Nov 2009 Family Reunion in Disney with pics! Final Update 3/22/10

[twob4him]

And we moved onto Mickey's house...

Then Sarah and Devon wanted to go on Goofy’s Barnstormer. Now get this, Brook was too scared of it but she wanted to ride BTMR later….hahahaha. So I put them in line and we waited at the exit. They only had a 5-minute wait. At this point it was closing in on 11 am and Sarah was getting hot in her wedding dress…don’t blame her…plus it was hard to ride the rides. So Stephen and I formulated a plan. I would take Sarah to get changed and pick up lunch. And Stephen would take both girls on the Indy Speedway!

So, Sarah and I headed through Tomorrowland and back up Main Street to our locker. She got changed back into her comfy Tinkerbell top and shorts. And I picked up our lunch bag in our locker. I had a plan you see…a strategic plan for lunch! We headed back to the benches outside of the Speedway and 2 sec later Stephen and the girls exit. Perfect timing! They loved it…they got to push the pedal some and steer some!


We walked over to the bathrooms at Enchanted Cove for a quick change into the Provincial Belle outfit for Brooklyn. Stephen was looking at the map trying to find Fairytale Garden. I had never been to Storytime with Belle and I thought that would be a great thing to do at noon with the girls. So we headed around the long way and arrived at 11:30 at Belle’s Garden. We walked up near the stage and picked two benches right alongside…probably should have picked front row center but it was fine. Then we had the most relaxing lunch until it was time for the show! One note of caution...they roped off the entrance a few minutes before the show once all the seats were taken so get there early!

What a great show! Very cute for the kids! I would highly recommend it!!!! Belle is so funny and engaged the audience and told the participants just what to do…I loved the dads playing the parts of Beast and Gaston! Hilarious! Best of all, Belle’s helper came over to Devon and Brooklyn and asked if they wanted to be in the show! Brook declined….she is still a little too young and cautious of new situations like that…but Devon surprised me and agreed whole-heartedly. She was Luminere! She did a great job holding up her candles and was so pleased with herself when she came back to us. So cute!

After the show, the girls got in line to meet Belle and get her autograph. Boy was she adorable….she really looked and acted the part. Serious kudos to her!

(oh and one aside...the girls never questioned that they left Belle in Toontown in her yellow dress and now she is here by the Castle in her Provincial dress...hahahaha)


In line...

Talking...

Signing...

Pics.....

And a final hug goodbye!

What a great experience!!!!!


So…this is a good time to take a break and leave you hanging….hahahaha! More to come later in the week! So…would we enjoy the rest of the day? Would we get to 1900 Park Fare and Wishes? Stay tuned for my next update!

 

[MeMom]

So many great pictures. What a memorable day for all of you!
The girls all look precious.

Love the pictures of Devon as Lumiere, too. She's really getting braver by the minute!

 

[minnie2]

Loved the update of course! It was so fun doing BBB with you guys!
OMG what an awful picture of me with you! You look great! Why was I making that awful face!
The girls dresses were truly amazing!!!
Thanks so much for bringing me my photopass! I had no clue I forgot it!!!
I will try to post some pictures of us tomorrow!

 

[disneymomof1]

What a fabulous update !!! All of the pictures are gorgeous. The BBB looks like so much fun. How great it was that you were able to meet up Marlo and Nikki. Such fun !!
Can't wait for more !!

 

[praisehisname]

What a great surprise for the girls! That's awesome that you were able to pull it off without them knowing!

I loved all the photos, but especially the ones from Expo Hall!

 

[billwendy]

Wow - you guys know how to pack it all in!!! Glad you are having a magical time - cant wait to see the rest!!

 

[CW4DW]

Just found your report and am loving it so far... Your girls are adorable! Looks like fun has been had by everyone so far - I think it is great to do the family reunion thing in Orlando, and that you had so many friends that were able to coordinate their time there as well! What a great trip so far - can't wait for more!

 

[minnie2]

What a great surprise for the girls! That's awesome that you were able to pull it off without them knowing!

I loved all the photos, but especially the ones from Expo Hall!

