! It still looked like a very cool adventure!!

LOVE the new hoodie!

Jeremy is pretty good around kids he doesn't know and seems to have a good nature about younger children as well. I am thankful for that as I was not one to easily go up and make a new friend. I tended to shy away. Tom was the total opposite. He has never met a stranger.

Look at me now, I am making friends on the internet! :rotfl2:

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Love those cuddly train pictures on the way to Rafiki's Planet Watch... adorable!!

The decorations at Ft. Wilderness are crazy, aren't they? Even during Spring Break, there are several camp sites that are just bursting with lights, statues, and all kinds of stuff! Glad you were able to make it (almost) in time for your carriage ride!

I hate to say it, but my house at Christmas is just as bad! I will have to find some pictures and post them if I can. You will die. We are the Griswolds in our neighborhood!

If I find the pics I will post and explain the story of how it all started.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Well, we are 36 days away from arriving to our happy place! Let's dance! :banana::banana::banana::cool1::cool1::dance3::yay ::yay::yay::dancer::dancer::dancer: Can you tell I am getting excited! Jeremy has 1 week and 1 day left of school. Baseball wraps up in 3 weeks. Scout camp is in 3 weeks! Whew, we have a lot to do until we leave plus I need to make us some Disney shirts! The time should fly by.

I want to get Trip 3 wrapped up and post Trip 4 before we leave. Plus, I wanted to give you a recap of our Disney plans 1 month before they happen so look for that on June 1.

Trip 3-A Thankful Time at Disney-Day 4
Day 4 was Magic Kingdom Day. I don't have a lot of pictures from the morning. My camera often gives me fits with the battery so that could have been one of those moments.

I know we arrived shortly after the park opened as we missed the Opening Show once again. It was completely magical to walk down Main Street right after opening. The park was decorated for Christmas and all the cast members were lined down the street waving their Mickey hands. :cloud9: Jeremy wanted to hit Buzz Lightyear first so we headed to Tomorrow Land. He and Tom both love this ride. I have a tough time controlling the laser so it is not one of my favorites. :confused3 The line was sooo short that I know we got off and on at least three times.

I know we headed into Fantasyland afterwards and then rode Big Thunder Mountain railroad and Pirates of the Caribbean. We had lunch at Peco's Bill in Frontierland.

That afternoon they were showing the Twas the Night Before Christmas Show that was going to be during MVMCP. Since it was such a beautiful day out, we decided to go see it so we would have more time during the party for other things.

It was in the theatre in Tomorrowland (I have no idea of the theater's name). We got there and it was not crowded at all. You could easily get a seat.

We all loved :love: this show. The pictures don't do it justice. It was soo cute and really got you in the holiday spirit.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1198.jpg

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Chip and Dale and the Toy Soldiers:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1225.jpg

Pluto and the reindeer:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1212.jpg

I love the dancing hippos!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1201.jpg

Santa Goofy!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1230.jpg

At the end, Goofy pops up on the side. Sorry the picture is so blurry. I could barely get it before he was gone.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1235.jpg

I am not sure if they still do this show or not. I think I read last year that there was a different show during the party. I know that this one was great!

Once the show was over, we headed back to the WL and rested. We were heading to DHS for the opening of the Osborne Lights.

Continued in the next post...

[jeremysdisneymom]

Day 4 Continued

After a short nap at Wilderness Lodge, we headed to DHS for the Opening night of the Osbourne Lights. I was really looking forward to this and was hoping that the crowds would be manageable. This was the year when Disney delayed the opening until after Thanksgiving. It was crowded but not as bad as I imagined. We weren't far from where they "flipped" the switch but could still not see it actually happen.

Can you see the excitement in Jeremy's face? :laughing: He looks like he has been scared to death.

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Once the switch was flipped, the lights came on and they were dancing! All of three of us were in awe! It was spectacular.

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Everyone just stood there looking up in the air and all around. It even snowed which made it even more special.

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Slowly, people started to move around and so we made our way down the street to see everything.

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Along the way, we stopped and got some hot chocolate and carmel corn to share.

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After our yummy snack, we headed to Fantasmic. We had never seen this show before and it was on our list of must do's. We didn't have to wait very long and were soon walking into the ampitheater. This show is amazing. We absolutely loved it! I cannot imagine how they put this on with all that water!

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My favorite part was Steamboat Willie!--such a Disney classic.

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After the show, we headed back to WL. We had a full day planned on Day 5.

Up Next:

-our first time at Epcot as a family
-two character meals in one day
-Candlelight Processional

[jenjolt]

Yes time is going to fly right by!!!!! It's amazing how fast the summer always goes by LOL!!! And it sounds like you guys are busy busy!!!!

Osbournes' Lights that is one thing I really really want to do someday!!!! Disney at Christmas time must be so amazing!!!

Can't wait for more about your previous trips!

[amandaluvsgoofy]

Hi there! I'm signing up! I just finished your PTR and am loving your past TRs! This makes me really want to visit during the holiday season!!! And it's nice to know that the decor is up during Thanksgiving!
Can't wait to read more! popcorn::

[Sooze]

I'm loving these trip recaps... we are getting a bunch of TRs for the price of one!! Keep 'em coming!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Great updates and pix from your trip! Love to see all of the Xmas decorations and those pictures of the lights are amazing! I can't imagine how great it would be to see in person! Please do share pix of your house at Xmas - we have bland, boring Xmas decorations and I need some inspiration!

Congrats on 36 days!!!! :cool1::cool1:

Karen

[martinolichfamily]

Hi Erika! :)
Time is flying by! DS will be out of school next Wed..and bball will be wrapping up that same day.
The Christmas Show looks like it was so much fun and the Osbourne Lights...loving them!
I hope to see them one day! :)
Can't wait to read your recap for your upcoming trip! :)

[moparop]

Ok, all caught up now! Your Thanksgiving trip has me so excited for ours! I was starting to wonder what we were going to do on our nonpark day until I saw the pics of the GF lobby!! We HAVE to go see that!!! The Osborne lights have me totally psyched too.

I can't wait to read about the rest of your trips!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yes time is going to fly right by!!!!! It's amazing how fast the summer always goes by LOL!!! And it sounds like you guys are busy busy!!!!

Osbournes' Lights that is one thing I really really want to do someday!!!! Disney at Christmas time must be so amazing!!!

Can't wait for more about your previous trips!

You must do Christmas at Disney at least once! It so beautiful. I really want to go back again some time.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Ok, all caught up now! Your Thanksgiving trip has me so excited for ours! I was starting to wonder what we were going to do on our nonpark day until I saw the pics of the GF lobby!! We HAVE to go see that!!! The Osborne lights have me totally psyched too.

I can't wait to read about the rest of your trips!

You are going to have so much fun over Thanksgiving. It is absolutely beautiful. Hearing all your plans has me wanting to go back sometime soon.

You will :lovestruc the GF at Christmas. You definitely need to make time to go there. It is stunning.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika! :)
Time is flying by! DS will be out of school next Wed..and bball will be wrapping up that same day.
The Christmas Show looks like it was so much fun and the Osbourne Lights...loving them!
I hope to see them one day! :)
Can't wait to read your recap for your upcoming trip! :)

Recap starts today! Stay tuned......

Jeremy's last day is Friday! Time is flying by quickly. We still have ballgames for the next two weeks but then that will soon be over. So much to do these days with only 31 left until I am in my happy place! :banana:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Great updates and pix from your trip! Love to see all of the Xmas decorations and those pictures of the lights are amazing! I can't imagine how great it would be to see in person! Please do share pix of your house at Xmas - we have bland, boring Xmas decorations and I need some inspiration!

Congrats on 36 days!!!! :cool1::cool1:

Karen

Thanks!

I will find those pixs tonight and post them this week. There is an interesting story to tell as well that goes along with them so I will post that too.

[jeremysdisneymom]

I'm loving these trip recaps... we are getting a bunch of TRs for the price of one!! Keep 'em coming!

Thanks, I am glad you are enjoying it. I am actually having fun reliving it. I wish I had done a trip now with each one. More to come today.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi there! I'm signing up! I just finished your PTR and am loving your past TRs! This makes me really want to visit during the holiday season!!! And it's nice to know that the decor is up during Thanksgiving!
Can't wait to read more! popcorn::

:welcome: Thanks for joining in! Disney is beautiful during the holiday season. It is definitely worth a trip at least once. Everything is up for Thanksgiving except for the MK's Christmas tree. I think it goes up after the parade taping.

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month From Today-Day 1

Today officially starts my One Month From Today Posts!:banana: With that said, I am down to 31 days until I get to my happy place! Aaaah, I can hardly wait.

One month from today (July 1) will probably start out early for me. I am going to try and get up early and head to work by 6:30 a.m. It will be the day after the end of the quarter so quarterly payroll taxes will need to get filed as those cannot wait for 12 days. There are computer systems that will have to get closed with a new month. Board reports that will have to get finalized before that evenings board meeting. Plus, it is the first day of the month :scared1: - the office will be super crazy with people paying their electric bills. I hope to leave by 3:00 so I can hurry home. I want to get my walk in at the park, finish any last minute packing that did not get done the night before, paint my toenails (:laughing::laughing:, I never wear sandals to work so I want them to look good before I leave), give the house one last good vacuum, and then get everything organized in the kitchen for DH to pack the car.

DH is off that day so I am sure he and DS will sleep in, mow the yard, give the pool one final cleaning and load it with chemicals, and then of course, spend an hour shooting the breeze with the neighbor to remind him that we will be gone :rotfl2:. What is it with men---it takes one hour to remind someone you are leaving! I will drive his truck to work so he can give my vehicle one final cleaning in and out and load it up with gas. At some point, he is going back to bed so he can be well rested for the drive at night.

As for DS, he will probably be driving DH crazy all day and not letting him rest when needed. Note to self: Be sure to remind Jeremy to leave Daddy alone this day or we will have Grumpy on our hands the entire ride to Florida. :scared1:

We will all shower and clean up and then I have to head back to work for my board meeting. It starts at 7:30. I always go first but it will be up to my boss as to whether I can leave early or not. :rolleyes1 Let's hope he is in a good mood and there is nothing major going on. If not, I could be out of there at 8:00 and back home at 8:30. Worse case, it would be 11:00 and I am back home at 11:30. No matter what, the boys will be waiting for me to pull in, hop in under the driver's seat and off we go. :car: I will drive until I get sleepy which will be the Kentucky/Tennessee line --it never fails, I always hand over the driving to Tom at this point and get up in time for Atlanta. I love driving through Atlanta in the night with no traffic! :thumbsup2

Tomorrow: Day 2-We finally arrive at Disney! Will we hit a park or crash in the room? Will Tom like dinner this evening? Stay tuned for all the details.

[moparop]

One Month From Today-Day 1

Today officially starts my One Month From Today Posts!:banana: With that said, I am down to 31 days until I get to my happy place! Aaaah, I can hardly wait.

One month from today (July 1) will probably start out early for me. I am going to try and get up early and head to work by 6:30 a.m. It will be the day after the end of the quarter so quarterly payroll taxes will need to get filed as those cannot wait for 12 days. There are computer systems that will have to get closed with a new month. Board reports that will have to get finalized before that evenings board meeting. Plus, it is the first day of the month :scared1: - the office will be super crazy with people paying their electric bills. I hope to leave by 3:00 so I can hurry home. I want to get my walk in at the park, finish any last minute packing that did not get done the night before, paint my toenails (:laughing::laughing:, I never wear sandals to work so I want them to look good before I leave), give the house one last good vacuum, and then get everything organized in the kitchen for DH to pack the car.

DH is off that day so I am sure he and DS will sleep in, mow the yard, give the pool one final cleaning and load it with chemicals, and then of course, spend an hour shooting the breeze with the neighbor to remind him that we will be gone :rotfl2:. What is it with men---it takes one hour to remind someone you are leaving! I will drive his truck to work so he can give my vehicle one final cleaning in and out and load it up with gas. At some point, he is going back to bed so he can be well rested for the drive at night.

