How To Lose Waldo in 10 days-The Trilogy~NEW 10/26 - Final Thoughts; Adios Amigos!

[Lauralee131]

And...I'm back....​

The alarm went off at 6:45 am and I ... well I don’t remember exactly what I did except I know I didn’t get up.

We slept. Everyone was beat and we needed just a wee bit more sleep. Finally around 8:30 ish, we all started stirring and slowly began to wake up. I texted V and LL to let them know we’d just gotten up and we’d meet them somewhere in AK around 10am ish.​

Imagine my surprise when I got the first text around 8:30...Mojito's R the devil...

Ok, that part wasn't the surprise, but the fact that everyone was up and moving was the surprise...My boys certainly needed the Shake & Wake this morning...​

I headed to the kitchen to start some coffee and noticed Waldo was awake and watching TV with an empty coffee mug in his hand. He’d been waiting for me to get up and make coffee. Seriously. He’s got functioning arms – he can make coffee. But he likes the way I make coffee, so he waited. And then he reminded me that he’s been waiting. For awhile.

OMG - I can totally picture Waldo - possibly with a slight hangover himself, sitting at the table with that mug in hand...just waiting...head throbbing...maybe flashing back to his mental picture of Ariel...head throbbing some more...​

It was nearing 10 am and I knew we wouldn’t make it in time, so I sent another text to the girls to let them know. Apparently we all were slow that morning and as we headed to the bus stop, we ran into LL, Tony and Michael. The AK arrived shortly and we made our way through all the SSR bus stops and low and behold, V & Leo jump on at The Springs and we’re all off to AK.

Our bus mojo was ON FIYA!!​

It was close to 11:00 am by the time we made it to the turnstyles, and the park was looking pretty empty. Tony needed to renew his AP, so we waited for them to take care of that whilst the rest of us took care of business; potty breaks, hat shopping and stocking up on water. Finally LL & company joined us and we walked toward the Safari’s with Leo as our tour guide. He was a very gracious host, leading the way and chatting about the ride and the animals & the famous “upside down” tree all the while Maddie held hands with Mr. Michael. Of course, being the proper young lady she is, she did in fact ask Michael if he would like to hold her hand. Naturally, he shrugged “Um… OK.”

Boy it took forever and a day to renew that AP...some computer problems or something. And, a little factoid you may or may not know that I discovered...those CM's can track your every movement by entering your AP # in the system. The CM was able to see that I've used mine "several times" since January and exactly WHERE I was...​

Big brother's always watching...​

LL had received a special FP for the Safari’s since the CM had taken such a long time to get Tony his new AP, so that took care of them and I still had the magical FP’s so I could use them all to get the rest of us on quickly as well.

The one good thing about the wait...the CM felt badly about making us wait, asked what ride we wanted to make sure we went on that day, we said the KS, and he whipped out some form that gave us a "Go to the head of the line" pass...Woooo Hoooooo!!!​

When we finally made it to the ride, it had a 10 minute wait time, so we just nixed the FP idea and literally walked right on. We were a party of 11 and they divided us into 3 rows. I don’t remember who rode with who, but I do remember Michael telling Maddie that she had to stay with him. It was so funny, because he said it in typical husband fashion. I got a kick out of it.

It was pretty funny....remember that? I laughed my butt off..."You stay right here"...​

I was almost waiting for him to grab her by the hair and drag her back to his cave. They snuggled together the whole ride and then Michael attempted to impress his date with his mad photography skillz!!​

Next we all walked the Pangani Forest trail.

Seriously, a rabbit? C'mon.

Yep - for a mere $78 one day ticket you can come and see the native rabbits...​

This guy ... well not so much.

​

I love this picture!! Too cute!!​

After we finished there, we were ready for some lunch. Michael spied the Train to Planet Watch, so he and his family headed there. The rest of us went in search of some lunch. Waldo and TE really wanted ribs – blech! And Leo, Maddie & Evan wanted pizza. I hesitated letting Waldo and TE go off on their own, but I really didn’t feeling like dealing with meat on a bone, so I asked them if they minded if we went our separate ways for lunch. They were fine, had cell phones with them and I gave them explicit directions on how to get to Flame Tree. I told them to call me when they were finished and we’d meet up with them at the Majarajah Jungle Trek.

We split up here...Michael decided (even though he wanted lunch) that he absolutely-positively-I'll-just-die-if-don't ride Rafiki's train to the Conservation Station...we'd actually never done this before, so it was something new...​

I got a good laugh from my friend CE, who sent me the funniest text message. It read:

“DO I GET A PRIZE? I FOUND WALDO!!”

