"Hello? I'm in the Carousel of Progress.."*UD1/13pg74"All Good Things...*

[MagicShell]

Disney Christmas stuff is a weakness of mine as well. We bought several ornaments when we were there in Dec. because they were 50% off. I wish that I could have bought one of each!

 

[mom2mek]

Phew - I'm all caught up on your report now! What a great job you are doing - it sounds like such a fabulous trip! Your AK day was fabulous and I loved hearing about your day at Blizzard Beach - I'm not really a water park person, but I think I would love to go and just watch my kids some time! Lounging in a chair is a bit more my speed!

Can't wait to read about Ohana! We have had dinner there but not breakfast, but we just got back from our stay at the Poly and boy was I wishing I had made an ADR for breakfast there! I was just thinking that with two adults, an ADR for Kona made more sense! Now I wish I had seen Stitch!

Sara

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

I see you started at PTR...I'm on my way over there!

Thanks

I have struggled with Dan getting more independent. It's something I have been working on! We have let him do more here at home to kind of test his level of responsibility as far as letting us know where he is and when he's coming home, calling when he needs to check in, etc. So it wasn't his first venture on his own. He's gone to the movies with friends, stayed home for a day while Jeff and I were out with the other boys, rode his bike to the local park, etc. I am not really the nervous/worrying type, but I do like to check in with him regularly to be sure he is ok and doesn't need anything. Knowing he's getting older and more independent from both us and his brothers, I think it did him a world of good to be able to take some "Dan" time and just be 14....he mentioned talking to a group of girls, etc which just isn't going to happen with Mom, Dad, and 2 brothers tagging along! I believe that every parent just needs to use his/her good judgment when it comes to how much independence to give and when. You know your DD better than anyone else, so just use your mommy sense and you'll be fine!

I know how you feel. This is very hard. My DD16 has her first Boyfriend. He is a great boy. Up to this date, the girls have not asked to go anywhere at WDW themselves. I wish that they would when it was time to ride Stitch.

 

[PrincessV]

We had talked about taking the boat, but it didn’t start running until later in the morning, so we set out on foot. Jeff was concerned about how far it might be, but I knew from reading these boards that it was an easy walk. It really was....and BEAUTIFUL!

I absolutely looove that walk!

There is a ski lift, but the line was rather long, so we decided to head up the path on foot.

OMG - I was in the best shape of my life when I climbed that and I swear, I nearly died halfway up, lol!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Disney Christmas stuff is a weakness of mine as well. We bought several ornaments when we were there in Dec. because they were 50% off. I wish that I could have bought one of each!

Oohh..a sale may have been way too tempting! 50% off? Oh good, I can buy two!! LOL!

Phew - I'm all caught up on your report now! What a great job you are doing - it sounds like such a fabulous trip! Your AK day was fabulous and I loved hearing about your day at Blizzard Beach - I'm not really a water park person, but I think I would love to go and just watch my kids some time! Lounging in a chair is a bit more my speed!

I actually love the slides....but the wave pool is my lounging time!

Can't wait to read about Ohana! We have had dinner there but not breakfast, but we just got back from our stay at the Poly and boy was I wishing I had made an ADR for breakfast there! I was just thinking that with two adults, an ADR for Kona made more sense! Now I wish I had seen Stitch!

Sara

We are big Stitch fans so this was a no-brainer!

I absolutely looove that walk!


OMG - I was in the best shape of my life when I climbed that and I swear, I nearly died halfway up, lol!

I kinda felt like I might die too! Lesson learned..stand in line for the ski lift!


_________________________________________________________________

I am working on my next post, hopefully will be ready to post this evening. If I hadn't spent my DIS time this morning reading a certain trip report, and you know who you are , maybe it would be up by now! LOL!! Anyway, can't wait to share our 'Ohana pics! Did someone say "magical moment"??? Stay tuned!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

I’m feeling a little guilty. I would not have titled my TR as I did if I had remembered that the story behind it did not happen until the second to last day of our trip. That’s just torture! I, for one, am not the most patient person on the planet so I get it! I know there are some who read this TR just because the title drew them in.......so........I decided to throw in a BONUS POST to tell the story behind the title.

Before I begin, let me say that I KNOW that no one on this board would do anything like what I’m about to describe, but if you did...I apologize in advance! LOL!

So..we are sitting in the Carousel of Progress. This is not something we had ever been on before so we were newbies. I knew it was a Walt original and, therefore, wanted to give it a try. Beside that, we had some time to kill and it was hot so we decided if nothing else we’d be able to cool off and relax. The “show” begins and we are enjoying it! Even the boys seem to be drawn in, not bored stiff like I had feared. We had just moved to the 1940's scene when IT happened.







***ring***, ***ring***, ***ring***.....the forbidden cell phone ringing!

Here’s where it gets crazy. The man ANSWERS the phone!