As for DS, he will probably be driving DH crazy all day and not letting him rest when needed. Note to self: Be sure to remind Jeremy to leave Daddy alone this day or we will have Grumpy on our hands the entire ride to Florida. :scared1:

We will all shower and clean up and then I have to head back to work for my board meeting. It starts at 7:30. I always go first but it will be up to my boss as to whether I can leave early or not. :rolleyes1 Let's hope he is in a good mood and there is nothing major going on. If not, I could be out of there at 8:00 and back home at 8:30. Worse case, it would be 11:00 and I am back home at 11:30. No matter what, the boys will be waiting for me to pull in, hop in under the driver's seat and off we go. :car: I will drive until I get sleepy which will be the Kentucky/Tennessee line --it never fails, I always hand over the driving to Tom at this point and get up in time for Atlanta. I love driving through Atlanta in the night with no traffic! :thumbsup2

Tomorrow: Day 2-We finally arrive at Disney! Will we hit a park or crash in the room? Will Tom like dinner this evening? Stay tuned for all the details.





Holy cow girl!! That is one busy day!! I can't believe all that running around. It's making my head spin!! I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that your boss is feeling nice so you can get on the road 8:30. Do you guys drive straight through? How many hours does that take?

We are driving for the first time from here and I am trying gauge things out.

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney-Trip 3 Day 5 Started

Day 5 of our Thanksgiving Vacation was the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This was the morning Jeremy had been looking forward to the most. We were eating at Chef Mickey's and the monorail would be overhead! :woohoo: You couldn't ask for much more for a child that loves trains and monorails.

We had an early reservation and was seated rather quickly. We did buy the picture they take when you go in as it was one of the best we have taken as a family. However, I have no idea how to scan that into photobucket or if that is even possible! The food is pretty typical buffet food. It was nothing great to brag about but the atmosphere and characters really make the meal here. The characters started coming pretty quickly.

First up was Goofy.

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Up Next was the big cheese himself, Mickey. Doesn't my baby look happy!

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Donald Duck

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Minnie Mouse--Look how she is hugging Jeremy--too cute!

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Minnie wanted a picture with Tom. Jeremy got a big kick out of this!

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Pluto

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Jeremy really enjoyed eating here. He even participated when it came time to wave your napkins. Jeremy will tend to shy away sometimes from things like this but he was not doing it this day. He wanted in on the action and was having a ball. It would be a tone for the rest of the day!

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After our wonderful time at Chef Mickey's, we went upstairs to board the monorail and head to the ticket counter so we could get the monorail to Epcot.

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I love this picture. I think Jeremy would be happy watching the monorail all day long.

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Continued in next post......

[moparop]

That looks like such a great breakfast at Chef Mickey's! When we were there for dinner, we were seated in a corner and I felt like we were totally out of "the action". Looks like you were in the thick of it! The picture of your hubby with Minnie is adorable! I, too, love the photo of Jeremy watching the train. :hearts:

[jeremysdisneymom]

When we got to the ticket counter, Jeremy asked the cast member if he could ride up front and they graciously said yes. This was our first time heading into Epcot as a family and there was no better way to do it then up front.

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Passing another monorail on the Epcot line

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Our first view of Spaceship Earth. I love how the monorail actually goes into the park before you get off.

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We got off the monorail and we still had time to spare before the park opened.
There was a cute Christmas display in front.

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Tom went up front of the rope to join the masses heading to Soarin when the rope dropped. Jeremy and I stayed back and were going to meet him at the Nemo ride. There were cast members out front with trash cans and balls entertaining the children by letting them play basketball. Jeremy wanted to join in the fun and had a blast.

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He was having a great time this morning! We even missed the opening as I was having too much fun watching him.

When the rope dropped, Tom headed to Soarin'. Where did Jeremy and I go? Did we make it to Nemo to meet Tom or did we get sidetracked along the way? More in the next update......

[jeremysdisneymom]

Holy cow girl!! That is one busy day!! I can't believe all that running around. It's making my head spin!! I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that your boss is feeling nice so you can get on the road 8:30. Do you guys drive straight through? How many hours does that take?

We are driving for the first time from here and I am trying gauge things out.

It seems like anymore that is a norm in our lives. School is out Friday so things should slow down a little. Yes, we drive straight through thanks to my DH. He used to work nights years ago and is still pretty flexible with his sleeping. I think it takes about 14.5 hours. We make good time where we drive at night and avoid Atlanta during the day.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

That looks like such a great breakfast at Chef Mickey's! When we were there for dinner, we were seated in a corner and I felt like we were totally out of "the action". Looks like you were in the thick of it! The picture of your hubby with Minnie is adorable! I, too, love the photo of Jeremy watching the train. :hearts:

Yes, it was a great way to start the day. Did you enjoy dinner? We are doing it this trip. It is a must for Jeremy. He loves that monorail and the Magic Kingdom train.

Erika

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Ooooh I like the idea of "one month from today" posts! I might have to steal that...

I can't believe you have to work the day you leave! I could never concentrate! Although it's probably easier for you than it will be for DH and DS waiting for you to get home!

[Lady Lallie]

WOO HOO!! Your trip is almost here.

That is one busy departure day you have got going on. Whew! I hope your boss is nice and lets you out early. I'm going to cross my fingers for you!

Jeremy is too stinkin' cute! He looks like he is having a blast with the characters. And I love that you let him play with the other kids and CMs, sometimes I see parents who don't let their kids stop and do that sort of thing. It's nice to see that you have a laid back approach to touring with him. :)

[swwake]

I love all the pics - especially the character ones. I never knew they played the ball game with the kids at Epcot! Really cool. I wonder where you went? Hmmm...Nemo?

[jeremysdisneymom]

I love all the pics - especially the character ones. I never knew they played the ball game with the kids at Epcot! Really cool. I wonder where you went? Hmmm...Nemo?

Thanks, Jeremy (and I for that matter) sure do love characters! The game is quite fun and Jeremy had a ball that morning. I gave you a clue ;) as to where we went but I will post it tomorrow. I am loading the pictures as I write.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

WOO HOO!! Your trip is almost here.

That is one busy departure day you have got going on. Whew! I hope your boss is nice and lets you out early. I'm going to cross my fingers for you!

Jeremy is too stinkin' cute! He looks like he is having a blast with the characters. And I love that you let him play with the other kids and CMs, sometimes I see parents who don't let their kids stop and do that sort of thing. It's nice to see that you have a laid back approach to touring with him. :)

Thanks, I think he is pretty cute as well! I really learned that trip to let Jeremy have fun and try not to worry when my plans go awry. Granted, the first day I was a tad upset when he wanted to swim instead of enjoy DHS but he is only young once. I see more and more how much he is growing up and how precious this time is with him. I can always go back and do my plans when Tom and I are older and Jeremy has his own family. However, I can never get back that morning and the look of enjoyment in his face.

I am having a sappy week if you can tell. I can't believe that on Friday my baby will be an official third grader! Where has the time gone!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Ooooh I like the idea of "one month from today" posts! I might have to steal that...

I can't believe you have to work the day you leave! I could never concentrate! Although it's probably easier for you than it will be for DH and DS waiting for you to get home!

Please, go ahead and steal it. It is fine with me. I figured I had better do a month from now as I know when the time gets closer I will be extremely busy.

I am okay with working the day we leave. It will be hard to concentrate but it will be my motivation to get ahead that week. It works out nice driving during the night plus it will get us there sooner!

Erika

[mom2mek]

Phew - I'm all caught up! Great recaps, Erika! Your Thanksgiving trip has me wishing for another trip during that time- you get two holidays for one!!

Your departure day sounds tiring, but I'm sure you will be riding that "we are leaving on vacation high"! :goodvibes

Sara

[jeremysdisneymom]

Phew - I'm all caught up! Great recaps, Erika! Your Thanksgiving trip has me wishing for another trip during that time- you get two holidays for one!!

Your departure day sounds tiring, but I'm sure you will be riding that "we are leaving on vacation high"! :goodvibes

Sara


Sara:

Tell me about it. I want to go back at Thanksgiving again too! It was sooo fun and such a festive time of year. I keep thinking how I can broach the subject with Tom about 2011 but I know he will give me that defiant no since we are going the first part of 2011. I will have to work on that one!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today (July 2)


After driving through the night, I will awake to Georgia air in the car and the need for breakfast in my tummy. Tom has emphatically stated that there will be no Cracker Barrel and Subway this trip! I :love: Cracker Barrel breakfast. I think it is the best out there and it is the only place I will go for breakfast. Tom, however, thinks that Bob Evans is the best. So, I think the fair thing to do this trip is to let Jeremy decide (:laughing::laughing:The child is like his Mom--he loves Cracker Barrel!) Side note, I :love: Subway when we are driving on vacation. It doesn't stink up the car like fast food plus it is less messy so no fries to clean up afterwards. Tom, on the other hand, not so much. At least that will not be a worry as I know where lunch will be that day!

We will make our annual stop at the Magnolia Plantation. It is a gas station/souvenir shop on I75 that I have always stopped at on every trip to Florida since I was a child. Don't ask me why, but pecan logs and Goo Goo bars are so much better from there!

Once we hit the Florida line, we have to stop at the visitor centers to soak in hot (and I do mean hot :banana:) sunshine and get some yummy orange juice. Then it is back in the car and no more stops until we hit Disney World!

I have no pictures to share of the Disney World sign. I am sad to say but I have yet to take one. That will be a must this trip!

Worst case scenario (meaning my boss has not been generous the night before), we will arrive at Wilderness Lodge no later than 3:00 p.m.

This is Jeremy from our Courtyard Bunk Bed Room in 2008. We are booked standard room this time. I hope the view is okay but honestly, we are not in the room that much for it to matter.

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We will have lunch this day at Roaring Fork. I :love: the sandwiches there. We will get our refillable mugs and then go unpack in the room. Tom will get some much needed rest while Jeremy and I enjoy the pool.

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Dinner this evening will be at Boma. I am looking forward to exploring AKL in the daytime. I want to check out the savanna and Arusha Rock. I want to explore the gift shop (so interesting the last time). And I can't wait to have Zebra Domes again. :cloud9: I hope Tom enjoys this meal as it was not his favorite last time.

Right now, I think we will head back to the room after dinner. But, depending on how tired we all are, we may head to Magic Kingdom to see the parade and fireworks. If not, there is still plenty of time in the days ahead.

Up Next: Day 3 What three new things will my family experience? Will I conquer my fear of sharks? Should I tell Jeremy what is in store for dinner?

[jenjolt]

Loving your this time next month reports!!! What fun you guys are going to have!!!

Dinner at Boma sounds delightful!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!! Still haven't had those pesky Zebra domes LOL...but I'm going to have them at some point!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Loving your this time next month reports!!! What fun you guys are going to have!!!

Dinner at Boma sounds delightful!!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!! Still haven't had those pesky Zebra domes LOL...but I'm going to have them at some point!

Thanks! It is hard to believe I am down to 1 month! It took forever it seems to get to this point.

You will definitely have to try Boma. I have read that breakfast is really good here as well.

[martinolichfamily]

Hey Erika!

Great way to recap your plans for the upcoming trip! :thumbsup2

It's getting so close!!!!!

Let's do a little 1 month dance...

:banana::banana::banana:
:woohoo::woohoo:
:yay:
:woohoo::woohoo:
:banana::banana::banana:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hey Erika!

Great way to recap your plans for the upcoming trip! :thumbsup2

It's getting so close!!!!!

Let's do a little 1 month dance...

:banana::banana::banana:
:woohoo::woohoo:
:yay:
:woohoo::woohoo:
:banana::banana::banana:

Heather:

It will be here before you know it! How about a 29 day dance! Woo hoo!

:yay::yay::banana::banana::cool1::cool1::woohoo:

Erika

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Congrats on being under 1 month!!:banana: So excited for you!

Love your "One Month Front Today" posts - you have a busy day before you leave - hope the drive goes smoothly and you arrive when planned!

I enjoyed reading your Chef Mickey/Monorail post from your Thanksgiving trip - we are planning something similar for one of our days. Have breakfast at Chef Mickeys then take the kids on the momorail. Not sure where we'll ride to yet - maybe just take a loop around! It is an off-park day for us so no definite plans yet. Too bad they can't sit up front anymore, but I'm sure we'll enjoy it all the same.

Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

1 Month from Today - Day 3 (July 3)

Our first full day at Disney! :banana: We will wake to the feel of Disney everywhere. Breakfast this morning will be in the room--cereal and fruit all around! This will be the day full of a lot of firsts for us (three to be exact)!

Our day will start at Typhoon Lagoon :banana::banana::banana:! Our first time at a Disney Water Park. We :love: water parks. All three of us are super excited about going here.

