Visiting Every Potty and Trash Can in the World...First Trip Home to BLT, Dec 4-11th!

[exwdwcm]

We didn't see Push this trip, but did see it 4 years ago. Of course I also forgot about the Coke thing at EPCOT. Didn't have it in my planner, and it just completely slipped my mind. My wife loves coke, so I think she would have gotten a kick out of it.

Your pearl was huge, we got 3, two 7's and a 7 1/4. They all fit nicely in the Cinderella Carriages.

he was pretty cool. definitely worth trying to see him. I am a huge Coke lover too- so this was fun. they have all that cute Coke merchandise in there too. hey, another chance to sell you something!

yea, the pearl was big! i was surprised. I had read online the cage only holds up to a certain size, so when we got back to the room, i tried it and nope, it wouldn't close around it. I ended up giving the third cage to my MIL who went back to the pick a pearl a second time later in the trip and got a pearl for her sister too. I figure i will just put my pearl on a ring or something else next trip.

I find it very hard to try to get stuff done in FW and WS in the same day, especially since Epcot is so big and the kids are walking. I always plan a day for each area

One day I will do pick a pearl but for some reason I always forget

good idea on a day for each area. we need to be better about doing that. Especially since i love really taking my time in WS. This was my first time doing PaP and it was so much fun- it seems less busy during the day btw. We went back later in the trip to do it again and it was evening and was super busy in there.

We are going to be actually in Disney November 5th-11th. The light started on the 8th this past year, so I have my fingers crossed that they start around the same time this year so we can see them! I'm not expecting much else to be up decorations wise, but we really loved the Lights in 2009.

too funny- missing you by a month or so! well hopefully you will catch the lights!!! and you will still be in time for food and wine.

I'm glad Will was tall enough to ride Soarin'! Love that ride! (And the soundtrack - I listen to it all the time too! )

I vaguely remember the 2nd floor of the Kodak labs after Journey into your Imagination. I don't remember all the details, but I do remember there being so much to do there. And I remember when Figment and Dream Finder had a Meet and Greet!

Yes, totally forgot about the meet and greet too- i remember it as well. bummer all of that great stuff is gone. I don't mind when they get rid of something, as long as they replace it with something good or better- as i realize it is how the parks grow and change. They've really messed that up at the Imagination pavilion.....

Finally caught up. I had to take notes so I would remember what I wanted to comment on!

Surprise EMH's- Yes, this screwed us up too! In fact, the 19th when we were doing MK there were NO EMH's posted, I even double checked the notice in our rooms when we got back, but sure enough there were a ton of people when we were getting there at 7:30 for our 8:05 ADR. We asked and a security guy checking bags said they were opening at 8am. I was MAD. We ended up canceling our ADR and going right to the rides.

The new Pooh queue looks awesome. I wish Jack had managed to get over his fit so we could have seen it in person, lol.

I really wish I had seen that Toy Story sweatshirt. I saw that design on a picture frame, and I did end up getting the MR. and Mrs. Potatohead ornament for Jack where they are wearing mouse ears etc., but that sweathsirt would have been perfect!

Jack also got a Mickey balloon. He had been asking for one since we got our package info in the mail. On the front of the packet is a picture of the castle with Mickey balloons floating up. He got a green one. I wasn't suprised at the $10 price tag, but I wish there was a way to take it home! It was super windy when we bought ours too, the guy put like 5 weights on it. I guess I could have brought those home!

That green hoodie Toy Story shirt that Will was wearing, Jack has that too!

We did not have good luck at Soarin'. The CM in the front was watching us approach like a hawk! He didn't quite measure up but it was wierd because we measured him a few places and sometimes he looked tall enough and sometimes it looked like there was a huge gap. Oh well, something to look forward to!

so sorry you got affected by the surprise EMH's too- bummer, right? Was your ADR for CP?

