SOOZE -A vacation with a toddler is NOT a vacation! FINISHED!!

[IluvXU]

Have a magical trip! I can't wait to read all about it! Hope that Shaelyn stays on the mend and Tyson does not get sick!

 

[Sooze]

Okay everyone.. sing along with me...

So long, farewell, it's time to say goodbye.
We're off, to Disney, the family and I....

do do do do do do do doooooooooo
do do do do do doooooooooooooooo

So long, farwell, Auf Wiedersehen, adieu
And while, I'm there, I'll think of all of you...

do do do do do do do dooooooooooo
do do do do do dooooooooooooo

The sun, has gone, to bed and so must I...
I'll dream, of castles, shimmering in the sky...

Good byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Good byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

((everyone now))
GOOOOOOD BYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEE!!!



See ya real soon!

 

[mlill]

Welcome Home Susie!!! ​

I can't wait to hear all about your trip!!! How was the Boardwalk?!

-Michelle

 

[Sooze]

Well folks... I'm baaaaaaack! I'm working on uploading over 200 pictures to Photobucket. I will have the first installment up sometime this weekend. As for a tease... here it is...


A VACATION WITH A TODDLER IS NOT A VACATION!!!

Don't get me wrong... we had TONS of fun and made lots of memories... but... DANG... these little buggers are WORK, I tell ya!!

Talk to you all later...


and Michelle... the Boardwalk is FABULOUS!!!

 

[timandlesley]

YEah, I get to be first to WELCOME YOU HOME!!!! Love the TR title (if that is indeed the new title) and can't wait to read all about it. After traveling myself with a toddler several times I understand exactly what you are talking about! Can't wait for more and to see all the pics.
Lesley

 

[Sooze]

The alarm goes off at 5:20.. and I jump right up and get into the shower. A few last minute packing moments, and an EASY job of getting the rest of the family up, and we were off! My wonderful brother-in-law who lives 2 houses down from us brought us to the airport at 6:45 in the morning on a Saturday. What a great guy! All is good.. until I start seeing the migraine flashes....

WHAT..?!?! A MIGRAINE?!!? On the morning I'm going to Disney World?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!? Folks, this is a scary thing.. but luckily, I have prescription medication with me at all times. I popped my Midrin and by the time we pulled up to the airport, about fifteen minutes later, its was gone. Whew.. that was a close one!

After that minor glitch.. the pixie dust started flying! We assumed that the Saturday of a holiday weekend would be a nightmare, which is why we arrived a full two hours before our flight was to depart at 9:15am. But our assumption was wrong! There was NO line whatsoever!! We breezed right through check-in and promptly headed to McDonald's for some breakfast.

Our tummies were nice and full with greasy stuff, so we headed to security. I decided to stop and check the departure screen to make sure we were on time, and to check where our gate was... what...?... flight 822... to Orlando.. leaves at 8:15?!!?!? HUH?!?! My computer printout said 9:15.. of course, I didn't double check the flight before we left, and I DID print out the receipt way back in MAY. I guess the time was changed! THANK GOODNESS we are freaks and got there two hours early!

It was all to our advantage, though. Our plane was going to board in 15 minutes. So we had time to stroll through security.. which we did AMAZINGLY well considering all of the carry-on stuff/kids/strollers, etc. that we had. ... then we took a bathroom break.. and onto the plane we went! "How cool is that?" (By the way.. that will be my quote for the trip, and I stole it from Stacey.. the annoying girl on the "Top 7 Must See" station at WDW)

More pixie dust on the plane... we have a really friendly captain that made the announcement "Welcome to flight 822 on route to the house that Mickey built". What a nice change from the robotic voices I usually hear coming out of the cockpit. Once we were up in the air and were able to take out the DVD player, I was able to take a moment to relax. I HIGHLY recommend a portable DVD player when traveling with a toddler! Here are some shots of the plane ride!

My moment of relaxation (one of VERY FEW this trip)

Tyson looking out of the window (he enjoyed this very much)

Shaelyn not so sure about having to sit here for so long

Can I get an AMEN for DVD players? Anyone?

My happy little red head

So, the announcement is made to put away your portable electronic devices.. blah blah blah.. I'm starting to get excited because I know Disney is SO much closer to me! But then the pixie dust begins to exit the airplane...

There is bad weather below They are rerouting us... I swear they took us to Cuba to go around this "weather" as they call it. We were "landing" forEVER!!! Shaelyn started to get really antsy. She never threw a full blown fit, thank goodnes.. but she was SO squirrelly! The awful thing about her toddler-ness, is that she wants NOTHING to do with Daddy when she's cranky or fussy.. so I have to deal with the brunt of it. DH tries to help, but just can't.