I can't wait to try Crush n Gusher and all the tube rides (Keelhaul Falls, Gang Plank Falls, and Mayday Falls). I am sure Jeremy and Tom will hit the body falls (I am still unsure about those!:rolleyes1). I will spend a big portion of the day on a raft soaking up the Florida sunshine on Castaway Creek. We will jump the waves at the Surf Pool and hope to not get swept under. :scared1: I have read that there is a good force here so we must be careful! Before our time ends, I will get up enough courage to swim across the Shark Reef and say I have swam with sharks :thumbsup2.

We will probably leave Typhoon Lagoon no later than 2 as 5 hours is enough in the Florida sun all day. We will rest/take a nap at the WL and then head downstairs to dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe at 5:10 p.m.. This will be another first for us! :yay: The menu looks awesome. I think we will all want the skillet as BBQ is a favorite of ours but we will see. I will probably "prepare" Jeremy a head of time for what goes on here so he doesn't get too embarrassed! I would hate to ruin the evening.

With our tummies full, we will walk to the dock and board the boat for the Contemporary Resort. You see, we have a little voyage we must meet at 7:45. Yes, we are going on the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage on the Seven Seas Lagoon. This is another first for us! The fun starts at a reception at the CR. There are light snacks and visits by Captain Hook and Mr. Smee. Then our pirate, Patch, will lead us to the dock to board our ship. We will set sail on the Seven Seas Lagoon to watch Wishes. Oh, but wait, Wishes is not showing this trip. Wait, will it be the special summer firewoks? No :sad2:, it will be a preview of the 4th of July Magic Kingdom Fireworks !:yay::yay::yay: We will not be fighting the crowds but watching from our own little boat on the lagoon! Can you tell I am excited? Hopefully we will be able to catch the Electric Water Pageant as well. On the way back to the CR, Patch will tell the story of Peter Pan and he will be waiting to greet us when we return to dock.

After a wonderful day of firsts, we will get to bed and dream of our first park day tomorrow! :cloud9:

Tomorrow: Where will we choose to spend the 4th of July? What fireworks do we see? Will there be firsts on this day? Do I have to eat all my veggies?

[Lady Lallie]

That sounds like the perfect Disney day!! Seriously. :lovestruc

[jeremysdisneymom]

That sounds like the perfect Disney day!! Seriously. :lovestruc

Thanks! I am looking forward to it. It beats sitting at my desk fighting a cold!

[MeMom]

I just paid attention to your signature and saw that you had a report going. Sorry it has taken me so long to be observant!

We will plan to cross paths with you guys during the week of the 4th. :)
We have a few plans, but not a lot is firm yet. We'll compare your agenda to ours soon and see when and where will be a good place to meet.

[jeremysdisneymom]

I just paid attention to your signature and saw that you had a report going. Sorry it has taken me so long to be observant!

We will plan to cross paths with you guys during the week of the 4th. :)
We have a few plans, but not a lot is firm yet. We'll compare your agenda to ours soon and see when and where will be a good place to meet.

MeMom,

Thanks for joining in!

I would love to meet up over the 4th. I hope to get caught up on posting our plans today. Let me know what works best for you.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Congrats on being under 1 month!!:banana: So excited for you!

Love your "One Month Front Today" posts - you have a busy day before you leave - hope the drive goes smoothly and you arrive when planned!

I enjoyed reading your Chef Mickey/Monorail post from your Thanksgiving trip - we are planning something similar for one of our days. Have breakfast at Chef Mickeys then take the kids on the momorail. Not sure where we'll ride to yet - maybe just take a loop around! It is an off-park day for us so no definite plans yet. Too bad they can't sit up front anymore, but I'm sure we'll enjoy it all the same.

Karen

Your boys will love the monorail. We always take some time each trip and just ride the entire loop. Jeremy loves it!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

1 Month from Today - Day 4 (July 4th) --a little late!


First of all, let me start off by saying I am sorry! I had good intentions to post each 1 month from today but life got hectic at my house. Jeremy's last day of school was June 4. Tom and I took the day off and went to awards day. Jeremy got an award for being on the A/B honor roll all year:thumbsup2. I am so proud of him. We took him out for pizza that evening at LaRosa's--our favorite pizza near Cincy, Ohio.

I now have a third grader! While that is exciting for him as he moves to another hallway next year, it hit me very hard Friday afternoon. Tom and I picked him up and I could not hold back the tears as we drove home :sad1:. I can't believe he is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday I took the little boy to school for his first day of Pre-School.

He had his 7th ballgame of the season Saturday morning and his team finally won! :yay::yay: The boys were so excited. They have tried so hard this year and finally did it. The coach treated them to ice cream afterwards. And, to make it more special, Jeremy's second grade teacher came to watch the game. Three of the players were in her class. Jeremy was sooo excited.

Therefore, I am several days (like 5:confused3) behind. I am going to get caught up this afternoon and hopefully post more on my third trip to Disney.

So, with my bragging complete, on to Day 4.

Day 4 will be our first time spending the 4th of July at Disney World. Thanks to Shadowryter, I have some great T-shirt designs I am making for us to wear that day. I will post pictures once I get them done.

The day will start bright and early with breakfast at O'hana's---our favorite Disney World breakfast so far! :yay::yay:I love the guava juice and bread here! It is to die for. We will visit with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto and then head to DHS.

I hope to make rope drop. Tom will get to the front of the pack and hit the TSM fast pass machines while Jeremy and I walk quickly behind the pack to hit stand by together. This is absolutely my families favorite ride on property. I hope that my score will improve after spending months and countless hours on the Wii game at home. I am the queen of the game at my house. Tom gets so mad because I rule the leader board at home. Keep your fingers crossed that I can beat him that day or I will never hear the end of it. :sad2:

This will be a day of some firsts for us as we have not spent a lot of time in this park the last times we have visited.

The following are firsts that we must do this day:

Muppets in 3D
Indiana Jones Stunt Show - Jeremy has become a huge fan after the Wii game
The Great Movie Ride
Drawing a character (my brain just froze on what this is called!)
meet Lightening McQueen and Mater
meet Lotso

There is also a list of possible firsts depending on Jeremy:

Tower of Terror
Rock n Roller Coaster

If Jeremy changes his mind, then Tom will definitely ride both as he loves coasters and wild rides.

We will see some of our old favorites:

Beauty and the Beast
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
One Man's Dream

Sorry to say no Playhouse Disney this time according to Mr. Jeremy. He informed me was too big for that!


I have lunch scheduled at 50's Prime Time. This looks like such a fun place to eat so I hope our waiter/tress is playing a part this day. Jeremy knows what to expect here and he is so looking forward to someone telling his Dad to eat his veggies! Tom is looking forward to the fried chicken!

Unlike most park days, we will stay here most of the day as I want to catch Block Party Bash. We have never seen it before so it is a must do this trip. Once it is over, we will head back to rest and possibly swim.

We will head back to DHS that evening for our favorite night time show on property-Fantasmic. We :love::love:it! It is a tradition to pick up Disney pizza to eat while we wait for the show to start so that is a must! Oh, and I am sure there will be some caramel corn purchased beforehand. Once it is over, we will stay to see the fireworks at the Studios. I am excited to see what they show. I have heard it is the old Sorcery in the Sky. I am not sure what that is but heard great things.

We will head back to the room to dream of a Magical 5th day!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Oh I know how you feel about Jeremy growing up so fast - 3rd grade!! I can't believe we just finished Kinder and I now have a 1st grader!! They do grow up so fast. Congrats to Jeremy on the award and for the win at baseball! I'm sure he was thrilled over that! Sounds like you guys have been busy!

Your Day 4 sounds great - I'm surprised by how many things will be new for you - should be fun! Good luck on TSM!! I hope you beat those boys!! :rotfl: I'm looking forward to seeing Block Party Bash too!

Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Oh I know how you feel about Jeremy growing up so fast - 3rd grade!! I can't believe we just finished Kinder and I now have a 1st grader!! They do grow up so fast. Congrats to Jeremy on the award and for the win at baseball! I'm sure he was thrilled over that! Sounds like you guys have been busy!

Your Day 4 sounds great - I'm surprised by how many things will be new for you - should be fun! Good luck on TSM!! I hope you beat those boys!! :rotfl: I'm looking forward to seeing Block Party Bash too!

Karen

Karen:

Thanks! It is funny how many things we have not done considering how many times we have been. Disney reminds me a lot of Washington, DC--no matter how often you go there is always something new to do and see! You will have so much fun in August.

Erika

[Happydog]

Okay, FIRST of all, I LOVE CRACKER BARREL too!!!! :rotfl: Actually so does DH, and when we drive anywhere we are always looking for one!!!! We stopped there on our way down in December! You do have a busy departure day but that is the key: you are DEPARTING!!!! That will make it easier. 4th of JULY is soooo awesome there! You will have so much fun. It was very festive and I wasn't overwhelmed by crowds. I think it will be a great trip! :thumbsup2

You still have a few weeks, but it is going to fly by!

[Happydog]

Okay I am still getting caught up! Isn't it crazy how when the kids are in school it is like they get older so much faster! All of a sudden I have a third grader, too!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??!! :laughing: Your days seem just perfect! We watched the 4th from Epcot, and were able to see the show at DHS as well, so I imagine you'll get both shows too!!! :thumbsup2

[Lady Lallie]

I think your plans for the 4th sound great. I'm jealous you get to see Sorcery in the Sky...or at least you think that is what you will see. I have heard great things about that display of fireworks!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Okay, FIRST of all, I LOVE CRACKER BARREL too!!!! :rotfl: Actually so does DH, and when we drive anywhere we are always looking for one!!!! We stopped there on our way down in December! You do have a busy departure day but that is the key: you are DEPARTING!!!! That will make it easier. 4th of JULY is soooo awesome there! You will have so much fun. It was very festive and I wasn't overwhelmed by crowds. I think it will be a great trip! :thumbsup2

You still have a few weeks, but it is going to fly by!

I am sooo looking forward to spending the 4th there. I read your cotton ball report last year and it got me excited about the 4th! I think we are going to have so much fun!

Yay:yay:, another Cracker Barrel fan! I just love the food there!

You only have a few days left to go. Plus, you get to go to New Orleans---I :love: that town! That was another favorite vacation!

[martinolichfamily]

Your plans sound great for the 4th!
Can you believe how close we are getting??!!??


My DS is also moving up into 3rd grade! It is very scary how fast they grow!! :(
Our bball league finally ended and DS's team ended up in 2nd place in the 8U D1 League!

All caught up now...been MIA a bit but trying to get all caught up w/everyone's TR & PTR and my own! ;)

[jeremysdisneymom]

Okay I am still getting caught up! Isn't it crazy how when the kids are in school it is like they get older so much faster! All of a sudden I have a third grader, too!! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??!! :laughing: Your days seem just perfect! We watched the 4th from Epcot, and were able to see the show at DHS as well, so I imagine you'll get both shows too!!! :thumbsup2

Wow, I didn't realize our children were the same age! Jeremy is so big for his age. He is the tallest child in his class and is taller than a lot of the other children a year older.

I hope we get to see Epcot's fireworks as well. That would ge great!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I think your plans for the 4th sound great. I'm jealous you get to see Sorcery in the Sky...or at least you think that is what you will see. I have heard great things about that display of fireworks!

I keep reading great things so I am hoping that is it! Keep your fingers crossed.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Your plans sound great for the 4th!
Can you believe how close we are getting??!!??


My DS is also moving up into 3rd grade! It is very scary how fast they grow!! :(
Our bball league finally ended and DS's team ended up in 2nd place in the 8U D1 League!

All caught up now...been MIA a bit but trying to get all caught up w/everyone's TR & PTR and my own! ;)

I know the feeling. I have been catching up off and on all day at work---shhh!

We have our last baseball games this week. Starting Friday evening, we are at the baseball field for the following 5 days! :scared1: The coach thinks the tournaments will be over the 4th of July weekend so I guess we will miss those. Jeremy was a little bummed but soon got over it--thank goodness!

Just think-we will be there in no time! We need to find a time to meet up.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

1 Month from Today--a little late - Day 5 (July 5th)

After a wonderful 4th of July spent at DHS, we will spend Day 5 in the park that started it all! Magic Kingdom :yay::yay::yay: I :love: Magic Kingdom. It is Walt Disney World to me. I get goose bumps, tears, butterflies--you get the picture--every time we go there. There is no happier place in my mind.