I busted out laughing and texted her asking if she was at FTBBQ. Then I laughed again to find out she was at Yak & Yeti! Apparently Waldo didn’t follow my directions and instead of turning right at the 2nd bridge, he turned left, right into the Yak & Yeti counter service where CE was dining with her family. Too funny!​

Way to go CE!!!​

I spoke with TE and told her to meet us at Maharajah Trek in a few minutes. We made our way over and V called LL to let her know where we were and that we’d meet in the bat room. We were literally 100 feet from the entrance, when we spied Waldo and TE. BUT they headed in and didn’t wait for us. D’Oh!​

We made our way down the trek looking at all the animals and the nasty bats.​

Dude, those things are waaay CREEPY! Blech!

My skin's crawling just looking at the picture...​

We, sadly, were still stuck at CS...this must've been right around the time my patience with CS was wearing thin...​

No sign of LL, so we continued on and look who we found:​

Just as we were about to come to the end, the rains started. And OH BOY, it was coming down. We took shelter among the tall bamboo and just watched as it came down in sheets.​

We ducked into Tusker House and grabbed lunch as we watched Fay slam Orlando, YET AGAIN....

I promised the kids I would go down to the Sundries shop and get them some microwave popcorn, just so they’d back off. We said our good-byes to V and jumped off the bus. As soon as the bus pulled away, Maddie let out a blood curdling scream! She had left her doll on the bus! ​

First let me say this: I had told this child every day that she needed to leave that doll in the room so she wouldn’t get lost. Maddie fussed every morning about taking the doll and I made it clear that if the doll got lost, I would not buy another one.​

Thankfully V was still on the bus, so I called her and asked if she could grab the doll and hold on to her until later. I knew we’d see her and Leo at Narcoossee’s later that night and I would get the doll then. V offered to drive the doll over, but I didn’t want to trouble her. Which in hind sight, would have been a good idea, since I later realized V would have to carry the darn doll to the restaurant. D’Oh! Sorry, V!

I told Maddie that Miss V had her doll and we would get her later. She still was in tears, but knew he doll was not lost.​

Another perk to traveling with friends...they can retrieve lost items...

I can just imagine what people thought about V with a little boy and a girl doll...​

We all got ready for our ADR at Narcoossee’s and headed down to take the bus to the MK and transfer onto the Monorail to the GF. We ended up running into Lauralee at the bus stop. They were on their way to the Poly for an ADR at O’Hana’s. The bus made it’s way ‘round the other SSR bus stops and at one point, a family climbed on with their double stroller and a 12 pack of Bud. OMG! I was classic. They were straight outta “Married to the Mob”. The wife was like a cartoon character, she had a bad case of mono-brow and wore these 4 inch cork wedges. They were a riot to watch and listen to. ​

As we got off the bus at MK, they fumbled trying to hide their 12 pack in the stroller. I laughed because I knew they’d never get through security with that.​

Another LOUSY argument for the stroller price increase...these mooks (and I can say that as I'm a) part Italian and 2) a New Yorker, got on the bus with the LARGEST of large double strollers, left it in the center of the bus, making no attempt to even be curteous should anyone need to actually walk up or down the aisle to enter or exit the bus. And OMG...the 12 pack...too funny...they were quite the interesting family...Loud, brassy, tacky...T - do you remember the size of the rock on her hand though? They obviously had some money. But proof that money can't buy everything...like social skills...

The GF boat was just pulling in, so we decided that would be faster as the boat dock is just a few steps from Narcoossee’s. We said “See ya in little while!” to the Lauralee Family and jumped on our boat. The ride was nice and peaceful with no rain and just partial sun. Just as we pulled up to the dock, a sprinkle started. We quickly walked over to Narcoosee’s and were seated in minutes.​

We were jealous...we LOVE Narcoossee's, but love O'hanas too...it was nice to share the bus ride though...yet again I'll say how fun it is traveling with friends. Not that we were traveling TOGETHER so to speak, but it made my vacation to see you guys so often...I really enjoyed it...

At one point during the meal, I did walk over with Maddie to see V & Leo and to get a photo of them dining together. They’re so perfect together.​

How cute!!​

We settled our bill and were fixin’ to leave when we noticed the torrential rain outside! We had to get to the lobby to catch the monorail to the Poly. We waited just outside the restaurant for it to slow down and when I realized it wasn’t going to, we threw on our ponchos and made a run for it.​

Gee...there's something new...a torrential downpour when we're supposed to be at the Poly enjoying pineapple goodness...