It was so hard keeping it a surprise on my part! I called /emailed Cathy a few times upset because I thought i slipped up. but in the end Nikki had no clue! She knew we where meeting Cathy and the girls but that is it. We had so much fun together! Just wait until her next day's TR we spent almost the whole day together FUN!!!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

The girls look absolutely gorgeous and how fantastic that Devon got chosen

 

[jessica52877]

I had to laugh at Belle's change of clothes! Of course the girls wouldn't question it, they had changed clothes too! LOL! I LOVE the outfits!

 

[minnie2]

Here are my pics from the morning with Cathy and her girls!

I was in line waiting to be allowed in to MK. I could have actually been the 1st person on main street but it wouldn't have been fun with out Cathy and her girls!

We made it into the park! Look at the smile on Cathy's face!

Quick pictures! A few steps further we decided to do the photopass pics which Cathy showed you.

More main street pics. I admit it I LOVE empty main street!

I think Cathy posted a different version of this picture.

Finally inside the castle!

Nikki opening the present Cathy and the girls gave her for her bday. Which she LOVED and carried around the park all day! It was a HUGE book too!

Cathy I believe was telling the girls here about the appointment. Look how excited she is! I think Cathy needs to do it next time! Sorry so blurry.

Nikki choosing the hairstyle she wanted. I believe hers was called the Diva. The FIGIT was great the hairstyle lasted 2 days. Nikki still had hers in when we meet up with Cathy and the girls the next day.

I love all the crowns in the center!

Back to your regularly scheduled TR!

 

[jessica52877]

Thanks for Sharing Marlo! I LOVE empty main street! It looks so much more beautiful. It has been a LONG time since I haven't seen tons of people on it.

 

[Jennifer48]

The story of Devon and Piglet and then the BBB surprise, this TR is so sweet its giving me a tooth ache and I LOVE it!!! So darn precious every bit of it!!

 

[MeMom]

This one is great! It really shows the energy and excitement of the moment.

 

[twob4him]

Wow Marlo!!!!!! You are so awesome and sweet for posting all of those pics!!!!!!! I love em!!! Thanks you soooo much!!!!! It was such a fun morning and I am so happy we could do it together!!!

 

[twob4him]

So many great pictures. What a memorable day for all of you!
The girls all look precious.

Love the pictures of Devon as Lumiere, too. She's really getting braver by the minute!

Thanks so much memom! I couldn't believe Devon agreed to go on stage...she is actually pretty quiet and a bit shy so she was a different kid in Disney!!! Course, now that we are home....she won't go near Santa!!!

Loved the update of course! It was so fun doing BBB with you guys!
OMG what an awful picture of me with you! You look great! Why was I making that awful face!
The girls dresses were truly amazing!!!
Thanks so much for bringing me my photopass! I had no clue I forgot it!!!
I will try to post some pictures of us tomorrow!

Its not an awful face! I think we were giving loud hints to the girls whilst getting our pic taken!!! hahahaha
Thanks again for sharing Nikki's special day with us!

What a fabulous update !!! All of the pictures are gorgeous. The BBB looks like so much fun. How great it was that you were able to meet up Marlo and Nikki. Such fun !!
Can't wait for more !!

Thanks so much for writing and reading along!!! Hopefully I will have another update up tomorrow...while its raining out.

What a great surprise for the girls! That's awesome that you were able to pull it off without them knowing!

I loved all the photos, but especially the ones from Expo Hall!

It was a surprise...even when we were checking in Sarah didn't think it was for her!!! Thanks about the pics...I didn't get the higher priced BBB package cause I knew I had the photopass and just did that. Not sure what the difference would have been.

Wow - you guys know how to pack it all in!!! Glad you are having a magical time - cant wait to see the rest!!

We did pack as much in as we could!!! Not sure when we are going back either....so I overdid it with planning for the days we were there!!!

Just found your report and am loving it so far... Your girls are adorable! Looks like fun has been had by everyone so far - I think it is great to do the family reunion thing in Orlando, and that you had so many friends that were able to coordinate their time there as well! What a great trip so far - can't wait for more!