Our day will start with a delicous breakfast at Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, and friends. Oh, and it will be before the park opens! :banana::banana: There will be wonderful shots of Cinderella's Castle and Main Street with just us and a few other breakfast-going families. :cloud9: Breakfast at Crystal Palace will be a first for us. We have eaten lunch here before which was just okay in my opinion---not a huge fan of buffets! I know Tom and I will both have a wonderful omelet that has been made just for us.

We will finish breakfast and head to an empty park awaiting the official rope drop and probably make our way to FantasyLand. I want Tom to ride Dumbo with Jeremy one time before he says he is too big for that. I have always been the lucky rider or my mom so I think Tom needs one turn going around in the sky to enjoy that fun moment.

After that, I don't know where we will go.

Here is what I know we will do at some point this vacation:

All the rides in Fantasy Land (yes, I will endure the going round and round so Jeremy can have someone ride the Tea Cups with him!)

Barnstormer (many times---Jeremy loves this ride and I want him to enjoy it before it is changed)

explore Mickey and Minnie's house one last time (I hope these get moved as they are truly Disney World to me)

Splash Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise (but at night--I have heard that is a great time to experience this ride)
Buzz Lightyear
Tomorrowland Speedway
Monsters Inc

and some firsts will be:

Space Mountain
Tomorrowland Transit
Carousel of Progress
Haunted Mansion

I want to spend time exploring Main Street and all that it has to offer. There is a great article in today allears newsletter about its hidden treasures. I want to see the Move It, Shake It, Celebration Parade in its entirety. I want to see the Hall of Presidents again (love :love: this show and all it's history). If Jeremy has overcome his fear of the caves, I want to explore Tom Sawyer Island. I want to see story time with Belle (not sure what the boys will think).

There is so much we want to do here but not all will be accomplished this day. We will do what we can and come back on Friday or Saturday at the end of our trip.

We have lunch scheduled at Tony's. DH is looking forward to this as he likes Italian. I like the Lady and the Tramp! After lunch, we will head back to the WL. However, I am thinking we may go to Blizzard Beach.

If we stay at WL, the evening will be back to Magic Kingdom for more fun and the parade and fireworks. If we head to Blizzard Beach, we will probably stay there until it closes and spend the evening resting at the WL.

Up Next: Day 6--our second favorite Park

[martinolichfamily]

I know the feeling. I have been catching up off and on all day at work---shhh!

We have our last baseball games this week. Starting Friday evening, we are at the baseball field for the following 5 days! :scared1: The coach thinks the tournaments will be over the 4th of July weekend so I guess we will miss those. Jeremy was a little bummed but soon got over it--thank goodness!

Just think-we will be there in no time! We need to find a time to meet up.

Erika
Good luck on the bball games! :goodvibes
Yes we do need to meet up...we should exchange cell #s so we can text each other when we are there or something?

July 5th plans look good too! Hope CP is good for breakfast! We will also be eating there but a few days after yall...as well as Tony's but for Dinner. AK has EMH that night...we are going to try to make it.

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney-Day 5 Continued


I thought that before I did another one month from today a little late update, I would update my Trip 3 Recap. I know you would like some pictures rather than all the text that is in my one month from today posts. So, here is more of Day 5!

When I left off, Tom was heading to Soarin while Jeremy and I were going to wait for him at the Nemo ride. Well, Jeremy and I got sidetracked along the way! Did you guess why we got sidetracked? For those who have read this trip recap all along will know, that we love :love: meeting Characters!

So, yes, we stopped in at the Character spot in Epcot! I think there were only a few families ahead of us.

Here is Jeremy with each of the Fab Five.

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As we were finishing up with the last character, Tom called to let us know he scored our Soarin fastpasses and he was on his way to Nemo. We met up at just about the same time so it was no problem deviating from the plan for just a few minutes.

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I love the garden/display outside of Nemo. The characters from the movie are just adorable!

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The ride was a walk on and we were soon exploring the seas in our clam mobile (too cute). The ride is okay in my book. Jeremy enjoyed it so that is all that matters.

We explored the aquarium for a little bit while we waited for Turtle Talk with Crush.

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I do not have any pictures from our time in Turtle Talk with Crush. However, Jeremy really enjoyed this show and it is a must every trip. He was chosen to ask Crush a question. Although, I cannot remember what he asked! When the show was over, we explored some more of the aquarium. Jeremy found the Kidcot (I believe that is what it was called) station and did his craft for the aquarium.

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As you can tell, he was really enjoying this. He did all four and the last station was at Test Track but was closed that day.

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With Jeremy's first Kidcot station complete, we headed to Innoventions while Tom ran to get Test Track fastpasses. He liked the velcro section a lot.

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Our time soon opened and before long we were Soarin over California. I :love: this ride. This was our first time on it and it has become a family favorite. We then rode Living with the Land. I actually enjoy this ride. It was neat seeing all the greenhouses. We then headed to Test Track. Tom freaked out when the car took off initially as he was not fastened in. :laughing::laughing:I knew that there would be one more seatbelt check before it got started thanks to reading the Dis but I let him panic for a few minutes anyway!

Up Next: A Walk around the World
What happened to us at dinner that was extra special?
The Candlelight Processional

[jenjolt]

I just adore being able to walk into an empty Magic Kingdom, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!!!! It is a beautiful feeling!!! You are going to have a good breakfast and an even better experience!!!

[Lady Lallie]

Magic Kingdom before park opening is a truly awesome experience!

I've ridden Jungle Cruise at night several times and it's the way to ride it. It just is better at night, a little more exotic. :rotfl:

[jeremysdisneymom]

I just adore being able to walk into an empty Magic Kingdom, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!!!! It is a beautiful feeling!!! You are going to have a good breakfast and an even better experience!!!


I can hardly wait! We did this once before on our trip in 2008. Although I was so excited about eating in the castle I didn't enjoy the empty park as much.

[jeremysdisneymom]

Magic Kingdom before park opening is a truly awesome experience!

I've ridden Jungle Cruise at night several times and it's the way to ride it. It just is better at night, a little more exotic. :rotfl:

I am glad to hear the cruise is fun at night! I know we will :love: it!

[Charleston Princess]

I'm here!!! :yay: Now, I need to go back and read and catch up!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Charleston Princess:

:welcome: I am glad you joined in for the fun! We will both have such magical vacations this year! :yay:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Let's Celebrate!!

:banana::banana::banana::cool1::cool1::yay::yay:As you can see I am in a super good mood today. Why, you may ask? Well.........I am down to 21 days or 3 weeks until I reach my happy place! That warrants some dancing doesn't it!

I also have some big news I wanted to share with you. I think it was several posts ago I mentioned that I had made some big decisions about my health but never elaborated on them.

For the last 13 years I have struggled with my weight. I was never super skinny but until my first marriage I was a size 12 and happy with it. I got married, was finishing up my last semester of college, and working full time and the weight started coming on. After two years, I was huge and in a marriage that was going nowhere. The point finally came when it was time to end things, I also ended the need for food. I lost a huge amount of weight, got divorced, and met the love of my life within two years. Jeremy came along 1 year and 1 day after our marriage and I struggled once again to get the baby weight off. With the help of Weight Watchers I about had all the weight off when life dealt my family a hard blow and stress eating kicked in.

I am from Kentucky but live in Ohio. My family all lives next to each other. I am the only one who moved away. We are close knit. Jeremy was 1 1/2 when my grandmother had a stroke. This woman who had been the most active, vibrant 70 + year old woman was now paralyzed on one side and we were caring for her. After a year she passed away. Six months later, my cousin who was like a sister to me as we are both only children and the only grandchildren, was in a major car accident. She hit black ice one morning going to teach in the neighboring county. She was so bad that they could not air lift her from the scene and had to get her to a local hospital to stabilize her before air care could transfer her. She was in a coma for three weeks but eventually came out of it. She evenutally came home with no physical problems but she is not the same as before in a lot of ways. I thought nothing more could happen and then 5 months later, my grandfather passed away after a brief illness. During all the stress and heartache, my weight came back on and has stayed there ever since.

I have tried everything to lose the weight. You name it and I can tell you all about it. It hit me a few months ago that I had to make a change as I had not been feeling well and having a lot of back problems. So, I made the call and am now in month 2 of the 6 month diet requirement for a lap band surgery. I have gone back to weight watchers and have lost 10 pounds in 2 months! I am exercising regularly and eating so much better.

Thanks to all the inspiring stories I have read on the Dis, and especially Mommy McQueen and Lady Lallie :thumbsup2--you are awesome, I decided I wanted to try the Couch to 5K Challenge. I have never run a day in my life so I knew if I could get through just the first workout I could do anything. Well, I did it! :yay:I did the first workout last night at our local park and I feel great! Granted, I was huffing and puffing along the way, I ran/walked for 30 minutes! It was such a great accomplishment! Tom went with me and coached me along.

I truly love the Dis and all the friends I have met along the way. Thank you for letting me share my excitement with you this morning. I have kept the lap band pretty private at home-only Tom and 2 friends at work know about it! It is nice to have cyber friends to share things with!

Erika

Oh, and I promise another update this afternoon.

[Lady Lallie]

:hug: I know all about weight struggles. Having lap band surgery has been the very best thing I have ever done for myself. I don't regret a single thing about it.

Please, Please know that if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, someone to cheer you on, ANYTHING, you let me know. I'm here for you. :goodvibes

Congrats on the first workout of the Couch to 5K!! I'm proud of you!! :yay:

[jeremysdisneymom]

:hug: I know all about weight struggles. Having lap band surgery has been the very best thing I have ever done for myself. I don't regret a single thing about it.

Please, Please know that if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, someone to cheer you on, ANYTHING, you let me know. I'm here for you. :goodvibes

Congrats on the first workout of the Couch to 5K!! I'm proud of you!! :yay:

Ahh, thank you. :hug: You have been such an inspiration to me! Thank you so much for the support. It means a lot to me.

You know that if you ever need anything, let me know as well. It is nice to have someone supporting you that is going through the same struggles.

Erika

[Lady Lallie]

Ahh, thank you. :hug: You have been such an inspiration to me! Thank you so much for the support. It means a lot to me.

You know that if you ever need anything, let me know as well. It is nice to have someone supporting you that is going through the same struggles.

Erika

It really is!! I have a blog about my weight loss journey. I'll PM you the link. ;)

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today (a little late) - Day 6 (July 6th)

The fun will begin this day at my family's second favorite Disney Park---Epcot!

We will have a wonderful breakfast of cereal and fruit all around in our comfy WL room and then head out for rope drop.

We will hit our all time favorites:

Soarin
Living with the Land
Test Track
Spaceship Earth
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush

We want to spend a lot of time at Innoventions. We discovered the trash game (not sure its name) last year and want to do that again. I want to try the Piggy Bank game. I want all of us to make a video game this year. Jeremy's is too cute from last year. All in all, I want to explore everything these buildings have to offer.

Along the way we plan to try a few new things:

Mission Space-tame side I will have to admit!
Journey into the Imagination with Figment (is that the name :confused:)
Captain EO

As for lunch this day, it may be at the Electric Umbrella unless we decide we want to explore some of the World Showcase. Then, we may eat our way around the world. More than likely, we will leave early afternoon and head back to WL for some relaxing time at the pool.

I have dinner plans this evening at the Garden Grill. My family really likes eating here. We enjoy the food plus Jeremy loves that the restaurant rotates. However, with us having the Water Park & More option on our tickets, we might head to a water park late afternoon and cancel our dinner ressie. We will have to see! I know we will back to Epcot the next day and possibly one more time on this trip. That is the great thing about staying 9 nights, there is always another day!

Up Next: Day 7

What fun will Jeremy have this morning?
What dinner am I really excited to try?

More later today....

[jeremysdisneymom]

It really is!! I have a blog about my weight loss journey. I'll PM you the link. ;)

That would be great! Thanks! :hug:

[Lady Lallie]

Great plans, once again!

I've always wanted to go to Garden Grill but haven't ventured there yet. Someday, I'm sure.

[MeMom]

This day may be a Plan B option for a meet, if you can't make it the evening of the 2nd at Magic Kingdom. Jill and John have a lunch ADR at LeCellier, so there's a good possibility we'll all be in Epcot and then I'll be going back to the room for naps for the girls, or I'll be coming to Epcot with the girls when they wake up from naps. If you see that meeting on the 2nd is not going to work, we'll try to work something out for this day. I'll have to ask Jill what time her ADR is, but I know it is in the afternoon, because she planned for it to be during nap time.