Waldo joined us and we made our way over to the Monorail and waited. And waited. And waited. I think I texted V or LL to let them know I was enroute or stuck on a monorail or something. We finally made it to the Poly and as I walked in, I stopped for just a second, took a deep breath and soaked it all in.​

We may or may not have been 2 drinks up on ya by then....

Ok, so I head over to the Tambu to find my Focker friends! And that’s when I see them ALL! ​

UP NEXT:​

Fockerfest Part Deux​

Shut up, was it really that late?!

Seriously, the first part of that morning is a total fog to me. I can't imagine why. ​

Hmmm...wonder why? Heh heh...

Hmmm... I seem to remember sightly different version. Where's LL to weigh in on this?!

Shoot...I've been multi-quoting so much, I can't remember what this was about....​

And YEAH! Where is LL??? ​

HERE!!! Here!! Here!!!!

Better late than never, right???​

 

[Lauralee131]

I seem to recall meeting LL and company at the Springs stop... someone coughcoughLLcoughcough left her car there the night before.

Oh shoot...you're RIGHT...

Yes, that would be me...I left the car...

After our evening at the lounge, driving would NOT have been a good idea.

And besides...SOMEONE had to walk Tracy home...

 

[OhMari]

People have been posting this picture and I never knew there were bats hanging too.

 

[englishrose47]

Good Morning!!

 

[cmp1111]

They were fine, had cell phones with them and I gave them explicit directions on how to get to Flame Tree.

Ahem. Sorry, do go on.

I got a good laugh from my friend CE, who sent me the funniest text message. It read:

“DO I GET A PRIZE? I FOUND WALDO!!”

Still waiting on the prize, though.

he turned left, right into the Yak & Yeti counter service where CE was dining with her family. Too funny!

And I have to say, he looked a little lost.

We stepped inside the lobby to find a basket of nice warm towels of which to dry off with. Nice touch, eh?

Ooh, fancy!

Ok, so I head over to the Tambu to find my Focker friends! And that’s when I see them ALL!

Except for me... Sniff, sniff...

We, sadly, were still stuck at CS...this must've been right around the time my patience with CS was wearing thin...

T was looking for you. She texted me that since I'd found Waldo, could I find you, too?

​

 

[Lauralee131]

T was looking for you. She texted me that since I'd found Waldo, could I find you, too?

I couldn't get Michael out of that stinkin' Conservation Station! He wanted nothing to do with the characters, but loved all the little windows he could look in and see bugs, snakes, etc...

And then, sadly, he saw the petting zoo...

It was NOT easy getting him out of there...plus I was starting to feel kind of crappy...I began my trip with a raspy voice I woke up with on Thursday and this day I was really starting to feel like I was coming down with something...so I was wayyyy low on patience that day...He was not happy with me hustling him out of there like I did. By then, everyone was already done with lunch and moving on and we had some catching up to do!!

And then the rain, rain, rain....well, you know the drill....

 

[ncsjodi]

Okay, T. I've got to be more careful reading your installments. Don't you know that laughing still hurts me??

I can't believe you lost Waldo and CE found him! That's hilarious. And the people on the bus with the 12 pack?? I think they must be the same family that sat with JenV on the plane!

The Focker kids are just adorable!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

So I think I saw you this day at AK, walking near-ish to Y&Y. I was tired and bored and waiting for Z to get to POR and I thought I saw a TFW lanyard but wasn't sure... Probably was you with all my luck! LOL.

D'Oh!

Maddie and Michael are so cute! Another young Disney wedding already in the works. Dis kids are being matched up all over the place.

Those 2 were holding hands all over the place. See the thing is, LL and I both dreamed of a Disney wedding, so since neither of us had one, we have to push it on our kids!

You must make some REALLY good coffee!

Nope, Waldo's just lazy.

I don't buy that this is Waldo's last trip to the world.

Me neither. Last year was his last trip. BUT, he won't be back next year or 2010 - no room for him.

Well, now - Boy's Night Out wasn't exactly a Plan B...it was planned for months...at least for us...I don't know if the guys knew that though... I already had a feeling coming up about Tony and the rain though...

Ahhhh....Waldo...leading the charge...in the wrong direction...I'll give him an A for effort though!!

Story of my LIFE!

Ya'll should have been there...it was a brief, fleeting moment, where Andy's eyes seemed to meet with T's...for just a split second and she goes, "Beat it"

Heh heh... I'd forgotten about that!

I just loved, loved, loved staying in the same resort as my dear friends How fun was that?!?!

Ditto! It was nice to know that I'd know someone at the pool bar.

I seem to recall meeting LL and company at the Springs stop... someone coughcoughLLcoughcough left her car there the night before.