Jack will love the new Pooh queue, very cute!

the sweatshirt is a zip up hoodie type and the arms are a little short on Will, but fits otherwise (size 3T and he is 3). The matching pants fit perfect, good length. i was so happy to find something- i got him the cutest sweatsuit last year that was navy with red/white/black plaid with WDW embroidered on it- i was tyring to find something similar this year and couldn't. '

lol at the balloon, yeah, our guy put like 5 weights on it too!

so funny on the same shirt- i think that was a disney store purchase pre-trip! i love that shirt! Is Jack a big Toy Story fan?

 

[exwdwcm]

Monday, December 6th, Part II

So I think we had reached the room about 2:45 or close to 3. So that left little time for a real break. We did get Will down for a short nap at least. But with 5pm ressies at O’hana, I knew we needed to leave the room by 4:30 at the latest to take the monorail over. Well that didn’t happen. By the time we left, it was near our ADR time. I get very stressed out when we are late like this, so it wasn’t fun. So we take the elevator down from our 7th floor to 5th floor, cross the skybridge to CR and take the escalator up to the monorail and wait for one. One comes, but we are far back in line. We finally get out on the loading platform and I am not sure we will fit, the monorail is full. So we split up. They all go one way and split up and get on, but here I am still not able to find a spot for just me and Will in the stroller. Every tram I try to get in, someone cuts me off. I was freaking out the rest of my family was going to leave without me. I was trying to make it towards the front of the monorail and this large family of like 10 step in front of me- finally I had enough, I just sweep through the middle of them shouting something about being separated from my family, having to make this monorail etc. It was not my finest moment looking back and really silly I let myself get worked up over something like that. We all know Disney rarely cares if you are late to your ADR. We’ve been late a few times, even as late as 30 minutes and it is no big deal, but I was just stressing. Really gotta work on that!

We finally make it over and head in. I go immediately to check in and there is a line at least 10 people deep. Ugh. And, you guessed it, more cheerleaders. Oh joy! Lol- no really, they were just fine, well-behaved, with their families, enjoying a good time like everyone else. I know they get a bad wrap sometimes, but it can be a small handful of loud, annoying, misbehaved ones when the other 90% are respectful, nice and just trying to enjoy their vacation (which might be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to cheer here).

So I get in line and wait and wait. Our ADR time is long past. Our 5pm ADR and I am still in the line to check in at like 5:20pm. I finally check in, am given a pager and we head over to look around in the shops. Will had lost one of his gloves earlier, so I found him a pair of the kid’s black mickey gloves. Still huge on him, but at least it would be something on his hands.

In just a few minutes, our pager was going off. Our wait was like 5 minutes maybe. We are led through the crowds, it is always crowded with people waiting and milling about by the bar and bathrooms there. We get in and are shown to our table- there was no stop at the little area to talk about the fresh bread or give us a lei. Just seated. We were actually somewhat near that area too- close to the bar and entrance. I had never sat over this way, but it was just fine. We are seated and get our bread shortly and finally 5 minutes or more later the waitress comes by and gets our drinks. We don’t see her again for at least another 5 minutes. She is so slow. There is a table next to us too that is pretty funny. They must be there on business, they keep talking about a conference etc. One guy is just too much though- he is one of those ‘I know everything’ types. And he talked the whole time, never let anyone else get in a word. And loud. We could hear every word about them working in a doctor’s office (not sure if they were nurses or what). But whatever the topic, he talked about how great he was. It was funny. We got a kick out of it after a while. At first it was annoying, but then we just were laughing.

Oh and we did order Will and Lindsey the light up cups- she got the light up tink and Will got buzz. They loved them. Not worth $6 or whatever, but worth their smile!

So finally drinks, bread and salad makes it out. Will usually eats salad, but didn’t care for it. Our server is just horrible- she is slow, doesn’t communicate well and we can’t find her when we need something- like to order a hot dog for Will. He is an adventurous eater and will usually eat adult food, but he was asking for a hot dog this night. She was nowhere to be found to order it and when we finally did, it came about 30 minutes later after the rest of us were almost done eating.



