1st Family Trip with a Pre-K'er, a 2 year old and a puking baby!

[DIS_Indoctrination]

Loving your trip report. It makes me feel normal when I see others who have 'issues' with their in-laws or extended family. We aren't mentioning our trip to Disney World to any family members until it's a few weeks away, and hopefully to late for anyone who might want to join us.

I love seeing a trip report with an offsite stay. Looks like the rental house really worked well for your family.

It's great you've got Sam excited to ride so many things with you! Our DD will be three and a half on our upcoming trip. She'll be big enough for rides like splash mt, but not space mt. I'm hoping I can cultivate her into a lover of all rides & that she doesn't develop the same motion sickness DH has.

 

[-Hope-]

All caught up! Whew, you've had some bumps along the way but it seems like you took it all in stride. Can't wait to read more.

 

[cheryterese]

How was the food at Backlot Express? I'm not sure where to eat at DHS! Hot Chocolate does seem like the perfect way to warm up!

The food at Backlot Express was pretty typical fast food and it was fine. I had the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich and it was delicious! That was definitely not typical of fast food! I added a side of fries though. Mmmmmmm... Since we're vegetarians we don't eat at fast food places very often due to the limited options, but when I do I always enjoy those fries! There were no vegetarian options on the kids menu, but I saw they had a grilled turkey and cheese on the regular menu so asked if they could do plain grilled cheese for the kids and it was no problem at all.

The hot chocolate was wonderful! Hopefully you won't have any chilly days on your upcoming trip, but if you do be sure to get some!

 

[cheryterese]

Loving your trip report. It makes me feel normal when I see others who have 'issues' with their in-laws or extended family. We aren't mentioning our trip to Disney World to any family members until it's a few weeks away, and hopefully to late for anyone who might want to join us.

I love seeing a trip report with an offsite stay. Looks like the rental house really worked well for your family.

It's great you've got Sam excited to ride so many things with you! Our DD will be three and a half on our upcoming trip. She'll be big enough for rides like splash mt, but not space mt. I'm hoping I can cultivate her into a lover of all rides & that she doesn't develop the same motion sickness DH has.

Thanks! The day with my in-laws really tested my patience. It would be one thing if they took the time to see us when they were a half hour away, but they don't! If we go again while they're in Florida for the winter I don't know what I'll do!

The rental house really did work wonderfully for us. We would stay there again in a heartbeat. Rick and I have definitely enjoyed staying on-site when it was just the two of us, but I can't imagine doing it any other affordable way with 3 kids. I loved having the space and the ability to easily make our own meals, not to mention our own pool!

I love riding rides with Sam!! I am breaking all of my kids in early as far as thrill rides go. Madeleine can't wait to be big enough for the rides she missed this trip and repeatedly talks about being big enough for "Monster Mountain" (Expedition Everest) next time. I'm so glad my kids love rides!

 

[cheryterese]

All caught up! Whew, you've had some bumps along the way but it seems like you took it all in stride. Can't wait to read more.

Thanks! Working on another update now. Afterwards I'm planning to head over and read your TR!

 

[cheryterese]

Day 6 (cont): Tower of Terror!

After Sam and Madeleine were finished with Handy Manny we decided it was as good a time as any for Caryn, Sam and I to ride the Tower of Terror. The time I had been dreading had arrived!

In my 2 previous trips to WDW as an adult, I had no interest in TOT at all. I'm just not a fan of dropping rides (love roller coasters but hate the giant drops). However, in our trip planning Sam had seen a picture of TOT and told me he wanted to do it. Believe me, I had no desire to ride it, explained to the best of my ability what I thought it would be like and checked with him MANY times beforehand, but he remained steadfast in his desire. Rick played the motion sickness card and told me he was afraid he'd get sick and Sam didn't want to ride with only Caryn, so being the good mommy that I am I agreed to do it with him. I knew I was not going to die, but I figured I'd be pretty uncomfortable! I was also concerned for Sam.

We walked over to the base of it and Rick took Matthew, who was now awake, and Madeleine to get a popsicle at a nearby stand while they waited (yes, it was freezing, but Madeleine really wanted one). After one more, "Are you absolutely sure you want to ride this?" to Sam, we were off.

It's hard to see the smile from so far away, but he was pretty excited:

I had butterflies in my stomach as we approached, and since we had FP's we walked right on. What were we getting into?!?! We were seated in a middle row and I put Sam between Caryn and I and hung onto him for dear life. My stomach felt like a giant pit as we rode down the dark corridor and then........