Oh SNAP!! You are right, my friend. Darn fuzzy notes!

It was pretty funny....remember that? I laughed my butt off..."You stay right here"...

I was almost waiting for him to grab her by the hair and drag her back to his cave. They snuggled together the whole ride and then Michael attempted to impress his date with his mad photography skillz!!

That's right!

I can just imagine what people thought about V with a little boy and a girl doll...

And OMG...the 12 pack...too funny...they were quite the interesting family...Loud, brassy, tacky...T - do you remember the size of the rock on her hand though? They obviously had some money. But proof that money can't buy everything...like social skills...

I missed the rock, I couldn't get past her eye-brows.

We were jealous...we LOVE Narcoossee's, but love O'hanas too...it was nice to share the bus ride though...yet again I'll say how fun it is traveling with friends. Not that we were traveling TOGETHER so to speak, but it made my vacation to see you guys so often...I really enjoyed it...

Yup, it was just enought togetherness.

People have been posting this picture and I never knew there were bats hanging too.

Ewww! Let me just say, they're so ewwww, in person!

Good Morning!!

Morning, Rosie!

And I have to say, he looked a little lost.

He did? WOW! Usually when he's lost he just walks like he knows where he's going.

Okay, T. I've got to be more careful reading your installments. Don't you know that laughing still hurts me??

I can't believe you lost Waldo and CE found him! That's hilarious. And the people on the bus with the 12 pack?? I think they must be the same family that sat with JenV on the plane!

The Focker kids are just adorable!

Sorry Jodi! But pain through laughter is good, no?

 

[cmp1111]

And then the rain, rain, rain....well, you know the drill....

Yes, yes I do...

He did? WOW! Usually when he's lost he just walks like he knows where he's going.

Nope, he was kind of peering around and looking like he really had no clue where he was. I should have said something.

 

[englishrose47]

Checking in home from work! Gotta work 2nd job next 2 days !! No rest for the wicked sooo I must be really BAD!!!! I think Waldo and my Mum would have made a great touring pair !! CE could have found them both!!

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

Actually, I should say I heard them before I actually saw them! I ran over and shouted “HI!” and then ran around like a crazy woman hugging and saying hi to everyone!

I finally got to meet Kate (sharkb8), Mel (MuffinyMel) Z (LurrrvtheDuck) & her friend Yanni, Kat (KatGarcia) – that was fantastic! Then I got the biggest surprise of all … Jo was there! I wasn’t expecting to see her or her DD Jessica, but I was ecstatic that they made it after all!

I ordered a cocktail and attempted to make my way around the group to try and get a chance to chat with everyone. Not possible, let me tell you. I sat for a bit and caught up with Jo and Jessica. They told me about their trip so far and then Evan came over and snatched the cherries from their drinks! He’s a cherry fiend, and couldn’t have been happier.

The I started chatting with Z, Kat and Yanni. Let me just say I got much love for Kat! She’s so warm and bubbly, and sassy. She’s got that New York zest to her, but she’s also very sweet and hilarious! And then there’s Z and Yanni – my brown sisters! They were so cool! I felt like already knew Z, as she sounded exactly like I thought she would. She’s too crazy & I had to tell her how my nephews have a crush on her! And Yanni – let me tell you. She was a good sport. She sat with all these nutty Fockers like she was a life long member! I also found out from these ladies that they drank the Tambu out of pineapples again! Whoo Hoo! 2 years running now!

I turned around to find V and LL, and was so excited to see them sitting with Kate. I went over and gave Kate a big old hug! I had so been looking forward to meeting her. She’s so sweet and her kids are absolutely fantastic. Her eldest was super nice to Maddie and reassured her when there was some conflict among the little ones. She was the only little girl this night, besides Jessica.

The night went on and it became apparent my family was ready to head out. Heck, I even considered sending them off without me, but I knew we had an early morning at MK the next day, so I called it a night. I said my good-byes and then when I got to Kat and Z, they gave me a bag.

When I opened the bag, I must have let out a small scream when I saw ….

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

I was completely shocked that they had “found” him and liberated him on my behalf! It was so funny and so sweet! Finally, my man was coming home with me after being lost for almost a year!

Thanks Kat and Z! You girls made my night! :

My family and I made our way over to the monorail station and luckily one just pulled in. We climbed aboard and as we made it to the next station, I realized had I forgotten my camera on the table at the Tambu. I figured I’d just go ‘round again and jump off and grab it. Andy told me to try V and see if she could grab it for me. I called V, but she didn’t pick up, but 2 seconds later, she texted me that she had my camera. Ah, that V, she’s my saving grace!