Best of everything to you in your weight loss pursuits. I was a nice 114 pounder a long time ago, but time has not been kind to me.

Or I ate too much too often. ;)

I held my own staying at a size 14 (I'm 5'9") until all my knee problems came along, and now I think it's just a lost cause. If I had a private pool, I would love to do water activities that wouldn't be hard on my knee.

We have not eaten at Garden Grill yet. We had an ADR there once for lunch, but they ended up getting rid of lunch before our trip, and we never did rebook it for dinner.

[jeremysdisneymom]

This day may be a Plan B option for a meet, if you can't make it the evening of the 2nd at Magic Kingdom. Jill and John have a lunch ADR at LeCellier, so there's a good possibility we'll all be in Epcot and then I'll be going back to the room for naps for the girls, or I'll be coming to Epcot with the girls when they wake up from naps. If you see that meeting on the 2nd is not going to work, we'll try to work something out for this day. I'll have to ask Jill what time her ADR is, but I know it is in the afternoon, because she planned for it to be during nap time.

Best of everything to you in your weight loss pursuits. I was a nice 114 pounder a long time ago, but time has not been kind to me.

Or I ate too much too often. ;)

I held my own staying at a size 14 (I'm 5'9") until all my knee problems came along, and now I think it's just a lost cause. If I had a private pool, I would love to do water activities that wouldn't be hard on my knee.

We have not eaten at Garden Grill yet. We had an ADR there once for lunch, but they ended up getting rid of lunch before our trip, and we never did rebook it for dinner.

This day may work better for us. I know that we are having dinner on the 2nd at Boma. I would like to get to MK that evening for the parade and fireworks but a lot will depend on how tired we are from driving the night before.

Why don't you look at Jill's ADR time and we can see if we would meet up sometime that morning. I will PM you my cell phone number. Beware, I am horrible at texting so if you text me the response will be bad!!! :eek:

We do have a pool at our house and I try to get some water exercise in but Jeremy always interrupts that. Nothing like have a fun loving mischievous 8 year old boy jumping all around you while in the pool! ;)

Garden Grill is fun. The characters are cute decked out in their farmer gear. I like the food as well. Tom likes it for the sweet Tea!

Erika

[adisneymama]

Erika wow did you ever go thru a lot in a short period of time! Good Luck with the wait loss and with the surgery. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Oh and I am thinking of doing the couch to 5k after the baby is born of course. I like you have never ran so this should be interesting!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Erika wow did you ever go thru a lot in a short period of time! Good Luck with the wait loss and with the surgery. Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Oh and I am thinking of doing the couch to 5k after the baby is born of course. I like you have never ran so this should be interesting!

Thanks, it was a very difficult time. It is so odd how life can change in just a split second.

I actually did okay with the running. I waited and ran late when not many people were at the park. I bet everyone thought I looked like Phoebe from Friends :rotfl2:. I am a little sore in my hip today but other than that, I feel great.

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today (a little late) - Day 7 (July 7th)

This is a sort of down day for us. There will be no making rope drop. No rushing to get to our favorite ride. It will be a day of exploring new Disney fun.

The day will start off with a breakfast of cereal and fruit for all in our nice comfy WL room.

Then, we will decide how we are going to get to the Yacht Club. Will we take a Disney bus to a park and then catch a Yacht Club bus? Will we take a taxi? Will we drive-probably not? That is all yet to be determined.

We just have to get to the Yacht Club! For you see, Mr. Jeremy is going to have a little adventure of his own this morning. He is going on the Albatross Cruise. The description states that Children will wear bandannas as they follow clues and sail to many exotic "ports of call" around Crescent Lake and Epcot looking for treasure. During the voyage, children will hear a reading of "The Legend of the Albatross." Jeremy is very excited about this. I have read that they go into the World Showcase before it opens. I hope that is true as I think he will love :love: it.

Tom and I are going to explore the Yacht Club and possibly the Boardwalk while Jeremy is on his adventure. I would like to catch a glimpse of Stormalong Bay as I have heard it is awesome and would like to stay here sometime. I would also like to check out the Boardwalk. I guess we will have to see how much time allows and the distance from all these.

Once Jeremy returns, we will head to DTD. After our first time eating an Earl of Sandwich sandwich (these look amazing!) :yay:, we are heading on a little quest---a Disney Quest that is. We are going to Disney Quest for the first time. It is part of our Water Park Fun & More Option. Jeremy is really excited about going here (as is Tom). They like those sort of things. It will be interesting to see how long I last here. I may leave them and do some DTD shopping while they spend some quality Father/Son time. ;)

We will head back to the room late afternoon to get freshened up and head out to dinner. I am looking forward to this evening as we are eating at Le Cellier for the first time. :cloud9: I can't wait to try the soup and mushroom filet. The pictures of the food here looks amazing. After a delicous meal, we will stroll around the World Showcase and watch Illuminations.

Up Next: Day 8---Breakfast with my favorite Disney Character! -Do you remember who that is?
Lunch at Jeremy's only request this trip! Will it rain on us?

More later on today!

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today (a little late) - Day 8 (July 8th)


We will awake to wonderful HOT Florida sunshine today and head out to a breakfast I (yes me-not Jeremy) has always wanted to attend but always seems to cancel---Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House. For you see, my favorite Disney character is here---Daisy Duck. I love :love: Daisy. She seems to never get the attention I think she deserves. She is not part of the Fab 5 and is sporadically out in the parks so I think it is great she gets to be a part of Donald's breakfast. It only makes sense, doesn't it?!

Another great thing about this breakfast is that we will be dining before the park opens so yes, there will be some great pictures taken of an empty Animal Kingdom this day! :banana:

After breakfast, we will wait for the rope to drop and then I want to hit the safari first thing. I want to check out the animals before the heat has set in and they are relaxing in the sun.

We will ride our family favorites as usual:

Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids (I am sure that I will be hoping to be the one who gets soaked on this HOT Florida day!)
Primeval Whirl (I will take one for the team as Jeremy loves this ride but Tom refuses to ride it. Go figure! Tom will ride everything but won't ride this. Jeremy is leery of most rides but loves this ride! :confused3 I don't get it.)
Tricera Top spin
take the Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch

We will watch our favorite shows:

Finding Nemo
The Lion King
It's Tough to be a Bug

We will find some lovely animals on the Pangani Trail and Majareh Jungle Trek.

And then there will be some new things:

Dinosaur (possibly - will have to see if Jeremy changes his mind)
Flights of Wonder
spend time on Discovery Trail (I want to explore around the Tree of Life)

We are having a late lunch this afternoon at a restaurant Jeremy has requested. He is very excited about eating here as he just learned all about this place at school. We will be eating at The Rainforest Cafe. I have not even looked at the menu to see what they offer. I guess it really doesn't matter. We will be going to enjoy the atmosphere and as a treat to Jeremy.

After our late lunch, I have nothing else planned for this day. We may head back into Animal Kingdom to catch the parade which we really like. We may head to the room and swim. We may play a round of Miniature Golf later on. We will just take it easy and see what happens.

Up Next: Day 9-Is dinner better than breakfast? I guess we will find out!

[MeMom]

This day may work better for us. I know that we are having dinner on the 2nd at Boma. I would like to get to MK that evening for the parade and fireworks but a lot will depend on how tired we are from driving the night before.

Why don't you look at Jill's ADR time and we can see if we would meet up sometime that morning. I will PM you my cell phone number. Beware, I am horrible at texting so if you text me the response will be bad!!! :eek:

We do have a pool at our house and I try to get some water exercise in but Jeremy always interrupts that. Nothing like have a fun loving mischievous 8 year old boy jumping all around you while in the pool! ;)

Garden Grill is fun. The characters are cute decked out in their farmer gear. I like the food as well. Tom likes it for the sweet Tea!

Erika

Just sent you our numbers. One of those two - Magic Kingdom on the evening of the 2nd or Epcot on the 6th will work out. I'm guessing you'll be ready for bed early on your arrival night. I'll let you know what time Jill's LeCellier ADR is when she gets home from work.

I wish I had the money for a pool. I was a good swimmer when I was young. I used to win races at camp all the time. :laughing: But it has been years since I have dared to don a bathing suit. If I had a lap pool behind a privacy fence, I could look a lot better. ;)

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today (a little late) - Day 9 (July 9th) and Day 10 (July 10th)

Can you tell I am on a roll today? I am determined to get caught up before I sign off the Dis this afternoon!

Day 9 will start off with breakfast in the room again.

Our plans are a little foggy this day. A lot will depend on whether or not we hit the Waters Parks in the afternoon earlier in the week. If not, then it will be easy to decide as we will head to Blizzard Beach.

I am really looking forward to this water park. I really like the theming.

I want to take the chair lift to Mt. Gushmore. I want to join my family on Teamboat Springs. I want to race my family on the Tobaggon Racers. I want o try Downhill Double Dippers and the Snow Stormers. I am sure Jeremy and Tom will ride Summit Plummit and Slush Gusher. I am not so sure about those so we will have see what my bravery level is that day! ;) I know I will spend a lot of time relaxing on an inner tube as I float around Cross Country Creek. We will all enjoy the gentle waves at Melt Away Bay.

Dinner this evening will be a family must do every trip--Chef Mickey's! I am looking forward to seeing what is offered at dinner even though I am not a huge buffet fan. Jeremy loves the characters here but most importantly, he loves :love: the monorail!

I have nothing planned after dinner. I think it woudl be fun to check out EMH hours at the MK but we will have to see.

Day 10 will start with breakfast in the room. I have no plans for this day. I think we as a family will choose where we want to go and what to do this day. It will be our last full day at Disney World.

I am thinking we might do the DVC tour today as recommended by our Dis friend Sooze (;)I hadn't forgot to mention your name Sooze when we go!).

The only other plan we have is our first time having dinner at O'hana's. Once again, another restaurant where the food pictures look amazing. I think it will be a perfect end to our trip.

Up Next: Day 11-The day I always dread on vacation!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Just sent you our numbers. One of those two - Magic Kingdom on the evening of the 2nd or Epcot on the 6th will work out. I'm guessing you'll be ready for bed early on your arrival night. I'll let you know what time Jill's LeCellier ADR is when she gets home from work.

I wish I had the money for a pool. I was a good swimmer when I was young. I used to win races at camp all the time. :laughing: But it has been years since I have dared to don a bathing suit. If I had a lap pool behind a privacy fence, I could look a lot better. ;)

The 6th would probably work out better. Let me know what time Jill's ADR is and I will make sure we are still in Epcot.

[jeremysdisneymom]

One Month from Today - Day 11 (July 11th) Departure Day :sad1::sad1:

Departure day is the day I dread the most! I hate it when I have to leave my happy place.

There are no plans for this day, except the long 14 hour drive back home. :sad2: I have no idea if we will get up early and leave. I have thought about broaching Tom with the idea of spending a few hours at the Magic Kingdom and leaving around noon. That would put us at getting home in the wee hours of the morning. I just really don't know what we will do.

There is one thing I do know---the wheels in my head will be turning trying to figure out how I can get back to my happy place sooner rather than later! I know there will be an early trip in 2011. Tom and I celebrate 10 years of marriage in February and want to take a Disney cruise. We originally planned to go in February but I am not sure I want to take Jeremy out of school for 4 days. We know it will be on the new Disney Dream. Jeremy is excited about the aquaduck. Or, we may go over Spring Break and add a few nights at Disney World. I want to see the Flower and Garden Festival. I have been mulling the idea of a surprise (the surprise will be if I can keep it a surprise! :rotfl2:) trip the week after Christmas in 2011. I would like to go and stay at Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter.

Who knows what we will do!

Thank you for reading my vacation plans. I have a few more posts to make once I get some shopping completed and my tshirts made.

I am determined to finish Trip 3 and share with you Trip 4 in the next 3 weeks. It will be next week I am sure before I get those updated. Starting tonight, Jeremy has a ballgame every day for the next 5 days!:scared1:

Have a great weekend!

Erika

[MommyMcQueen]

:banana::banana: ERIKA!!!:banana::banana:

CONGRATS on the 10 pounds loss! That is awesome! Congrats on the decision to do the Lap Band! AND CONGRATS on starting the C25K!!! I am seriously so excited and happy for you!!!