I didn’t take any pics of our food really, in fact, I didn’t take a ton of pics this day. Maybe because it was so darn cold and hard to get my gloves off and camera out. You know, the iphone swipe doesn’t work with gloves on, I had to take my gloves off to turn my phone on or take a pic with it!



But we had a great meal regardless of the poor service. MIL and Lindsey loved the wings. I ate my weight in the potstickers- I love those and the dips! Then I took Will and Lindsey to participate in the conga line and all that. They had fun. Got back and noodles, veggies and meats had arrived. I enjoyed the pork, chicken and steak, although steak was a big too rare for me. I don’t eat shrimp, but Alan enjoyed it as did MIL and Lindsey. Overall, food was hot and good just delivered slowly. We were also needing refills often and she was no where to be found. I had ordered a Pina Colava, my fave drink at Disney and needed more water- nope, had to wait 20 minutes.



Will of course needed to go the bathroom at least twice during this long meal and there was always a line for the bathroom. What a pain! When we returned, dessert was arriving- my favorite. I am not a bread pudding fan, but this is to die for. MIL was in heaven and said it was her favorite dessert all trip. I was so full by then I couldn’t eat as much of it as I had wanted too though. Lindsey enjoyed some ice cream as did William.

We paid up, used our TIW card for 20% off and I grabbed a few leis that were sitting near the entrance on our way out. Hey, if they aren’t going to give them to us, I’ll get them myself! lol



O’hana is one of those restaurants that some people love and others hate with a passion. While our service was bad this time, we will be back because we love the menu and food. This is my 4th time there and Dh’s 3rd We will probably book again for October and hope for better service next time! now.



So we did a little more shopping after dinner, checking out the shop downstairs and looking for Kona coffee to purchase to take home. Alan and I went to the Hawaii years ago- I was on business for the National Guard show back when I worked in the defense industry. We stayed extra days of course and enjoyed Oahu. He feel in love with the Kona coffee there. It is pretty expensive to get the real thing online even. I got him some for Christmas. But we were hoping we could buy some to take home and never found it- anyone else ever bought any here? So we gave up on our Kona coffee search and I headed outside to show them the pool area and beach. It was dark now and cold, but they thought it was awesome.

Back in we go and up to the monorail to head to the MK. We get on and apparently the people in our car said they had been stuck on a monorail for over 30 minutes or more with a medical emergency of some kind. The guy talking appeared to be a cast member, on a night off (probably off to enjoy the MK!) who said they got stuck. I assume someone maybe had a heart attack or something- who knows. It happens often in the world, but they are so good at keeping it low key that you don’t always see or hear about it.

So we make it to the MK, head in and the goal was to catch MSEP tonight, it was our only night to do so. There was a 7pm MSEP and a 9pm tonight. They had added a second show just recently when they announced some of those extended hours (including the extra hour on our MK morning that I was worried about!). Originally, they only offered the 7pm show, so I was glad they added the second one, given how late we were running. By the time we finished dinner and got over to the MK, it was well after 7pm and the first MSEP was over. In fact, it was pretty crowded and crazy as folks were making their way out of the park or off of Main Street.

We finally managed to get down main street and turn left. It was so darn cold! We debated what to do. We saw the magic carpets had no line, so we did that. Had fun, but windy and cold! We also did Pirates with no line. In fact, as we exited into the shop, Will had to go potty, so we headed to the bathroom right outside the shop, that is near the entrance of frontierland.

Then we hear it, the 8pm WISHES is going off. There is a bench right outside the bathrooms, so we sit and watch. We don’t have a perfect view, but we can still see most of it. And it is completely empty and dead around us- not a soul around. Even the Pirates gift shop is totally empty except for CMs. So we enjoyed this little moment, make some phone calls home and then head back through Adventureland to try and find a spot for MSEP at 9pm. We stop in the Christmas shoppe in Liberty Square, but it is jam packed with people trying to stay inside and warm. We just decide to grab a spot on the street outside the shop for the parade.