We got back to the room, showered and hit the sack. We were all beat, but looking forward to our first day in the Magic Kingdom!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s what my itinerary said:

8/23 Magic Kingdom AM

8am Bus AIS time
9am Rope Drop
Ride Dumbo, IASW, Peter Pan, Pooh & Teacups
10am Ride Barnstormer
Train to Frontierland
FP for Splash Mtn.
10:30 Ride BTMRR
11am Snack Time!
Ride POTC, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin & Splash Mtn
1:00 Lunch & Leave Park

Here’s what actually happened:

The night before, LL and V decided to join us at Magic Kingdom. I was excited. We’d all had such a good time touring together, it seemed natural to hit the next park together, KWIM?

I let them know AIS time was 8:00am and I knew they’d do their best to make it, if not we were fine to meet up some time later.

The alarm went off and everyone woke with very little drama and/or persistence, with the exception of Waldo and TE. They were tired and decided to take it slow this morning and they’d call when they got to the MK. That was fine with us. The kids, well they were geared up and ready to get their ride on with their buddies, Michael and Leo! We readied ourselves and at 8:00 am I texted LL & V to let them know we were heading to the bus. V texted back she was ready and heading to the bus. No word from LL.

We waited forever for a MK bus. I want to say at least 30 minutes. That really sucked! Finally a MK bus arrived and off we went. I texted V and let her know a bus finally showed and we’d see her soon. V and Leo boarded at the Springs and we were off! LL had let V know that she was a few minutes behind, and she would catch up with us at MK.

We actually made it to rope drop with about 10 minutes to spare. We stood and waited for the opening show when I spied this:

Who do you see in this picture??

Hey, it’s a two-for! There’s LL, Tony & Michael … oh and look Waldo & TE!

It appears Waldo and TE met up with LL at the bus stop and they rode over together. They did the opening show and we thought of Jo as the Family of the Day were from England. We did a double take to see if it was the DisneyJo family!

As we headed down Main Street, Dream Team CM’s were blowing bubbles and I reached out and caught one, and made a Disney wish! We are so winning a dream today – I told the girls! I just had that feeling and was going to bank on it. They gave me the rolling eyes and off we went. As we made our way toward FL, we ran into to Jo and her family. They were heading toward Buzz, naturally.

The plan called for Dumbo, IASW, then Peter Pan. Well, Tour Guide Leo had other plans. He suggested we all go on Peter Pan instead. V gave me a look like “I hope you don’t mind?” I didn’t mind at all – you see I kinda threw the plan to the wind. I let the kids take over and let them determine where we would go. Before we climbed aboard our ships and sailed through Neverland, I spied the Dream Team at the exit of the ride. Woo hoo! Here it is! This is our chance. I anticipated a win as soon as we exited the ride, but the Dream Team was long gone by then. Oh well.

I let Evan choose our next ride, and naturally he chose IASW. When I announced it to the group, my little friend Michael announced “Oh MAN! That ride is soooo lame!” OMG! He made me crack up. I asked him if he’d just go along with it as it’s Evan’s favorite, and he rolled his eyes and nodded his head. Gotta love Mr. Michael.

Tony decided it was lame, and chose to take a “butt” break instead. Bad decision, Mr. Tony. As we exited the ride … guess who we ran into? Yup, you guessed it! The Dream Team, baby!!! We won Dream Ears!!! I was so excited, I didn’t care that they weren’t Dream FP’s – I was excited to win anything that wasn’t a Certificate. NO-V

Wouldn’t this make a cute Christmas card?

It was Mr. Michael’s turn to pick a ride, and he went with Buzz Lightyear. We started to head toward Tomorrowland, when we ran into Jo and her family. They saw our Dream Ears, and I told them we just won at IASW. They ran off in that direction. On our way to Buzz, we got side tracked by Pooh and decided to go ahead and ride that. Then we got side tracked by the Teacups.

Making our way through Fantasyland:

V needed a potty break, so LL and I took the kids on. Well, Waldo and TE jumped in there and took Evan in one cup and LL had Michael, Leo and Maddie – so I sorta made my way to exit. Sorry LL. I stood on the side lines and got some pics of them spinning ‘round and ‘round.

The ride ended and they all came bouncing off the ride, laughing and giggling, LL included! She’s so much fun!

Next up was Buzz – we attempted to let the kids ride alone, but the CM’s wouldn’t let them, so we all paired off. Sorry, no pics there.