OMG!!!!!!!!!

As soon as we got off, Sam screamed, "I AM NEVER GOING TO RIDE THAT AGAIN, EVER!!!!!"

Thank goodness, son, because neither am I!

As I look back on it now all I remember is the flash of daylight as the doors opened, the horrendous repeated drops (oh, when would it ever end?!) and Sam flying up out of his seat screaming bloody murder, practically in tears, with me hanging onto him with all the strength I had praying fervently for it to be over. I didn't hear a peep out of Caryn. She was probably texting, LOL.

I guess I can now add that to my life experience. I rode Tower of Terror. I hated it. I will never, EVER ride it again. Madeleine, honey, you're on your own if you're interested! (Sam has already repeatedly told her that when she's big enough she won't want to do it and she will hate it. )

 

[wlake]

Wow, TOT! You're brave. I made DH do Splash because I hate drops that much. Having your son upset must have made it all the harder, too. At least you know you're done with it!

 

[lexmas]

Wow, you are such a good Mommy riding it even though you knew you would hate it. I don't think I would be so nice! I was scared of that ride when I was 11! I ride pretty much anything now, but still. I am impressed that Sam wanted to ride it. And that he carried through and went on it! He is a brave little boy!

Eventually, Madeline will be old enough to ride it alone, if she wants to. Maybe she'll take Matthew! I still remember when we went to WDW when I was 5, my sister was the only one to ride space mountain. Which is the strangest memory, because she is definitely the only one who would NOT ride it now! I think she was like, 11? 12? something like that. My birthday is in May and my siblings are both November birthdays, so that half a year really messes me up! I usually just guess at an age and make them two years apart. They were 28 and 30 for like, 5 years!

I laughed at the idea of Caryn texting while you and Sam were freaking out. How funny would that have been if it were true, and that was the picture from the ride? That would have been worth buying.

Anyway, brave day, for all of you. Now you can proudly write in Sam's baby book that he rode it as such a little boy, and never ever ever ride it again!

 

[-Hope-]

Wow! ToT- what a good mommy you are. It's good that Sam was brave enough to try and so sweet of you to make sure he got the chance.

LOL that Caryn was probably texting! Teenagers, huh? My nieces can not be without their phones for even a second and it drives dh and I both crazy!

 

[cheryterese]

Please excuse my inattention to this TR! We have had some tough family issues over the past few weeks. I had a miscarriage 3 weeks ago that I am finally ready to mention and now my father-in-law is not doing well at all. He's been living with bone cancer since I've known him (9 years) and has really struggled this past year. Last week he had a stroke and in his bone scan they saw that the cancer had spread to every bone in his body. He was given 6 months to live but his wife doesn't think he will make it that long. She was planning a big Thanksgiving gathering for him but called my husband today and asked us to come out tonight (they're in Rochester, about 2.5 hours from us) because he's not doing well at all. She doesn't think he'll make it to Thanksgiving. I was actually going to update my TR this afternoon, but I'm leaving in a bit to meet my husband at work and head to Rochester with him. Please keep my father-in-law in your thoughts and prayers.

 

[lexmas]

I am so sorry to have to read your update. Life is really not going well for you lately, is it?

I hope you are able to have some nice moments on your trip and make some memories to get you through the rough time ahead. It's good to be realistic, and it's nice that your MIL realizes that. My dad was given 6 months as well, and he lived 6 weeks, which was probably much longer than he should have lived, to be honest. He really clung in there. I will keep your FIL, your MIL, and your entire family in my thoughts. Watching someone die, especially from something like cancer, is always a very difficult thing to do. I think we're still all reeling here from watching my father die, and that was over a year and a half ago! You are in my thoughts, always. I will be hoping for a miracle, and at the very least for the strength for all of you to get through this!