I am sitting here icing my shins from my run tonight and when I read your post I started to tear up I'm so happy for you! Great job getting out there and starting the C25K! The first step is the hardest and YOU DID IT!!!

So sorry to hear about what a struggle it has been over the years and all of the losses and difficulties your family went through. But glad that you've made the decision to make the change! I know I spent years wanting to lose some weight and just never did it. GREAT JOB ERIKA!!

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything on the C25K please feel free to PM me. And please post some updates on your run/walks as you progress through the program! I'll be here to cheer you on! :cheer2:

okay, now I have to go back and read your other updates - just had to comment on this first!
Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

:banana::banana: ERIKA!!!:banana::banana:

CONGRATS on the 10 pounds loss! That is awesome! Congrats on the decision to do the Lap Band! AND CONGRATS on starting the C25K!!! I am seriously so excited and happy for you!!!

I am sitting here icing my shins from my run tonight and when I read your post I started to tear up I'm so happy for you! Great job getting out there and starting the C25K! The first step is the hardest and YOU DID IT!!!

So sorry to hear about what a struggle it has been over the years and all of the losses and difficulties your family went through. But glad that you've made the decision to make the change! I know I spent years wanting to lose some weight and just never did it. GREAT JOB ERIKA!!

If you have any questions or want to talk about anything on the C25K please feel free to PM me. And please post some updates on your run/walks as you progress through the program! I'll be here to cheer you on! :cheer2:

okay, now I have to go back and read your other updates - just had to comment on this first!
Karen

Karen:

Thank you so much for the show of support! :hug: Workout #2 was going to be last night but a late (and I do mean late 10 p.m. ) ballgame kept me from it. We play at home tonight and Jeremy is heading to his mamaw's afterwards. So, I will hit the park no matter how late it is! I have felt so good ever since Thursday. Granted, there has been some pain in my leg but overall, I feel great!

Erika

[Lady Lallie]

Keep up the good work with your workouts. :thumbsup2

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney-Day 5 continued


After spending the morning in Future World, we started our walk around the World Showcase.

Our first stop was Mexico. We enjoyed the boat ride and spent some time browsing in the shop. I bought Jeremy a set of maraca's. My parents got me a set the last time we were there so I wanted to make sure he had a pair to continue the tradition. I also bought one of the hand-carvings (as seen on Samantha Brown's Christmas special). It is a purple duck-very pretty! For some reason, I have no pictures of Mexico.

Our next stop was Maelstrom in Norway. Jeremy did not like this ride for some reason and still does not like it. :confused3 I think the trolls creep him out!

We had to get a picture with this guy in the gift shop!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1433.jpg

Our next stop was China. Jeremy really got into the mask project around the world showcase. I think we hit every country so he could get their stamp and cutout.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1435.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1434.jpg

I enjoyed the Chinese pavilion. It is very pretty and I love browsing their store. On our way out, we found this lovely pair. Jeremy got into the act with them.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1440.jpg

Our next stop was Germany. I had hoped to spend some time this day seeing/hearing the different Santa Claus' throughout the World Showcase. However, it seemed that every performance time was totally opposite from where we were. Oh well, there is always next time. :rolleyes1

Jeremy and the Nutcracker

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1443.jpg

Jeremy loved the train display at Germany. He could have stayed there all day watching the trains.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1445.jpg

At this point it was late afternoon and we had an early dinner reservation at the Garden Grill. We took the boat back to Future World and headed to the Land building to meet Farmer Mickey!

Continued in next post.......

[jeremysdisneymom]

Dinner/late lunch this evening was at the Garden Grill. We were all starving as we had really not eaten anything since our Chef Mickey's Breafast. I know our dinner seating was for when the restaurant opened (3:30 I think!) and we were on the CP package.

We got there and was soon seated. I noticed when they took us to our table that it appeared we were the first ones to be seated. Our waiter soon brought the salad and a special appetizer. Huh, I wondered why he was giving us this appetizer as I knew it was not on the menu? He set it down and explained that we were the Garden Grill Family of the Day! However, the characters were not ready to open the restaurant so the chef made this appetizer for us and would be around to talk with us. We were excited! We got a certificate and the chef did spend some time at our table. :thumbsup2It was very nice.

The characters started coming pretty quickly.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1450.jpg

Pluto kept giving Tom a hard time! The gentleman in the backgroud was the chef.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1451.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1452.jpg

Farmer Mickey!-isn't he adorable!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1456.jpg

Continued in next post....

[jeremysdisneymom]

Jeremy and Dale

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1461.jpg

There is great character interaction at the Garden Grill---has been every time we have been there. Each character spends a lot of time with each family and will often come back to your table.

Farmer Mickey came back when Jeremy and Tom were at the restroom so he sat down with me for a while. You should have seen the look on Jeremy's face when he came back and found this! (Note: please overlook the hair! The heat had done a number on it that day!)

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1462.jpg

I wish I had taken a picture of him. He thought it was sooooo funny that Mickey was sitting with Mommy.

Now, I usually don't take food porn on my trips. Not that I haven't wanted to but I always forget to before we start eating. I plan on doing better in July. However, on this day I did take a picture of Jeremy and his dessert.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1463.jpg

After our delicious dinner was over, we made our way back to the World Showcase so we could get in line for the Candlelight Processional.

Here are some photos along the way:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1465.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1466.jpg

I like this photo even though Jeremy is not looking at me.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1467.jpg

Along the way, we met up with some very pretty princesses and a ghastly Beast!

Jeremy and Sleeping Beauty

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1468.jpg

Belle and the Beast-We were excited as this was our first time meeting the Beast!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1471.jpg

The nice thing about having the CP package is that you are guaranteed a seat for your show time and you do not have to wait in line very long. I think we got in line about 30 minutes early and had a great seat when we got in the theather. The narrator this evening was John O'Hurley. He did a nice job. This program is so moving and is a must see. I definitely want to go back in the future.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1475.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1477.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1480.jpg

Once the program was over, Jeremy had one more character (I guess you could say) that he wanted to meet before the evening was over. This was a must do in his mind as his Christmas wishes hinged on it! Here he is waiting in line.....we were at the front!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1483.jpg

Did you guess who it was?


Why


Santa and Mrs. Claus of course! Jeremy just knew that if he saw Santa at Disney World he would surely bring him the monorail set on Christmas morning! (;)And of course, he did in fact do that!)

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1488.jpg

At this point we were starting to feel the effects of a full, non-break day at Disney so we started making our way out of the park. I really wanted to see the holiday version of Illuminations but it would have to wait until another trip.

Here are some pictures of the Epcot holiday decorations I took on our way to the bus stop.

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1492.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1494.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1496.jpg

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1498.jpg

Up Next:
Our Last Full Day at Disney:

A Royal Breakfast
Downtown Disney
Will the rain ever stop?
My First Dis Meet

[jeremysdisneymom]

Keep up the good work with your workouts. :thumbsup2

Thanks! :hug: You do the same!

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Wow you've been busy posting away!

All of your day plans look awesome! Hope Jeremy likes his cruise and you and Tom have some nice kid-free time!

And again more great pix from your Thanksgiving trip - I still love seeing all of the Xmas decor and characters! Love the pic of you and Mickey! ;) Very cute!

Good luck on your workouts this week!
Karen

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Wow you've been busy posting away!

All of your day plans look awesome! Hope Jeremy likes his cruise and you and Tom have some nice kid-free time!

And again more great pix from your Thanksgiving trip - I still love seeing all of the Xmas decor and characters! Love the pic of you and Mickey! ;) Very cute!

Good luck on your workouts this week!
Karen

Thanks! I had hoped for workout #2 last night but the ballgame went until after 9:00 p.m. and finally got rained out! I am so ready for ball season to be over!

[Lady Lallie]

Your pictures really really REALLY make me want to get down to Disney during the holiday season. Everything looks so pretty and festive! :santa:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Your pictures really really REALLY make me want to get down to Disney during the holiday season. Everything looks so pretty and festive! :santa:

Oh, you must go sometime! It is simply stunning. I want to go back reallllllly bad! We had originally planned to go this year over Thanksgiving but changed to the 4th of July. I am thinking about a trip next year as a Christmas surprise to DS the week after Christmas in 2011. I am thinking about staying at Port Orleans so I want to see lots of pictures!!! ;) We love New Orleans and I think the theming of the resorts would be perfect for us!

Erika

[Lady Lallie]

Oh, you must go sometime! It is simply stunning. I want to go back reallllllly bad! We had originally planned to go this year over Thanksgiving but changed to the 4th of July. I am thinking about a trip next year as a Christmas surprise to DS the week after Christmas in 2011. I am thinking about staying at Port Orleans so I want to see lots of pictures!!! ;) We love New Orleans and I think the theming of the resorts would be perfect for us!

Erika

I can't say enough good things about POFQ and I'm sure I will say the same about Riverside even though I haven't officially stayed there yet! POFQ is a great size resort, small and easy to navigate. I liked that a lot.

I will take lots and lots of pictures of both for you. :goodvibes

[jeremysdisneymom]

I can't say enough good things about POFQ and I'm sure I will say the same about Riverside even though I haven't officially stayed there yet! POFQ is a great size resort, small and easy to navigate. I liked that a lot.

I will take lots and lots of pictures of both for you. :goodvibes

Thanks! I am going to try to sneak over there in July. I would love to have a beignet and get Tom in the mood for staying there! ;)

[MeMom]

The nice thing about having the CP package is that you are guaranteed a seat for your show time and you do not have to wait in line very long. I think we got in line about 30 minutes early and had a great seat when we got in the theather. The narrator this evening was John O'Hurley. He did a nice job. This program is so moving and is a must see. I definitely want to go back in the future.

Up Next:
Our Last Full Day at Disney:

A Royal Breakfast
Downtown Disney
Will the rain ever stop?
My First Dis Meet




One thing I do not like about Disney trips - not being able to keep the hair looking decent. Mine is so fine, and I spend the whole morning fluffing it up for naught when I am down there, because by the time we get through baggage check, it's flat to the head. :upsidedow

We have heard John O'Hurley do the Candlelight Processional. I've seen it three times with different speakers, but I really love hearing Phylicia Rashad do it on the CD. I'd love to see Stephen Curtis Chapman do it.

Glad I will get to see the last Disney day before we leave on the next trip. I always love seeing DTD pictures.

Hope the DIS meet was great.
We look forward to having several good ones in July. :dance3:

[jeremysdisneymom]

One thing I do not like about Disney trips - not being able to keep the hair looking decent. Mine is so fine, and I spend the whole morning fluffing it up for naught when I am down there, because by the time we get through baggage check, it's flat to the head. :upsidedow

We have heard John O'Hurley do the Candlelight Processional. I've seen it three times with different speakers, but I really love hearing Phylicia Rashad do it on the CD. I'd love to see Stephen Curtis Chapman do it.

Glad I will get to see the last Disney day before we leave on the next trip. I always love seeing DTD pictures.

Hope the DIS meet was great.
We look forward to having several good ones in July. :dance3:

Don't get me started about hair! I have thick hair and it drives me crazy in the heat. I have grown it a little longer for this trip so I can pull it up.

I will do the last day today if all works out and then I am going to share Trip 4 (which was our last trip) before we leave so you will get a bunch of Disney!!!

I look forward to meeting you all in July! Jeremy will be excited to meet Brooklyn. He is very good with children younger than him.

Erika

[Sooze]

Wow... you were a BUSY lady getting all of these updates done.

First, thank you for sharing your personal struggle with us. I know that's hard to do, but we are all so proud of you for taking the steps you are to be happy and healthy!!

Second, loved the one month updates... my vote for the last day is to squeeze in some more park time before you leave!! (But only if you are AP holders... I wouldn't pay for an extra day if you can only do a few hours) We always max out our days that we are there. If you are paying for a hotel to sleep in the night before, you might as well get some park time in, too, right?:confused3

Third, I'm also enjoying your backing-up TR! The Christmas pictures are beautiful!!

Enjoy the next few weeks of anticipating!!:banana::banana:
:goodvibes
Susie

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow... you were a BUSY lady getting all of these updates done.

First, thank you for sharing your personal struggle with us. I know that's hard to do, but we are all so proud of you for taking the steps you are to be happy and healthy!!