“Hello?”[[pause]] “Yeah, I’m in the Carousel of Progress.,” can be heard in the ENTIRE theater! Now...IF, and that’s a big IF, I felt the need to answer my phone in an attraction, I would at least do it quietly and then tell the caller that I couldn’t talk at the moment. OH NO...not this guy. He proceeds to have a full on conversation with whoever is on the other end of the line! They make lunch plans, discuss where to meet, etc. The look on my face would have been priceless had someone captured it. Too bad we are rule followers and didn’t take flash pictures! LOL! I did not hear a single thing that the character in the show said for the 1940's decade! I’m not sure if my jaw ever really got picked up off of the floor.

Needless to say, this episode was the focus of all of our jokes for the rest of the trip. If things got tense and we needed a tension reliever, or whenever we just needed a laugh, Jeff would pull out the fake cell phone...you know, the one you make with your thumb and pinky?...and proceed to go into the whole spiel. “Hello, I’m in the Carousel of Progress. I’ll be here for about 20 more minutes....where do you want to eat lunch?” It instantly dissolved all of us into giggles! Honestly...we are still doing it! (Yes, we are easily amused!)

So, there you have it! In the end, we all really enjoyed the ride in spite of the “episode”. Isaiah was too cute when the ride ended. He said, “Aw, it’s over?” So if you are wondering, yes, kids can enjoy the classics!

Now back to our regularly scheduled Trip Report!

 

[cjackearl]

Arg, Rule Breakers! Glad that you got some giggles out of it though.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

We would have laughed too. Amazing what people do, isn't it?

 

[mousescrapper]

and here i was thinking it was one of you stuck in the carousel or something.....

cell phones good but bad yes!

 

[KathyRN137]

Kind of ironic....

Technology hasn't helped some folks make much progress in the area of consideration and curtesy!

Glad it was good for some giggles!

Kathy

 

[DisMomAmy]

 

[shebaxric]

Great explanation, great title! I swear, if I was on the ride with my DFIL, he would've yelled at the guy..... I haven't been on the Carousel of Progress in a very long time, perhaps it's time to check that one out again!

 

[MagicShell]

That is a great story. I would have found that very amusing.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Too funny! We usually have at least one of those funny stories to come back with too.

 

[DisneymoonJess07]

That's a great story!!

I am excited about teh Carousel of Progress - that was one that DH put on his must-do list too!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

I like how you guys made the little mishap an inside joke for your group. Too funny!!!!!!!!!!!! I always like to amuse myself with stuff like that. Love it!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Arg, Rule Breakers! Glad that you got some giggles out of it though.

I was honestly blown away at how rude he was being and he didn't even seem to GET it! LOL....crazy!

We would have laughed too. Amazing what people do, isn't it?

The funniest thing about it wasn't so much that he was breaking the rule....it was the BLATANT way in which he broke it! Go big or go home, I guess!

and here i was thinking it was one of you stuck in the carousel or something.....

cell phones good but bad yes!

Oh no...that would have been bad!

Kind of ironic....

Technology hasn't helped some folks make much progress in the area of consideration and curtesy!

Glad it was good for some giggles!

Kathy

Never thought of it that way, but you are completely right! We're still giggling!

Great explanation, great title! I swear, if I was on the ride with my DFIL, he would've yelled at the guy..... I haven't been on the Carousel of Progress in a very long time, perhaps it's time to check that one out again!

You should check it out again...I dragged my feet a bit because I thought the boys would be bored, but they really enjoyed it.

That is a great story. I would have found that very amusing.

Too funny! We usually have at least one of those funny stories to come back with too.

It's one of those memories from the trip that will always make us laugh!

That's a great story!!

I am excited about teh Carousel of Progress - that was one that DH put on his must-do list too!

I was surprised at how much we all liked it.

I like how you guys made the little mishap an inside joke for your group. Too funny!!!!!!!!!!!! I always like to amuse myself with stuff like that. Love it!

We are an easily amused family and sometimes things just strike us as funny! This was one of those things!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

For those of you keeping track, we are up to Wednesday April 22nd. Our 4th day of vacation and our first planned MK day!

I had heard a LOT on the DIS about the wake up calls at the resorts. We had never done one, but figured that since our plans were to have breakfast with Stitch, it would be perfect to get a wake up call from the little blue fella! I set it up for 6:15 am....and right on cue, the phone rang. I handed the phone to a very sleepy Isaiah as I knew he would get the biggest kick out of being woken up by Stitch! He did... and woke everyone else saying Stitch called and was waiting for us to join him for breakfast. Too cute! (Only at Disney would you hear me refer to a 6:15 wake up call as cute!)

We all got up, showered, dressed, and were ready to head out the door just before 7:00. (This was the day we all wore our “matchy- but not matchy” character shirts! YAY!) On our way to the bus stop we crossed paths with this little guy!

Not an animal we see everyday and I think the first time the boys had ever seen one. Definitely photo-worthy!