It was a very memorable trip...you know usually you go on a trip and just talk to the few people you came along with....this time we did have so many family and friends to share with....it made it extra special!!!!

It was so hard keeping it a surprise on my part! I called /emailed Cathy a few times upset because I thought i slipped up. but in the end Nikki had no clue! She knew we where meeting Cathy and the girls but that is it. We had so much fun together! Just wait until her next day's TR we spent almost the whole day together FUN!!!!!

I still think Sarah might have seen the Giselle dress when I was working on it....but she hasn't let on. I was trying to hide it in the closet and she went in there looking for her halloween costume from last year. But she never let on.

The girls look absolutely gorgeous and how fantastic that Devon got chosen

Isn't Disney the best??? I remember reading your report about how you went to be "trained" for the Mom's panel.... and all of the special things they did with the mom's (and dad)!!! What an awesome experience!!!

I had to laugh at Belle's change of clothes! Of course the girls wouldn't question it, they had changed clothes too! LOL! I LOVE the outfits!

Touche'! I never thought of that! Well, anything is possible in Disney anyways right?

Thanks for Sharing Marlo! I LOVE empty main street! It looks so much more beautiful. It has been a LONG time since I haven't seen tons of people on it.

I had never seen it empty either!!! So cool!!!

The story of Devon and Piglet and then the BBB surprise, this TR is so sweet its giving me a tooth ache and I LOVE it!!! So darn precious every bit of it!!

Thanks for reading along Jennifer!!!! Don't choke on the sweetness!! Tomorrow is day three...and we all know what happens on day three of Disney!

This one is great! It really shows the energy and excitement of the moment.

It was everything...the weather, the company, the place all wrapped up into one!!!

 

[twob4him]

Hello…still with me????? Sorry for the delay in trip reporting! It’s that time of the year and I have fallen behind trying to keep up with my real life! But alas, I am taking some time tonight to at least finish off our wonderful Wednesday at Magic Kingdom. Thank you again, Marlo, for sharing your pics with us!!! What a fun morning!


I left off around 12:30 pm after we had just met Belle at Storytime with Belle. Cool! So we gathered our belongings, having had a nice lunch and rest, and headed back through Toon Town to the railroad station. A train was just pulling up as we got into line. We found a row for our party of 5 and enjoyed the beautiful afternoon and scenery!

I love the train around MK! We made a stop at the Main Street Station and got off at the next stop….Frontierland! Since we were planning to come back tonight, we got Splash Mountain fastpasses and decided to get in the standby line for Big Thunder. On the way over to BTMR, we ran into the same maintenance CM who talked with Brooklyn the day before, when she was scared of Splash Mountain! I took their picture after we chatted with him for a few minutes!

Big Thunder had a standby time of about 20 minutes. Since it was getting later in the day, we only had this and Tom Sawyer Island left to do before we headed home. We got in line and wound around all of the loops.

Every time we backtracked past each other….we would say, “Hey, I know you!” and Brooklyn would crack up. We did it over and over just to hear her laugh…lol.

It finally was our turn and I sat in the back with Brooklyn and Uncle Stephen sat in front of us with Sarah and Devon. Off we went!!! What a great little ride….just enough zip but not too much to make it scary.

Next we headed to the barge loading area to head to Tom Sawyer Island. It was actually really warm out by this time and I for one was definitely getting tired. We were all mellowing out as we took the 2-minute trip across the river.

Once on the Island, we checked out some of the dark and small caves…Brook and I only did one…and Stephen, Sarah and Devon did a couple more. Then we headed over the bridge to the fort.

It was then that I realized I was truly exhausted….Sarah was too! Hit me like a ton of bricks. So while the “kids” ran around (that would be Devon and Stephen), Sarah and Brook and I hung out and watched. I took a few pics while we looked around.

Soon enough everyone was ready to head back to the main land!

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Continued in Post Below

 

[twob4him]

We off-loaded and headed over to Adventureland. We almost went on the Carpets except the line was too long. We also picked up Fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise cause its cool to do it at night. Then we continued on and passed the Dole Whip place…and I didn’t get a Dole Whip….who knows why…and then we hung a right at the hub made our way down Main Street via the stores on the right. I always cut through Casey’s Hotdogs and look at all of the cool stuff in the shops! We left MK around 2 or 2:15 pm for a rest with three sets of fastpasses in hand!!!