By the way, you probably noticed that Shae is not in a car seat. After flying to Iowa this summer, and looking at the "L" shaped seats that are in airplanes, and imagining us dragging that heavy, awkward seat through airports, I decided to leave it. It was a very good decision. She did just fine in the plane seat, and only opted for my lap towards the end of our flight as we were circling Cuba!

Okay.. enough about the flight, eh!? WE ARE HERE!!!
We hopped on the airport tram

and easily found our way to the Magical Express area. We did much better than our January trip when we had to (gasp) ASK for directions!! The lines were pretty long and they were only allowing one family member per family to get in line and register. So we found a big open area for Shae to run around in and waited for DH to finish.

The lines for the buses were long too, but as soon as we got in the Boardwalk line, it started moving onto the bus. SWEET!!!!..... oh.... wait... that CM is looking like she's counting people... and... oh no... it looks like we aren't going to..... DARNIT!! She pulled the rope right in front of us.... We had to wait at least 20 minutes for our bus...

It's free, I kept telling myself... it's free....

Luckily, we had a GREAT CM named James there to keep us happy. This guy was awesome. He had us singing Disney songs and told jokes. One time, a row emptied as the folks got on their bus. He walked up to the empty row and yelled, "NO PUSHING IN THIS LINE!!!" It was hilarious!

Here is a picture of James. He's the best!

Finally on the bus, we only had to wait a few minutes for everyone to get on, and we were finally off. Here are some happy boys

I'll finish this installment with the greatest view EVER!

Up next.. we arrive at the BOARDWALK!

 

[IluvXU]

I can't wait to read more and hear about how Shaelyn does since she and my Em are about the same age. Yes... it is not relaxing with an 18 month old... but it is still a great trip with tons of memories!

 

[timandlesley]

Great Start Susie! Loving the pictures. Yes, you can get an "amen" from me about DVD players and kids on planes. AMEN!!!! Looks like a good start, so glad your migraine didn't last long. Sorry about the Magical Express wait, that stinks, but glad James was there to make you smile. MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lesley

 

[dismom9761]

I love the first installment!! The pics are awesome-lokking forward to reading more.

 

[DisneyJo]

Loving your TR so far, your DD is so cute

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

Don't you just love flying out of Indy? We do. It's much better than Midway or O'Hare. I know you live close to Indy so it's a no-brainer, but we have a 3 hour drive down from Valparaiso. We still prefer it! I'm glad the flight time change actually worked out for you. Sorry about your morning migrane. It must have been the travel day stress. I'm glad your meds worked quickly.

Shaelyn is the cutest little redhead! I remember when Conner was that little with his bright red hair!

ME is still worth it, even if you have to wait awhile for a bus. We used to do the towncar thing or rent a car before ME. Now we use the money we used to spend on transportation on other things! Thanks for the WDW entrance picture. Ahhhhh... I can't wait to see it again in a few weeks!

Waitin' for the Boardwalk!!!
-Michelle

 

[Hedy]

Love the magic gates!

 

[kindakrazy2]

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

 

[Sooze]

I can't wait to read more and hear about how Shaelyn does since she and my Em are about the same age. Yes... it is not relaxing with an 18 month old... but it is still a great trip with tons of memories!

Thanks for checking in. I have been loving your report for the same reason.. seeing how WDW was with an 18 month old! And, true... LOTS of great memories!

Great Start Susie! Loving the pictures. Yes, you can get an "amen" from me about DVD players and kids on planes. AMEN!!!! Looks like a good start, so glad your migraine didn't last long. Sorry about the Magical Express wait, that stinks, but glad James was there to make you smile. MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lesley

More is on the way... stay tuned!

I love the first installment!! The pics are awesome-lokking forward to reading more.

Thanks for checking in! I'm glad you're enjoying the pics. I took over 200, but still wished I had more!

Loving your TR so far, your DD is so cute

Thanks! I think she's pretty darn cute myself!

Don't you just love flying out of Indy? We do. It's much better than Midway or O'Hare. I know you live close to Indy so it's a no-brainer, but we have a 3 hour drive down from Valparaiso. We still prefer it! I'm glad the flight time change actually worked out for you. Sorry about your morning migrane. It must have been the travel day stress. I'm glad your meds worked quickly.

Shaelyn is the cutest little redhead! I remember when Conner was that little with his bright red hair!

ME is still worth it, even if you have to wait awhile for a bus. We used to do the towncar thing or rent a car before ME. Now we use the money we used to spend on transportation on other things! Thanks for the WDW entrance picture. Ahhhhh... I can't wait to see it again in a few weeks!

Waitin' for the Boardwalk!!!
-Michelle

Thanks for reading! Yes, I LOVE the Indianapolis airport. I can't WAIT until the new one opens... it will be even CLOSER to my house since the entrance will be on the west side. I'll probably be able to get there in under ten minutes!