Second, loved the one month updates... my vote for the last day is to squeeze in some more park time before you leave!! (But only if you are AP holders... I wouldn't pay for an extra day if you can only do a few hours) We always max out our days that we are there. If you are paying for a hotel to sleep in the night before, you might as well get some park time in, too, right?:confused3

Third, I'm also enjoying your backing-up TR! The Christmas pictures are beautiful!!

Enjoy the next few weeks of anticipating!!:banana::banana:
:goodvibes
Susie

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I am enjoying reliving my trips. It is helping pass the next 17 days! We have such fond memories of Disney. Plus, I am determined to finish Trip 3 and Trip 4 before we leave!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful time at Disney World - Day 6: Our Last Full Day


We awoke this morning to sunny skies and a beautiful day to start our last day at Walt Disney World. We had several new things we were doing this day and couldn't wait to get started!

First up, we were having breakfast at Cinderella's castle. Oh, and it was before the park opened. We got a WL bus going to the MK and was quickly through the turnstile. It was nice being in the park before it opened.

I took just a few pictures this morning as I was super excited to be eating in the castle and wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

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Jeremy and Cinderella

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Making our way upstairs..

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We were seated near a window that looked into Fantasy Land. It was a nice view however there was not a lot of room to maneuver in here, I thought. It seemed very tight.

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Here is Jeremy with his Wishing Star they give every child.

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Breakfast was really good here. I enjoyed the fresh fruit and warm plate of food very much. Tom was hesitant when I booked this. He was unsure about a boy being at a princess breakfast (Oh bother!). Plus, Jeremy is soo much taller than his age. I knew Jeremy and I just wanted to eat in the castle and the princess thing did not matter. He enjoyed seeing the Princesses but honestly enjoyed eating in the castle so much more!

This was our first time meeting Mary Poppins--so adorable!

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Jeremy and Princess Aurora

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Jeremy and Snow White

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Jeremy and Belle

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At the end of the meal, Jeremy was given a sword and I believe there was something they did with the children but I can't remember what it was. :confused3

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We enjoyed eating in the castle. I would definitely do it again but my little boy has grown up and is getting like his father----no princesses for him in July!

Continued in next post.......

[jeremysdisneymom]

We made it to rope drop at Fantasy Land with a few minutes to spare. There was nothing special about this rope drop that I recall. We quickly walked along with everyone else to get in line for Dumbo. I think we were on about the third ride of the morning.

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I know we rode a few other things this morning but can't remember all! It was the Fantasy Land rides I do know that.

We separated for a while as Tom went to Toon Town to get in line for (sit down for this one!) meeting the fairies! :confused3 Can you believe it? The man has a fit about eating with princesses but will go stand in line for his son to meet the fairies! Go figure!

On the way, Jeremy and I met this mean old duck! Isn't he adorable!

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We made it to Toon Town and there was not a long wait for the fairies so Jeremy hopped in line with his dad! Don't flame me--yes, I am one of those parents who chooses not to make their child wait in line all the time!

Jeremy and Iridessa-She was very sweet and was so nice to Jeremy.

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Jeremy and Tinker Belle

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Jeremy and Rosetta

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I love Jeremy in this picture. He was soo amazed at Pixie Hollow and how everything looked so big around him. I thought the mini photo pass was extra cute and nice detail! :thumbsup2

After Pixie Hollow, we spent some time in Toon Town.

Jeremy in Donald's Boat

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At this point, we had done about all we wanted to and needed to do some shopping in DTD. We left MK and headed to DTD.

Up Next:

DTD
A Very Merry Party-or is it?
My First Dis Meet

[martinolichfamily]

Love the updates from past trips!
We had the same Iridessa last July! ;)

I was happy to read good reviews about Garden Grill (love their Farmer Attire) and the Castle as we are trying them this trip!

I love shopping at DTD!! :)

[jeremysdisneymom]

Love the updates from past trips!
We had the same Iridessa last July! ;)

I was happy to read good reviews about Garden Grill (love their Farmer Attire) and the Castle as we are trying them this trip!

I love shopping at DTD!! :)

Thanks! You will like the Garden Grill. It is one of my favorites!

[Lady Lallie]

I am really enjoying the flashbacks to your previous trips!

I want to eat in the Castle for breakfast, that sounds like so much fun. I'd love to meet all the different princesses!

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am really enjoying the flashbacks to your previous trips!

I want to eat in the Castle for breakfast, that sounds like so much fun. I'd love to meet all the different princesses!

The castle is fun! I would do it again in a heartbeat! I think you and Marc would both enjoy it.

[Lady Lallie]

The castle is fun! I would do it again in a heartbeat! I think you and Marc would both enjoy it.

We ate there for dinner in 2008 and it was nice but I want to meet more characters. :rotfl2:

[jeremysdisneymom]

We ate there for dinner in 2008 and it was nice but I want to meet more characters. :rotfl2:

Breakfast has Mary Poppins as well! I know you would like that.:thumbsup2

[Lady Lallie]

Breakfast has Mary Poppins as well! I know you would like that.:thumbsup2

Yes, I would!! I'm so tempted to book it. :laughing:

[moparop]

I am finally catching up! Your one month posts look great! I am currently lobbying for doing just a few rides at MK on our last morning as well. My thought was to have each person pick a favorite ride before we hit the road. We'll see how it flies ;)

I am so proud of you for sharing your weight loss struggles and hope that the Couch to 5k treats you well. I am doing a 6 month version right now and am in the middle of the first month. I have never run in my life and like you said, it feels so amazing to accomplish it. (My real goal is to run a Disney half the year I turn 40, but there's a LONG way to go before that!)

Hope the baseball season ends well! How much longer until it's over?

[swwake]

Hi Erika! Wow, I've been away a couple of weeks and you have been busy! I love the "a month from today" posts. Also, the Thankful trip recaps.

I have to congratulate you on the healthy weight loss as well as starting the training plan. I started "running" (more like jogging) a couple of months ago and I can tell you, you will feel so good about yourself!

Congrats on working toward the lap band surgery. I know you're excited. You are so cute already - love the Farmer Mickey pic!!

[wigdoutdismom]

Hi Erika! Checking in...
Hope to see you on the 6th!

I'm sure we'll be in touch plenty before then. If you have time maybe you would like to come over and check out the BLT pool with the gang? I'm thinking that's the 4th...

[Sooze]

Jeremy and Snow White

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1509.jpg



That's our friend!! If you read my Spring Break 09 report, you'll hear all about her. And if you keep reading my Spring Break 10 report... you'll see her again! She is such a beautiful Snow White!!:love:

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am finally catching up! Your one month posts look great! I am currently lobbying for doing just a few rides at MK on our last morning as well. My thought was to have each person pick a favorite ride before we hit the road. We'll see how it flies ;)

I am so proud of you for sharing your weight loss struggles and hope that the Couch to 5k treats you well. I am doing a 6 month version right now and am in the middle of the first month. I have never run in my life and like you said, it feels so amazing to accomplish it. (My real goal is to run a Disney half the year I turn 40, but there's a LONG way to go before that!)

Hope the baseball season ends well! How much longer until it's over?

That is a great idea about everyone picking a favorite ride! I may have to do that as I think we will probably hit the MK one more time before we leave.

I thought baseball was over for us Tuesday night but the coach called last night to let us know that the tournament starts the Monday before we leave! :scared1: Yikes, I was using those last three nights to get packed! So, I guess I have to really kick it into gear the next two weekends and get a lot done!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika! Wow, I've been away a couple of weeks and you have been busy! I love the "a month from today" posts. Also, the Thankful trip recaps.

I have to congratulate you on the healthy weight loss as well as starting the training plan. I started "running" (more like jogging) a couple of months ago and I can tell you, you will feel so good about yourself!

Congrats on working toward the lap band surgery. I know you're excited. You are so cute already - love the Farmer Mickey pic!!

Thanks for the nice comments! :hug: I am actually enjoying the workouts. I did #2 last night and feel like I have so much energy today! I am getting so much done at work and on the Dis!

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika! Checking in...
Hope to see you on the 6th!

I'm sure we'll be in touch plenty before then. If you have time maybe you would like to come over and check out the BLT pool with the gang? I'm thinking that's the 4th...

Anita:

I am so glad you came over! I am looking forward to meeting you on the 6th!

Thanks for the invite. Let me know the date and time and I will see what we are doing. Jeremy would love the BLT pool.

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

That's our friend!! If you read my Spring Break 09 report, you'll hear all about her. And if you keep reading my Spring Break 10 report... you'll see her again! She is such a beautiful Snow White!!:love:

Sooze:

:yay:I remember that from your 2009 report! OMG, I was just thinking the other day as I posted this picture how pretty this Snow White was. She looks like she really stepped out of the fairy tale. Where did you find her at in 2010?

[wigdoutdismom]

Anita:

I am so glad you came over! I am looking forward to meeting you on the 6th!

Thanks for the invite. Let me know the date and time and I will see what we are doing. Jeremy would love the BLT pool.

Erika

I'm thinking afternoonish on the 4th depending on what the MeMom gang is up to. We will be texting back and forth. I think you all are at DHS that day. If it's a scorcher you might want a pool break! If so you are sure welcome. As soon as I know more I'll keep you informed!

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney-Trip 3 Our Last Full Day continued

As we left the Magic Kingdom and headed to DTD, the sky started turning gray. It even started to sprinkle when we got there.

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I just love the DTD Christmas Tree--too cute!!

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I didn't take a lot of pictures that day as I was on a mission. Tom entertained Jeremy for an hour while I went Christmas shopping. Between Once Upon a Toy and World of Disney, I was able to get everything on mine and Santa's list and get it shipped back home. I met back up with the boys and we hit Goofy's to make our own treat---yummy! Tom got pretzel sticks and Jeremy and I each made our own Mickey rice krispies treat. Sorry, no pictures---better food porn in July I promise!

It was about mid afternoon and the sky kept looking worse. We decided to head back to the WL for lunch and an afternoon nap as MVMCP was that evening. By the time we got back to the WL, it was pouring buckets of rain. It was horrible! We grabbed some lunch at Roaring Forks and took it back to the room.

I kept checking the weather forecast all afternoon to see what was in store for the evening. I was hoping the rain would pull out.

MVMCP was the thing I had looked forward to the most this trip. I love watching the Christmas parade on Christmas morning, I couldn't wait for Holiday wishes, I wanted to see the stage show, and especially meet the characters. Do you think we got all that accomplished? :confused3 Keep reading....

My attempt at the sign..

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Main Street was so festive.

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As we started walking down main street, it was beginning to sprinkle so we decided to head to Casey's for our favorite quick service meal at MK--hot dogs and fries! We sat outside under an umbrella and watched the castle light up for the night. Now, this is where I must rant at myself for a while. I cannot find any pictures of the castle lights from this trip! :confused: I assume I didn't take any or I accidentally erased them. Who knows! I am sooo disappointed. Oh, well, I guess that means I will have to get back down there soon to get some.:rolleyes1

With all the off again, on again, rain I was worried that it would do this all evening so we might want to catch the first parade. We found a spot on Main Street and decided we would wait it out. We sat there for over an hour! I can't believe I did this as it goes against everything TGM but I really wanted to see that parade. While we were there, Kristen (Belle_princess) called and I had my first Dis meet. :headache:Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures! I think I had lost my mind at this point in the trip. The rain was really getting to me. Kristen and her husband stood with us to watch the parade which started about 1/2 hour or so late.

The parade was really cute.

Mickey and Minnie

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Christoper Robin

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Jeremy waving to some character

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The Princesses

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Rocking Horse

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During the parade, Pooh's float got stuck in front of us and they had to get it started up again. With the rain, there were several floats/part that didn't participate that evening---another reason to go back. :rolleyes1 Once the parade was over, we said goodbye to Kristen and her husband. We were going to hit the Main Street shops and just go back to the room. At this point we were wet, grumpy and didn't feel like doing anything else. As we started to walk toward the gate, Holiday Wishes started so we did stay and watch it. It was beautiful!

We took the boat back to the WL and starting packing for departure day. :sad1:


Continued later today.....

[adisneymama]

Isn't it always so depressing to have to pack to return home? I hate that part of the trip! Love the pics!

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Thankful Time at Disney - Trip 3 Day 7 Our Last Day at Disney :sad1:


We started our departure day at Disney with a wonderful view! See if you can guess where we are and what we are doing!!