 

[madbutsexy]

I need to get one of those families, any suggestions on how to do this, jk

 

[cheryterese]

Day 6 (cont): DHS Late Afternoon & Evening

After surviving Tower of Terror it was time to find our spots for the Block Party Bash. We didn't see a lot of parades on our trip because we were usually back at the house for afternoon nap/swim time, but because we had only planned one day at DHS we were there throughout the afternoon and had time to see this one. On the way over, I got this cute picture of Sam and Madeleine:

We found a nice spot, got some popsicles for Caryn & Sam since they hadn't had one earlier, and waited for the Block Party Bash to begin (Matthew was napping again):

We really enjoyed the parade and Sam and Madeleine especially enjoyed dancing to the music as the characters and cast members came down the street. Jessie was one of our favorites:

We headed to Muppet Vision 3-D next, and that was also a big hit:

We had a little time before our next planned activity, the Lights, Motors, Action! show, was set to begin so walked around the streets for a bit. Even though we had left plenty of snow at home, Sam and Madeleine insisted on climbing up this Hollywood snow bank and having their picture taken:

We enjoyed the streets, but were really cold! Next up was something Sam had really been looking forward to since he saw it previewed on the Disney planning DVD: The Lights, Motor, Action! Show. Sam LOVES the movie CARS, fast cars and anything to do with cars! I was suprised at how much everyone enjoyed the show and would definitely make time to see it again on future trips. Matthew loved it and would scream and clap his hands every time something loud took place. It was a lot of fun.

When the show was over we went looking.....and looking.....and looking.....for Lightning McQueen and Mater. It took us forever to find them, even after asking directions! We did find them though, much to Sam's enjoyment:

We had one ride left for the day and walked over to the other side of the park to use our FP's for Toy Story Mania!! So fun!! Now I would not stand in line for hours to ride it (and even with our FP's it was a good 20 minute wait), but we all really did enjoy it. I thought the 3-D element was really fun.

After that it was time to get our seats for the 7pm showing of Fantasmic. It was like a mob scene walking in, but there were plenty of seats when we arrived (about a half hour early) and once we were settled Rick left to get us a bunch of snacks from the concessions stand there. I had really been looking forward to seeing this show and hadn't seen it on my two earlier trips with Rick. Maybe it was the full day in the cold weather or the crabby teenager sitting next to me, but while I really loved and enjoyed the show there were certainly no rave reviews from anyone in my family. I'm not sure if we'd take the time to see it again on the next trip or not. Maybe when the kids are older.

Once Fantasmic was finished we called it a day. A very full, cold, fun day. Rick and Caryn said they enjoyed Rock N Roller Coaster best, I loved Fantasmic, Sam said Star Tours was his favorite and Madeleine loved the Playhouse Disney Show and meeting Quincy and June. The kids went to bed as soon as we got back to the house and Caryn, Rick and I enjoyed the warmth of the hot tub.

Up Next: Another Day at the Magic Kingdom!

 

[MelMel11]

I enjoyed reading your post and cant wait to hear more. Take Care.

 

[cheryterese]

I enjoyed reading your post and cant wait to hear more. Take Care.

Thanks for reading! This trip report has taken me a long time, but I hope to finish it soon!

 

[lexmas]

Look at you, still posting. I'm so impressed! I may have already given up on my TR, and I haven't been at it half as long as you have! I am so glad though, I love reading it! Another great update!

I am happy to hear that all of your kids liked Lights, Motors, Action! We didn't go last time, and I'm hesitant to go next time, because I wasn't sure if the kids would like it.

And I completely forgot about meeting Lightening and Mater! J.J. would LOVE that. I will have to ask directions though, because I have no idea where they are. Are they on the map?

How cute is the baby in his 3D glasses? haha I love it!

Is it bad that I didn't even know there was a parade at DHS? I'm glad you got to see it though, I love the parades! I hated them before I had children, but now I am a parade person!

Fantasmic might just be a bad end to a long day. That was our experience as well. Maybe if you could see it fresh and rested, it would be better!

So glad you are still updating! I was so happy to see that e-mail notification arrive in my inbox!

 

[cheryterese]

Look at you, still posting. I'm so impressed! I may have already given up on my TR, and I haven't been at it half as long as you have! I am so glad though, I love reading it! Another great update!

I am happy to hear that all of your kids liked Lights, Motors, Action! We didn't go last time, and I'm hesitant to go next time, because I wasn't sure if the kids would like it.

And I completely forgot about meeting Lightening and Mater! J.J. would LOVE that. I will have to ask directions though, because I have no idea where they are. Are they on the map?

How cute is the baby in his 3D glasses? haha I love it!

Is it bad that I didn't even know there was a parade at DHS? I'm glad you got to see it though, I love the parades! I hated them before I had children, but now I am a parade person!

Fantasmic might just be a bad end to a long day. That was our experience as well. Maybe if you could see it fresh and rested, it would be better!

So glad you are still updating! I was so happy to see that e-mail notification arrive in my inbox!