As we exited the ride, Maddie and LL wanted to do the Carousel of Progress. V and Leo decided they wanted to get their ride on and headed toward Toon Town to ride Goofy’s Barnstormer. The rest of us entered CoP, but then Evan decided he didn’t want to see the show so he and Andy headed out. I should have sent him with V and Leo to ride Barnstormer, oh well.

As we left CoP … It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow … I love that ride. Oh, sorry – as we left CoP, we met up with V, Leo, Andy and Evan and it was Leo’s turn, and he chose the People Mover. All the kids were happy with that and we got in line for that. Somehow, I got caught toward the front of the line with the kids and ended up riding with all 4 of them! Pay back, eh LL?

I enjoyed the ride, scaring them a little bit when we entered the dark tunnel… heh heh heh, and just being silly with them. I don’t know how it started, but the boys started bantering back and forth and Maddie was in the middle telling them “Now boys, no arguing.” I quickly diverted their attention to other things, and the bantering stopped as quickly as it started. We exited the ride and I think everyone sensed, we’d had enough togetherness for the morning.

V and Leo decided to see some Pirates, and LL and her boys were going to see some ghost. My group decided we’d hit the Amazon and then grab some lunch. We said good-bye to our friends, with hopes of seeing each other at the pool later this afternoon. As we walked away, I notice no line at MI: LF, so we stopped there only to be told the show was “down” and would be running momentarily. Momentarily in Disneyspeak could be minutes or could be hours. We decided not to wait and headed to our original plan, JC.

As we walked toward Adventureland, Maddie started getting pissy and whining about MI: LF. Well, Andy snapped, hauled her off to the side and gave her a talking to. What ever he said worked, as I didn’t see a sign of an unhappy girl for the rest of the day.

The only shot we got of us infront of the castle:

When we got to JC, the Stand-by line was 30 minutes, so we decided to put our Magical DVC FP’s to work. We walked right on with those bad boys! I’ve never been on the JC at WDW, only DLR and let me say they are quite different. JC at WDW is far superior! I loved it!

It was just about time for some lunch, so I steered my family toward CHH and the hopes of some magical tuna. It was quiet in there – hardly any people and we had our choice of seats. We found a small empty room with maybe 8 tables and sat down to enjoy our meal. Wow, when she says “Trust V”, she’s right. The tuna was magical. It was probably the most perfect tuna Sammie I’ve ever had. The tuna, was moist, without being “wet” or “soggy” – it had finely chopped celery and something else, parsley maybe? It was so fine you couldn’t really tell. Along side the tuna, was a nice slice of tomato and a lettuce. And it was all held together with the most wonderful whole grain bread. I was in magical tuna heaven. V had steered me in the right direction, not once, but twice now.

We finished up lunch and headed back to our room. Not before hitting every single store on the right side of Main Street. Maddie found more of those “My Disney Girl” doll outfits and bought Belle a Minnie Mouse outfit. Evan found the WDW Railroad Train set in the window and had to have it. We searched the store high and low for the darn thing, but couldn’t find it. Finally we asked a CM where it was and she told us they only sell them at Christmas time. WTH? Why do they have it in the window then? Another CM overheard this and told us to try Once Upon A Toy in DTD.
As we made our way out the gates, a CM asked why we were leaving so soon. I told him we haven’t had a chance to use our resort pool and with the sun out, we wanted to take advantage of that! Fair enough he replied.

We got back to the room, and threw our swim suits on. I texted the girls to let them know we were going to the High Rocks Pool. V texted back that she would see us there in a little while. No word from LL. We got to the pool and it was only slightly crowded. I sent Andy to get Maddie a life vest and kept Evan in zero entry area until Andy came back. Maddie put on her life vest and decided she wanted to hit the big slide. I asked if she remembered how to get up there and she said she did. I watched her go up the stairs and disappear only have her reappear at the top of the little rocky mountain.

V & Leo showed up and watched with me as Maddie made her way down the slide. She conquered that slide last year with Jessica and Ellie and this year she owned it! I was so proud of her. Andy, V and I hung out and watched the kids play and swim for about and hour and then decided we’d better get back as we had something very exciting tonight and we didn’t want to be late.

UP NEXT: FOCKERFEST!!!

 

[jcc0621]

I headed to the kitchen to start some coffee and noticed Waldo was awake and watching TV with an empty coffee mug in his hand. He’d been waiting for me to get up and make coffee. Seriously. He’s got functioning arms – he can make coffee. But he likes the way I make coffee, so he waited. And then he reminded me that he’s been waiting. For awhile.

If it were me he'd still be waiting. I don't make coffee since I dont drink it!

Of course, being the proper young lady she is, she did in fact ask Michael if he would like to hold her hand. Naturally, he shrugged “Um… OK.”