I go take Will yet again to the potty and then to get some hot chocolate and coffee at Sleepy Hollow. Finally MSEP is starting. That is when a rude guy walks up, pushes his way in next to me and starts to lean over taking pictures, completely blocking my view or any chance of getting good pics without his arm in the way. I push back. But it was no use. He didn’t speak English and had no clue about personal space either. He was almost on top of me and really it wasn’t that crowded for this second parade, he could have found another spot. Soon his elderly dad is pushing in next to him too. I just let it go, it was too cold to care. Here is his lovely hand in my shot!

And his hand yet again…………………thanks dude.

We enjoyed the MSEP, but I do miss Spectro, since I’ve seen it more. When I did the college program, I mostly worked early mornings since my restaurant only served breakfast and lunch. So I was almost always off by 2-3pm and had evenings free. I would often head over to the MK for just a few hours with a roommate or neighbor and watch Spectro. It was so fun- we had some friends that performed in it too. So that is sort of my parade, brings back good memories from my CP. But glad I got to experience MSEP again- I did remember it from childhood. Here we are waiting and cold waiting for MSEP!

Mommy, these gloves don’t fit and I am cold!

By the time MSEP was over, we were done. Frozen solid. It was like 10pm and MK was open until 1am tonight for EMH. But forget it. We were too darn cold to stay. So we head back to BLT. I can’t remember if we walked or took the monorail. Probably monorail given the cold! Speaking of monorail, it was interesting to have our first stay at our HOME, BLT. I expected the monorail to be super convenient, but it wasn’t as great as I had though, I guess I had not thought it through.

First we have to take the elevator down to 5th floor skybridge, over to CR, then up escalator to monorail station. Usually there is a wait, we rarely caught the monorail without a long line and often waited through more than one monorail. We noticed they were almost always full- remember the monorail is coming from the MK- so any guests going to the TTC, Poly or GF are still on, leaving little room for new people to board. Bummer- didn’t think of that. It often meant a crowded, standing room only, lucky if you make it full monorail. Not what I expected.

However, when leaving the MK, of course, CR was the first stop, so that was nice. But the walk over is almost just as short as the walk to the monorail! We got back to the room and Lindsey turned on the tv and watched Disney channel. I was about to pull my hair out with the Disney channel by the time we left. She was always glued to those shows on there- suite life and all the others. Drove me nuts. Will, being an only child for now, loves to do whatever his cousins do. So he got a snack and sat just like her, on her bed. It was pretty sweet. Or suite, should I say! The suite life of Lindsey and Will.

 

[eecteacher82]

Sorry, I was an update behind...the weekends are usually busy around here so I don't get on from Saturday morning until Tuesday and then I have LOTS to catch up on!

Anyway... Yeah for Will that he made the 40 inch rides!!! I was so hoping Olivia would, but she just missed it! I am dying for the day she is tall enough though! She is too! Every time we walk by BTMRR or Test Track, she begs to go on!

Wow! You guys got some great size pearls! We did it too....but that is for an upcoming post!

Would you believe that in all the trips we have taken, we have never seen the Jammitors!?! Oh well, something new to do next time!

 

[Daddy_of_Princesses]

Oh and we did order Will and Lindsey the light up cups- she got the light up tink and Will got buzz. They loved them. Not worth $6 or whatever, but worth their smile!

I had planned on getting them since they sounded neat, but we weren't sure about the Light Lemonade, and whether our kids would like it. They are pretty picky about drinks, mainly they get chocolate milk.

 

[exwdwcm]

Sorry, I was an update behind...the weekends are usually busy around here so I don't get on from Saturday morning until Tuesday and then I have LOTS to catch up on!

Anyway... Yeah for Will that he made the 40 inch rides!!! I was so hoping Olivia would, but she just missed it! I am dying for the day she is tall enough though! She is too! Every time we walk by BTMRR or Test Track, she begs to go on!

Wow! You guys got some great size pearls! We did it too....but that is for an upcoming post!