Now, I had made ADR’s for 4:45 pm at 1900 Park Fare back in August. However, when we got back to the house, I called Disney Dining to see if I could add Stephen and his wife Dona to our reservation. The soonest they had was 6:10 pm. I figured that would still work great so our “New Plan” was to eat a nice dinner at 1900 Park Fare then high tail it over to MK. We could watch the fireworks from Main St. and then head back out. We wouldn’t be able to use our fastpasses but we had done so much over the past two days…it wouldn’t matter.

I just loved coming back to a nice house and having space to spread out. The girls napped/rested and then got ready for our big dinner out! We piled in the cars and headed back Disney. Parking for the Grand Floridian is actually across the street. I really wanted to take pics outside but everyone was rushing in so I just took a couple by the carriage and car by the entrance. We arrived about 10 minutes before our ADR and checked in.

Look at all the princesses here at check-in...

We headed to the lobby with our light/buzzer thingy to await our turn. We took some pics and a man played all kinds of pretty music on the piano. Brook danced and Devon got mad that someone gave Sarah a rose and not her. And then we waited some more and after that we waited. Our 6:10 pm ADR time came and went….and finally at 6:45 pm our buzzer went off. We had our pic taken …seriously… does anyone buy these things??? They really should photopass the pics.

Here are some cute pics of us waiting in the lobby...and dancin!

Daddy and his princesses!

We were led into the dining room…to the second table. I wasn’t overly thrilled with our location but at least we had a big table and some room around us. Our waitress was good and explained how everything works. Anastasia was assigned to our “room” and was quite loud as usual. I noticed the characters hung out in different areas around the room. It took a few minutes to get acclimated to the loud and boisterous environment. This would be fun!!! Then everyone took off for the buffet and left Brooklyn and I at the table…..guess they were hungry!!! LOL! When they came back I took Brook up and then once the kids were settled, I went up. The selection was great but I didn’t realize that both sides of the buffet were not the same. I missed a whole section. Oh well!

Anastatia came over to the table upon my return and started chatting with Sarah….who was wearing her image. She like her top a lot!

Continued in post below!!

 

[twob4him]

The step-mother, Lady Tremain, was next. She had Sarah stand just like her…lol. She also approved of Sarah’s outfit…but Brooklyn’s not so much….she suggested that Brooklyn (who was wearing Cinderella) should be doing the dishes or something…hahahha!

We all made several trips back and forth to the buffet. It was so much fun to hang out with Stephen and Dona and the kids and enjoy a wonderful dinner! I am so glad we got the chance to be together!!!

Soon, Cinderella came by and also Prince Charming. Cinderella stood still for two pics and took off. Prince Charming was very polite and sweet with the girls! And he was the handsome P.C.! They all signed the autograph book…I remembered this time except we missed Anastasia.

Then Drizella came from across the room and made a loud fuss over Sarah’s top…you see she was on the back! She wanted to have a pic taken with Sarah turned around just so she could point to herself!!!

With another trip up to have the yummy desserts offered…we were done! And then we settled the bill…it was huge…we were not on the dining plan and there were 5 adults and 2 kids!!! Guess what time it was??? 7:45 pm….yep folks…the final blow….there would be no way to see Wishes tonight. (Well we kinda watched on the way to the car) So my whole Spectro/Wishes dream was dashed this trip…no problemo…I will just have to come back…and I do have a plan folks…never fear!!!!

We made it home by 8:15 and I think I was asleep by 8:30!!! What a magical and fun-filled day it had been. Next up….our Epcot day with Marlo!!! I was really looking forward to it!

 

[minnie2]

What fun! I love the step sisters! We missed them this trip. Next trip we need to do 1900 Park fare.
That stinks about Spectro and Wishes! George got wishes on video I can see if I can send it to you?

I can't wait to read about Epcot! Wonder what you did? Did we do Malstorm? Did we see the Troll? How many characters did we see