Michael sounds like he was really enthused about this

They were fine, had cell phones with them and I gave them explicit directions on how to get to Flame Tree. I told them to call me when they were finished and we’d meet up with them at the Majarajah Jungle Trek.

Somehow I don't think is what happened

The rest of us headed to my favorite CS, Pizzayucky. I wasn’t feeling the pizza, so I opted for a Caesar salad whilst the rest of my group chowed down on pizza. Yucky.

Jimmy and Andrew liked the pizza here.

I got a good laugh from my friend CE, who sent me the funniest text message. It read:

“DO I GET A PRIZE? I FOUND WALDO!!”

We all got ready for our ADR at Narcoossee’s and headed down to take the bus to the MK and transfer onto the Monorail to the GF. We ended up running into Lauralee at the bus stop. They were on their way to the Poly for an ADR at O’Hana’s. The bus made it’s way ‘round the other SSR bus stops and at one point, a family climbed on with their double stroller and a 12 pack of Bud. OMG! I was classic. They were straight outta “Married to the Mob”. The wife was like a cartoon character, she had a bad case of mono-brow and wore these 4 inch cork wedges. They were a riot to watch and listen to.

WOnder is they got the 12 pack into MK

We stepped inside the lobby to find a basket of nice warm towels of which to dry off with. Nice touch, eh?

Ok, so I head over to the Tambu to find my Focker friends! And that’s when I see them ALL!

NOT all

Except for me... Sniff, sniff...

Me either CE

I also found out from these ladies that they drank the Tambu out of pineapples again! Whoo Hoo! 2 years running now!

When I opened the bag, I must have let out a small scream when I saw ….

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

Tony decided it was lame, and chose to take a “butt” break instead. Bad decision, Mr. Tony. As we exited the ride … guess who we ran into? Yup, you guessed it! The Dream Team, baby!!! We won Dream Ears!!! I was so excited, I didn’t care that they weren’t Dream FP’s – I was excited to win anything that wasn’t a Certificate. NO-V

WAHOO! A dream

Andy, V and I hung out and watched the kids play and swim for about and hour and then decided we’d better get back as we had something very exciting tonight and we didn’t want to be late.

UP NEXT: FOCKERFEST!!!

 

[PrincessV]

I also found out from these ladies that they drank the Tambu out of pineapples again! Whoo Hoo! 2 years running now!

Well done Fockers!!

When I opened the bag, I must have let out a small scream when I saw ….

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

That was awesome!

We climbed aboard and as we made it to the next station, I realized had I forgotten my camera on the table at the Tambu.

That's 2.

Ah, that V, she’s my saving grace!

Nah, I was just in the right place at the right time... lagging behind as usual!

We actually made it to rope drop with about 10 minutes to spare.

Seriously, 10 minutes? Felt like eternity.

Who do you see in this picture??

The plan called for Dumbo, IASW, then Peter Pan. Well, Tour Guide Leo had other plans. He suggested we all go on Peter Pan instead. V gave me a look like “I hope you don’t mind?”

You all were so sweet - really, I'd have happily taken Leo wherever and met back up with you, but it worked out well, didn't it?!

We won Dream Ears!!! I was so excited, I didn’t care that they weren’t Dream FP’s – I was excited to win anything that wasn’t a Certificate. NO-V

None taken. BUT...

WHY didn't someone tell me how stupid the ears looked on top of my hat?!?!

This is a hoot! Yep, we stuck you with the kiddos. Who loves ya baybee?!

The tuna, was moist, without being “wet” or “soggy” – it had finely chopped celery and something else, parsley maybe? It was so fine you couldn’t really tell.

I have a theory... I threw some dill in my tuna salad the other day and it reminded me suspiciously of the Magical CHH Tuna... maybe that's the secret green flakey ingredient?

V & Leo showed up and watched with me as Maddie made her way down the slide. She conquered that slide last year with Jessica and Ellie and this year she owned it! I was so proud of her.

She rocked the slide! GO MADDIE!

we had something very exciting tonight and we didn’t want to be late.

Yes, that was the plan!

 

[Goofyluver]

A dream!

A dream is still a dream...no matter how small!

And what a fun day with all of you guys together. What better thing to bond over for kids...than WDW!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

I got a good laugh from my friend CE, who sent me the funniest text message. It read:

“DO I GET A PRIZE? I FOUND WALDO!!”

That was so hilarious girls

Maddie let out a blood curdling scream! She had left her doll on the bus!

Oh no, good job V came to the rescue!