And I LOVE your CRV pic in your siggie. Stay tuned to the TR, and you'll see a not-so-good pic of the construction at CR.

Love the magic gates!

Me too!

Great start! Can't wait to read more!

You'll have to wait just a little bit... I'll get another update soon... promise!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Great start to the report, did they make you go through customs when you landed in Cuba? Sorry, bad humor. I would be much funnier if I was still in Disney.

cant wait for the rest of the report.

 

[dismom9761]

HI!!

 

[Sooze]

Great start to the report, did they make you go through customs when you landed in Cuba? Sorry, bad humor. I would be much funnier if I was still in Disney.

cant wait for the rest of the report.

Funny!

HI!!

Hi! I'm still here.. just trying to get through a REALLY busy week. Tyson started Karate AND Cub Scouts this week, had a financial planning meeting last night.. depressing.. and my in-laws are coming up for the weekend. I'm dying to get back in front of the computer and continue... This weekend by the latest.. I promise!!

 

[born2bird]

Hi Sooze,

I just finished reading your other report from start to finish and jumped over to this one. I can't wait to read more. However, you are going to get me fired. I am completely addicted to trip reports and have spent A LOT of time reading yours these past 2 days.

You have a beautiful family!

~Kim

 

[Sooze]

Our ME ride was uneventful. I was happy to see that they had updated the video to go along with the YOAMD celebration. When DH and I were there in January, it still had the Happiest Celebration on Earth going on...

Here's the staple photo of any Disney vacation:

We had to drop off a few folks at CBR... I really like that resort. DH and I have stayed there twice before (Pre-DVC days) and thought it was pretty great for a 'moderate' resort.

Okay... On to the Boardwalk. We quickly left the bus and I felt guilty I didn't tip the driver... well... he only took our umbrella stroller out from under the bus.. plus.. I had no singles. NOTE TO SELF: Next trip, go to the bank and stock up on singles for tipping!!

The lobby was gorgeous!! I immediately looked for the TV that plays Disney cartoons to entertain the little ones and found... NONE... Oh well, I entertained them the old fashioned way. We climbed on every single chair in the lobby, played with the fringe on the fancy bench, and explored. Probably a more physical and educational wait than vegging in front of the TV, but definitely more exhausting for me. But you'll see that this becomes the norm!
Here is DH checking in:

And here are the kiddos on one of the many chairs we visited:

I was glad to find out that our room wasn't too far away. We quickly found our way there. I'm sorry I didn't take pictures of the carpeting in the BWV hallways, but it is very cute. It looks like sand with footprints in it! We were in room 1109, which was my phone extension at school. I thought that was cool, but DH didn't really seem to care... party pooper...

Here's our 1BR villa:
Couch/Sleeper for Tyson:

Couch/Sleeper note: This thing was WAY COOL. It did not unfold like a normal couch. You didn't have to remove any cushions! The entire thing unfolded and had a secret compartment to store the pillows. It was neat!

Full kitchen with dishwasher:

Our "master" bedroom. I LOVE the big bed!

A view looking out of the MBR. The bathroom to the right has a jacuzzi tub, sink, walk in closet (where Shae slept in her pack n play). The bathroom right after that had a shower, sink, and toilet. The small closet to the left had a washer and dryer in it! MAJOR DVC PERK!!

Bathroom shots:

Quick bathroom note: Not sure if this is true of all Disney resorts, but we did not have the regular red/black/white/yellow complimentary soaps, lotions, etc. They had new blue ones that looked more "spa-esque". You can see them sitting on the counter above. I like 'em!

These were the coasters left on the table.. notice the Mickey?

Here is the view from our little patio:

And looking to the left, you could see the entrance to our beautiful resort:

We were quite hungry after our travels, and our groceries weren't supposed to be delivered until 1 at the earliest, so I sent the boys out to find some food while I waited for luggage. They found a pizza place on the boardwalk and showed up with some YUMMY pepperoni pizza and some much needed Diet Coke!

The luggage showed up quickly and I started to make our little villa our home for a few days. Tyson and Matt quickly headed over to Epcot to buy their tickets (Matt had to renew his AP) and ride a few favs. Of course, we had to wait for the afternoon downpour to pass first....

Stay tuned and I'll share my annoying Grocery delivery story with you. Plus, find out if Shaelyn ever napped that day!!

 

[Sooze]

Hi Lesley,

I just finished reading your other report from start to finish and jumped over to this one. I can't wait to read more. However, you are going to get me fired. I am completely addicted to trip reports and have spent A LOT of time reading yours these past 2 days.

You have a beautiful family!

~Kim

Are you talking to me or to Lesley!? Not that I mind, Lesley's a pretty cool DISer to get confused with!!

Susie