The bus to the MK arrived quickly and we were off! Our plan was to take the monorail to the Poly. We had been on the monorail on our 2007 trip and the boys and I rode up front, but we did the Epcot loop. We were looking forward to the resort loop monorail ride! Oh...and Isaiah took another early morning bus ride catnap! LOL!!

After arriving at MK, we headed to the monorail and hopped on. After stops at the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian, we arrived at the Poly. The boys enjoyed the ride although I had to continually tell them to hold onto the rail. For some reason they find it hilarious to see if they can remain standing without holding on as the monorail stops and starts at each station. BOYS!

We got off the train, headed to the lobby of the Poly and began looking for ‘Ohana. We found it easily and checked in for our 7:50 ADR about 15 minutes early. We had decided early on that we would do the Quick Service plan this trip, but I LOVE the character meals and we knew we would be paying for one OOP. This one was a simple choice because we love Stitch so much! Also because we had only eaten at restaurants in the parks or at DTD on our last trip and we were looking forward to visiting another resort. I had originally wanted to eat dinner at ‘Ohana because the menu looks delicious, but our love for the characters....and Jeff’s love of breakfast food....won out!

We took our obligatory family picture with our beautiful yellow leis and as soon as we were done with that our buzzer lit up and we were shown to our table. ( We were in our seats by 7:40.) This is the view we had from our breakfast table.

We were brought our juice, coffee, fruit, and bread right away. YUMMMM....that juice is so delicious. A little sweet and syrupy to drink too much, but totally awesome! The pineapple coconut bread was heavenly as well. Soon after, we had hot steaming plates of eggs, sausages and bacon, potatoes, and freshly made Mickey waffles. Isaiah LOVED the waffles and was constantly on the lookout for the “waffle guy” who was walking around refilling plates!

Some cute family pictures while we eat and wait for the main event...the characters!

I hate it when Jeff grabs the camera!

We weren’t seated for long when we spotted the reason we had come here in the first place. STITCH!! We had our autograph books ready and waiting for when he would arrive at our table.

Next came Lilo. We took a few pics of her and the boys when a young girl from the table next to us offered to take a family picture for us. (I think they were cheerleaders or dancers as the World competition was taking place the weekend coming up.) How nice! We handed over the camera and she took an AWESOME picture of us with Lilo...possibly my favorite picture of the whole trip!

The Big Cheese himself came out next all decked out in his hawaiian shirt! Too cute!

We saw Pluto beginning to make his rounds, but before he got to our table, the characters began lining up all the kids for a parade around the restaurant. The kids all got maracas and followed Stitch around the dining room dancing and waving......WAY COOL!! My boys needed no coaxing and joined in right away! I love that even though they are not “little” any more they can still find the magic in the little moments....I’m tearing up as I write this.....goodness!

I'm not sure why Jonah has that look on his face in this pic..he had fun, really!

After the parade, the characters kind of disappeared and my boys were afraid Pluto would not come back out. I told them not to worry, that he had only been to ½ of the dining room and he would be back! While we waited, our waitress came to the table with a special gift! She told us that even though the Year of a Million Dreams was over, they had some special edition pins left over that they saved to give to guests who experienced a magical moment. She called over the girl who had taken our picture and told us that since she had made magic for our family, we both were going to receive a pin and we were to trade them with each other to express our thanks. SO COOL!!! This is the pin she gave me......TINK!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!

As promised, Pluto came back out to finish his rounds. My boys LOVE Pluto because he always plays with them. He licks the boys, lets them scratch behind his ear, etc. He is one of our favorite “meet and greets” for that reason. And our experience this time did not disappoint!

After our visit with Pluto, Jeff paid the bill and we headed out. ‘Ohana was a great experience and we had an awesome time! We were out of the restaurant by about 8:25 and we decided to take a stroll around the lobby, poke around in the gift shop, and soak in some Poly!

There's GOT to be a Hidden Mickey in there somewhere!

The Poly is absolutely beautiful and someday I will get to stay there...SOMEDAY!



Off to the MK! Woo-Hoo!!!!


Uh-Oh....a surprising lack of Pixie Dust??? Will it derail our day?? Stay tuned!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

You are right, the family picture with Lilo was AWESOME! I can see that one in a frame, which if you're anything like me, it probably is!

How nice that the CM brought you and the young girl pins. I WANT ONE!!!!

Thanks for the update. I can already tell I'm going to be sad when your TR is over.

 

[mousescrapper]

wonderful O'Hana update!

it brought back great memories of our breakfast and character fun there last summer.

That is so great the boys just soaked up all the majic of the characters and maracca parade! No excuse for tears! They are happy tears!


I love al the pic's and the group shot w/ Lilo is so nice you are a beautiful family!

and how fun about the suprise gift pins!

We still have many of our POLY leis around the house, I love to keep some Disney magic in everyroom.

looking forward to more!

J-