The bus made it’s way ‘round the other SSR bus stops and at one point, a family climbed on with their double stroller and a 12 pack of Bud. OMG! I was classic.

What no photo? You're slacking T

We stepped inside the lobby to find a basket of nice warm towels of which to dry off with. Nice touch, eh?

Another reason to stay there

Then I got the biggest surprise of all … Jo was there! I wasn’t expecting to see her or her DD Jessica, but I was ecstatic that they made it after all!

Awww it was good to see you too

Evan came over and snatched the cherries from their drinks! He’s a cherry fiend, and couldn’t have been happier.

He was so sweet asking, how could we refuse

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

How sweet!

My family and I made our way over to the monorail station and luckily one just pulled in.

Uh hum didn't 2 other people ride with you

Hey, it’s a two-for! There’s LL, Tony & Michael … oh and look Waldo & TE!

As we made our way toward FL, we ran into to Jo and her family. They were heading toward Buzz, naturally.

What do you mean naturally????? Is Buzz getting the same reputation as TT now?

As we exited the ride … guess who we ran into? Yup, you guessed it! The Dream Team, baby!!! We won Dream Ears!!! I was so excited, I didn’t care that they weren’t Dream FP’s – I was excited to win anything that wasn’t a Certificate. NO-V

You had said the night befoe that you would win a dream on IASW

 

[cmp1111]

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

Aww, nice!

I was wearing Evan's shirt yesterday. Well, the grown up ladies version of his shirt. If I was wearing HIS shirt, nothing good would be happening.

We won Dream Ears!!! I was so excited, I didn’t care that they weren’t Dream FP’s – I was excited to win anything that wasn’t a Certificate. NO-V

WOOHOO!

UP NEXT: FOCKERFEST!!!

 

[KatGarcia]

The I started chatting with Z, Kat and Yanni. Let me just say I got much love for Kat! She’s so warm and bubbly, and sassy. She’s got that New York zest to her, but she’s also very sweet and hilarious! And then there’s Z and Yanni – my brown sisters! They were so cool! I felt like already knew Z, as she sounded exactly like I thought she would. She’s too crazy & I had to tell her how my nephews have a crush on her! And Yanni – let me tell you. She was a good sport. She sat with all these nutty Fockers like she was a life long member! I also found out from these ladies that they drank the Tambu out of pineapples again! Whoo Hoo! 2 years running now!

I had the best time that night, it was really like meeting up with old friends, never an awkward moment at all! Too bad I didn't get drunk enough and start talking in spanish!

The night went on and it became apparent my family was ready to head out. Heck, I even considered sending them off without me, but I knew we had an early morning at MK the next day, so I called it a night. I said my good-byes and then when I got to Kat and Z, they gave me a bag.

When I opened the bag, I must have let out a small scream when I saw ….

MY MISSING TIKI MAN GLASS!!!!

I was completely shocked that they had “found” him and liberated him on my behalf! It was so funny and so sweet! Finally, my man was coming home with me after being lost for almost a year!

Thanks Kat and Z! You girls made my night! :

We had to do it! It was our contribution to the legacy that is Focker Fest!

8/23 Magic Kingdom AM

8am Bus AIS time
9am Rope Drop
Ride Dumbo, IASW, Peter Pan, Pooh & Teacups
10am Ride Barnstormer
Train to Frontierland
FP for Splash Mtn.
10:30 Ride BTMRR
11am Snack Time!
Ride POTC, Jungle Cruise, Aladdin & Splash Mtn
1:00 Lunch & Leave Park

What a great morning! Finally some of us win dreams!! It was really neat that you were all together when it happened!

UP NEXT: FOCKERFEST!!!

 

[puggymom]

Wow T you have been a busy girl or should I say busy Focker!

I love the text from CE

Did you really eat at Pizzayucky?

Congrats on the dream that didn't include a certificate, Oh well TOny.


I love all the pics of the kids, it's amazing how they all come together

 

[Castillo Mom]

Hi DL Mama! Remember me? 'Member? You 'member! We met at LAX before our respective trips last year.

I sure do have lot to catch up on since I haven't been DISing too much lately other than the DVC boards.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your TR! Looking forward to more!

 

[Miz Diz]

Great update, T! I absolutely love your photos. The one of Michael and Maddy is adorable and I love the silly one with the kids sticking their tongues out. That is totally the picture I would have had them pose for. Last year, I chaperoned one of the school field trips and four of us moms were standing there with a few kids. We all had our cameras ready to take a photo of them and I told them to give me their best silly face. The other moms didn't like that at all. I got some evil looks. They wanted perfectly smiling pics.

Glad you won a dream!