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This clue should help (at least on the location).

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1619.jpg

So, did you guess that we were












on














the













roof













of














the Wilderness Lodge....

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1637.jpg
http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1615.jpg
and














we were the Flag Family of the Day! :yay::yay::woohoo::woohoo:

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1636.jpg

This was sooooooooo much fun! If you stay at the Wilderness Lodge, you can inquire at check-in about being the Flag Family of the Day. They will check the book and if there is an opening during your stay, you can do it! That easy!

We met the very sweet Ranger in the WL lobby (I cannot remember his name but will check our certificate at home). He took us to the Club Level floor and we then took stairs to get to the roof. Once we got up there, he had Jeremy help him raise the American flag.

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After Jeremy raised the flag, we all said the Pledge of Allegiance. The ranger than raised the other flags while we were able to look around. You could see park's icon (castle, tree of life, sorcerer's hat, spaceship earth) from up there. It was absolutely the most beautiful site I had ever seen at Disney---stunning!

The ranger then spent some time tell us what we saw and he pointed out Discovery Island to us. I had remembered going there with my parents when I was a child so that was extra special to see where that actually was. As we came back down, the Ranger treated us to breakfast in the Club Level lounge and gave us a certificate for being the Flag Family.

Jeremy standing at the railing on Club Level.

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After breakfast, we still had several hours to spare before we left. We decided we would take the boat one last time over to the Magic Kingdom.

I took some pictures along the way.

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Tom waiting on the boat.

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We got off the boat and decided that before we hit the MK, we needed on last ride on the monorail so we rode the entire loop. By the time we got in the parks, it was starting to get very busy. We looked around in some of the shops for a while. Jeremy wanted to ride the train. I think we ended up riding it 2-3 times (the entire loop) without getting off! It was getting close to our ME pickup time so we head back to the WL.

One last picture before we leave!

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Magical Express arrived to take us back to the airport. Both of my boys slept on the way to the airport so they missed the farewell video.

We had an uneventul flight home and within an hour drive was back to our everyday life!

This trip was all that I wanted it to be and more. It fueled my love of Disney and my desire to go back. However, the boys had a good time but told me I had to wait 2 years before we would go back! They wanted a beach vacation in 2009! :laughing: You already know that there is still a Trip 4 I want to share with you and yes, it was in 2009. So, how did I get them to change their minds? Why did it all come together with crash, boom, bang? Would someone else be going with us? What was "the thing that always happens to us on vacation" moment? Will I leave my family stranded on Tom Sawyer Island? Why oh why did I agree to this?

All of these questions and more will be answered in Trip 4-A Spooktacular Time at Disney! Look for the first post tomorrow!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Isn't it always so depressing to have to pack to return home? I hate that part of the trip! Love the pics!

Thanks! I hate it when I have to leave. I usually try to pack the dirty clothes as we go so it is not soo long of a process.

[MommyMcQueen]

Hi Erika!

Awesome trip recap (as usual)! So glad you got to see the parade and that it wasn't rained out! And SO COOL that you were the Flag Family - amazing view from up there!!!

I'm anxious to hear how you were able to get your way and do another WDW trip in 2009!!!;) And I've been waiting to hear about the incident on Tom Sawyer Island!!! Do tell!

Hmmmm...what always happens to you on vacations??? You didn't really seem to have anything too terrible happen in this trip, so my guess will be that poor Jeremy gets stuck in seemingly inappropriate clothing again!!! :rotfl:

Karen

[MeMom]

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1617.jpg

We got off the boat and decided that before we hit the MK, we needed on last ride on the monorail so we rode the entire loop. By the time we got in the parks, it was starting to get very busy. We looked around in some of the shops for a while. Jeremy wanted to ride the train. I think we ended up riding it 2-3 times (the entire loop) without getting off! It was getting close to our ME pickup time so we head back to the WL.

One last picture before we leave!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq289/yelkca/IMG_1670.jpg



Nice picture from atop the Lodge! :thumbsup2

The last few hours of a trip have a sad undertone, but it is so much easier when you know exactly when you are coming back. Never leave without a new trip on the books, I say! :laughing:

[Lady Lallie]

You absolutely need a re-do for MVMCP!! What a bummer that the rain put a damper on your night!

How fun being the Flag Family, I think it's really sweet that the WL does that. :thumbsup2

[jeremysdisneymom]

Hi Erika!

Awesome trip recap (as usual)! So glad you got to see the parade and that it wasn't rained out! And SO COOL that you were the Flag Family - amazing view from up there!!!

I'm anxious to hear how you were able to get your way and do another WDW trip in 2009!!!;) And I've been waiting to hear about the incident on Tom Sawyer Island!!! Do tell!

Hmmmm...what always happens to you on vacations??? You didn't really seem to have anything too terrible happen in this trip, so my guess will be that poor Jeremy gets stuck in seemingly inappropriate clothing again!!! :rotfl:

Karen

Karen:

I think that poor hoodie could have walked home! It had to be stinking so bad by the time he last wore it! Yes, that was the incident from that trip. There is always some huge story to tell from all of our vacations. Last year, we went to Savannah and Myrtle Beach and actually witnessed a robbery. In DC, I got help from the FBI and Tom and Jeremy ended up in the middle of a marathon! I will keep you guessing on those as I do plan on getting that mini trip report done before I head to Disney!

Flag family was amazing! Jeremy asked if we could do it this time. As much as I would love to, I don't feel that it is right to ask a 2nd time. I want some other family to have the opportunity to experience something so amazing!

Erika

[jeremysdisneymom]

Nice picture from atop the Lodge! :thumbsup2

The last few hours of a trip have a sad undertone, but it is so much easier when you know exactly when you are coming back. Never leave without a new trip on the books, I say! :laughing:

That is great advice! :thumbsup2 Trust me, the wheels are already turning for when I want to go back.

[jeremysdisneymom]

You absolutely need a re-do for MVMCP!! What a bummer that the rain put a damper on your night!

How fun being the Flag Family, I think it's really sweet that the WL does that. :thumbsup2

I agree, a MVMCP redo is a must! It was a lot of fun being the Flag Family. The view was amazing!

[Sooze]

Sooze:

:yay:I remember that from your 2009 report! OMG, I was just thinking the other day as I posted this picture how pretty this Snow White was. She looks like she really stepped out of the fairy tale. Where did you find her at in 2010?

Actually, we were really lucky to be there when she was! She actually moved to California to go to school, but she works seasonally at WDW. She was on her own spring break, and came to WDW to be Snow White for the week. Pretty cool, eh?

[jeremysdisneymom]

Actually, we were really lucky to be there when she was! She actually moved to California to go to school, but she works seasonally at WDW. She was on her own spring break, and came to WDW to be Snow White for the week. Pretty cool, eh?

Very cool! I think it would be a great vacation to work at Disney when I am away from work!

[Sooze]

Yay! You finished trip 3!

Yay! You still have another one to go!

Yay! You got to go back in 2009!

Yay! You were the Flag Family. That is soooooo cool!

Sorry about all of the rain on your MVMCP night. You definitely must go back to get the full experience! We hope to do Christmas at Disney one year soon. We'll just need to save up a BUNCH of DVC points to make that happen!

Ready for the next trip....
:surfweb:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Yay! You finished trip 3!

Yay! You still have another one to go!

Yay! You got to go back in 2009!

Yay! You were the Flag Family. That is soooooo cool!

Sorry about all of the rain on your MVMCP night. You definitely must go back to get the full experience! We hope to do Christmas at Disney one year soon. We'll just need to save up a BUNCH of DVC points to make that happen!

Ready for the next trip....
:surfweb:

Thanks! First post coming this afternoon!

[martinolichfamily]

Erika -
How cool and special memory to be Flag Family of the Day!!
I love that pic of ya'll w/the castle right over your shoulder!! :)
What a great trip!

And....another great trip coming up in just 2 weeks!!!! Can you believe it??!!!! :)

[jeremysdisneymom]

Erika -
How cool and special memory to be Flag Family of the Day!!
I love that pic of ya'll w/the castle right over your shoulder!! :)
What a great trip!

And....another great trip coming up in just 2 weeks!!!! Can you believe it??!!!! :)

Thanks! I know what you mean---2 weeks from today we will be at Walt Disney World. It couldn't get here soon enough!:banana::banana::banana:

[jeremysdisneymom]

A Spooktacular Time at Disney-Trip 4 Day 1


In 2009, our vacation plans consisted of Savannah, GA (had to eat at The Lady and Sons----:love:Love Paula Deen!) and a week at Myrtle Beach. There would be no Disney per Tom and Jeremy and I would have to wait two years before I got to go back. But something happened! It went Crash, Boom, Bang and the idea was soon in my head! But what was it?

It started in January/February of that year when an ice storm blanketed our electric system and I had to be at the office non stop for 1 1/2 weeks, working 16 plus hours a day. Midway, I got sick. I had a bad cold and it would go away and come back about every three weeks. This continued until the end of April. The week started with the doctor calling me in a prescription that eventually made me very nauseous. I was in the ER by Wednesday evening. They sent me home with possible flu and bronchitis. By Friday, I was as pale as a ghost, high fever, had not eaten in several days and was SICK. :sick: On Friday, they finally found the pneumonia. I was out of work for about two weeks. On my first day back, I forgot my lunch and went to town to get fast food.

On the way there, some 19 year old kid hit me head on. :scared1: --Crash, Boom, Bang! I lost the steering and went across the highway, hit a telephone box, and thank God it was muddy as it buried the tires instead of rolling it! I was okay but the Trailblazer was not! (I have pictures but forgot to load them last night. Will do this weekend!) It was completely totaled. So, it was time to get a new vehicle. I bought a new vehicle before I received the settlement on my old one soooooooooo when the payoff came, it was going in savings. :rolleyes1

I thought about it some and mentioned in passing to Tom that we did have some extra money and wouldn't it be great to experience Disney decorated for the fall and ohhhh wouldn't Jeremy just love MNSSHP! Guess what, he agreed! Jeremy, on the other hand, didn't want no part of it. :sad2: What child wouldn't love going to Disney! We thought about how to make the trip special for Jeremy and thought it would be nice for him and an early birthday present for my mom who is turning 60 this year if we asked her to go! He was excited so the trip was on!

Disclosure: My mom would be furious with me if she knew I put her picture on the internet so there will no pictures of her posted!

The Plan:

Thursday-Tuesday over Labor Day Weekend
Staying at Coronado Springs
Free Dining
The 1st MNSSHP in September!

Jeremy went to school as usual on Thursday and we picked him up at 11:00. We had an early afternoon flight out of Cincy Airport. DH was worried that I was cutting it close by getting him at 11:00 and us flying a little after 2. I hate sitting in airports so we are usually the ones you see walking up to the gate when the plane is boarding.

As I walked out of the school with Jeremy, the strap on my Teva sandals broke. :scared1: Those are my park shoes! So, we had to make a quick detour to Dillards and I bought a new pair of Crocs Patricia sandals. I love these sandals! They are so comfortable and were perfect for the parks. DH was getting more and more worried but we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The plane ride was uneventul and we were soon on our way to Magical Express.

This time, we got a bus with Crush on it! So much better than the regular Mears bus in 2008. I have no idea what is going on with the first picture!

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It wasn't long before we were pulling into Coronado Springs. I had never stayed here before but soon fell in love with this resort. The theming is perfect and it has such a calm feeling there. Our room was in the Casitas building which was easy walking to the main building and there was a bus stop not far away.

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We got refreshed and headed out to DHS.

Coronado Springs Bus Stop #2

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I really wanted mom to see Fantasmic at DHS. We love this show and it is a must for us each vacation. They were starting to let the crowd walk in so we quickly grabbed some pizza for supper and made our way to a seat.

My favorite part of the show is Steamboat Willie!

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Mom really enjoyed the show. It was a great start to our vacation! The park was still open so we decided to see the wait time at Toy Story Mania instead of walking with the masses to the buses. The wait, of course, was too long but we found another attraction to explore.

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We had never been to One Man's Dream before but it soon became another family favorite. I could spend hours in there looking around. I plan on doing that this year in the heat! If you have never been, go!

Afterwards, we headed to the buses and CS. We were tired and wanted rest for our first full day at Disney.

Up Next:

A Family Tradition for Breakfast
Will Jeremy ride Tower of Terror?
What Character will Jeremy be at MNSSHP?