I know! Can you believe I'm still updating this?! Two days from now is the 1 year anniversary of the start of this trip!! I finally put the photos in the album yesterday and am determined to finish this TR! Are you leaving on Friday for your next trip? I've been thinking about you! (And Rick and I had a lovely time in Florida. We decided not to travel down to Epcot but just enjoyed the Gulf Coast. I ended up being gone a full week, rather than 4 days, due to the ice storm in Atlanta. I sure did miss the kids!)

Lights, Motor, Action! is loud, but if you think your kids can handle that then I think they would enjoy it. Lightening and Mater are on the map, but even with the map AND directions we had a hard time finding them!

I wasn't a parade person before I had kids either, but my kids absolutely love parades so much (even our pathetic town patriotic parades) that I can't help but love them now as well.

I'd love to see an update to your TR as well, but completely understand if you can't get to it (especially if you're heading out again this weekend!). I hope to get another update up soon.

 

[MImommy]

Cheryterese and Lexmas, you must both keep posting your TRs! I'm hooked.

Cheryterese, I just came over after seeing your signature on one of Lexmas' TR postings. I have gained so much great information about touring WDW with a toddler from you.

I'm so sorry to hear about all the hardships your family has gone through this year.

 

[cheryterese]

Cheryterese and Lexmas, you must both keep posting your TRs! I'm hooked.

Cheryterese, I just came over after seeing your signature on one of Lexmas' TR postings. I have gained so much great information about touring WDW with a toddler from you.

I'm so sorry to hear about all the hardships your family has gone through this year.

Awwww, thank you so much! My father-in-law died the day after Christmas, so that was hard. We are trying to get back on our feet for a better year this year! It's a good thing we took that trip to Disney last Jan/Feb because our year really did go downhill after that. I'm so glad you are reading, and I am working on another update now!

 

[cheryterese]

Day 7: Back to the Magic Kingdom!

We were very excited to be returning to the Magic Kingdom for the 3rd time as this park was definitely the favorite with our kids. Rick had taken Caryn to the airport early this morning and was back just after 8am for us to load in the van and head out. It was a humid day in the mid-60's and there was an all day on and off rain. We didn't let the rain dampen our plans one bit and just carried on as scheduled.

We walked off the monorail just as the opening ceremonies were ending and headed straight back to Dumbo again. We were hoping for a repeat of our first day at the Magic Kingdom with a wonderful morning of rides in Fantasyland and we weren't disappointed. We walked right on to Dumbo, Peter Pan's Flight and then Winnie the Pooh:

After that it was right on to the Carousel:

From there we walked right on to Snow White's Scary Adventures and then over to Goofy's Barnstormer where Sam rode 5 times in a row without getting off! It was an amazing start to the day.

After Sam's Barnstormer marathon we decided to take a break from the rides and try to meet Minnie at The Judge's Tent. Ever since Madeleine and I had toured Minnie's house earlier in the trip, Madeleine had been mentioning how Minnie hadn't been home then and how she really wanted to meet Minnie. Like I think I mentioned before, my kids have always been afraid of the characters we'd seen at places like Chuck E Cheese's and such so I hadn't planned any time in our touring plans for characters, but we had been so fortunate with being able to ride so much that we felt we could take a break and take the time now that we saw they were interested. After all, this trip was for the kids and our little girl wanted to meet Minnie Mouse!

The line at The Judge's Tent was definitely the longest one we waited in the entire trip, but we hadn't planned for it so we tried to be patient. As soon as we got to the first door, Madeleine asked the cast member, "Is Minnie here?" The CM told us she didn't know and said the characters were always changing. Rick and I crossed our fingers and got in line. Sam was very happy watching the movie clips they had up on the screen in the front and Matthew was happy on Rick's shoulders:

Madeleine was very impatient! Halfway through the line we saw another CM and she asked again if Minnie was there. We got the same non-commital response and Rick and I explained to Madeleine that Minnie might not be there, that it might just be Mickey. In a very loud and indignant voice she responded, "I don't care about Mickey! I want to see Minnie!" Needless to say, we were really hoping that Minnie was around! After about a half hour wait we were excorted to a room. Rick and I said silent prayers of hope for Minnie and in we walked. Here is what we saw:

Hooray!!

Poor Mickey Mouse was passed right over as Madeleine ran to Minnie! She was one very happy little girl. Mickey didn't have much better luck with Sam and had to practically pull him over for a picture:

I felt bad for Mickey!

Once things calmed down a bit we all posed for a picture and I love this one that we got:

A happy moment for sure!

Still to come: The magic continues!