Would you believe that in all the trips we have taken, we have never seen the Jammitors!?! Oh well, something new to do next time!

so funny, i am rarely on the computer on the weekend either. funny, but i tend to do my updates while at work. easier that way. I'll have a nice story for you about a problem we experienced though on BTMRR with his height later in the report, we were NOT happy about it. i always luck out and run into good entertainment, totally unplanned. We saw streetmosphere at the HS like 3x this trip and also saw Divine the last two trips.

I had planned on getting them since they sounded neat, but we weren't sure about the Light Lemonade, and whether our kids would like it. They are pretty picky about drinks, mainly they get chocolate milk.

what a k-winky-dink, i was just posting on your TR as you were posting on mine.

Will liked the light up thing, but it seemed the older kids liked it better. In fact, on our September disneyland trip- (just me, mom and sisters)- my disney-loving sister Wendy ordered that child's drink to get the glow tink, so did my mom. it was pretty funny. She loves the light up ice cubes and stuff. So her and my mom were wearing the light up tink on their shirt since it clips on. They kept getting comments on it. As we were boarding the pooh ride at DL, there was a family in front of us and the little girl was giddy about that light up Tink, she thought it was amazing. So my mom (the kind soul she is), gave it to the little girl. So sweet. but we all laughed, because there was no way Wendy was parting with hers- she loves hers probably more than that little girl did.

definitely pricey at $6-7 or whatever, but hey, we were splurging a bit this trip and it's funny how my extremely tight-wad hubby (i say that with the utmost love) goes from saving every penny to buying my son whatever he wants at WDW. Guess it's the pixie dust!

 

[DisneyRed95]

Love O'Hana! I think it's great you took Lindsey and your MIL. It's such a fun restaurant. I'm sorry your server wasn't very good though. What a bummer!

I agree with you about liking Spectro over MSEP. I remember MSEP as a child, but I remember Spectro from my CP days as well. One of my assignments while there on my second program was working in merchandise on Main Street and I got to walk in front of Spectro with a "Glow" cart selling all the fun glow in the dark merchandise. It was a blast! Every time I hear the music it brings back memories.

 

[stephielela]

When we went to 'Ohana we were sitting at the table that is in the upper right corner of the picture you posted. If I were to do it again, I would probably request to sit in the main dining room. Our service wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. We also didn't get leis. Jack wasn't behaving great so we didn't do the parade etc, but one of the kids came by and gave Jack a lei.

We got Jack one of those Buzz Lightups at 50's PTC but they let us have whatever drink we wanted with it.

As for your monorail experience, we had a similar experience on the tram at DHS. It made me crazy. People were so pushy and rude.

Jack LOVES Toy Story. His 3rd birthday will be Toy Story themed. He has so much TS gear, it's ridiculous.

 

[exwdwcm]

Love O'Hana! I think it's great you took Lindsey and your MIL. It's such a fun restaurant. I'm sorry your server wasn't very good though. What a bummer!

I agree with you about liking Spectro over MSEP. I remember MSEP as a child, but I remember Spectro from my CP days as well. One of my assignments while there on my second program was working in merchandise on Main Street and I got to walk in front of Spectro with a "Glow" cart selling all the fun glow in the dark merchandise. It was a blast! Every time I hear the music it brings back memories.

yeah we love Ohana too, i know lots hate it, but we just really like the food. I love those potstickers and the dessert most of all. I was glad i got to see MSEP this time at least. but it was darn cold, it was hard to enjoy! so cool on walking in front of spectro with your cart! i bet that was a fun gig. i know, i hear the music and am immediately taken back to sitting there watching with my roomies and friends.

When we went to 'Ohana we were sitting at the table that is in the upper right corner of the picture you posted. If I were to do it again, I would probably request to sit in the main dining room. Our service wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. We also didn't get leis. Jack wasn't behaving great so we didn't do the parade etc, but one of the kids came by and gave Jack a lei.

We got Jack one of those Buzz Lightups at 50's PTC but they let us have whatever drink we wanted with it.

As for your monorail experience, we had a similar experience on the tram at DHS. It made me crazy. People were so pushy and rude.

Jack LOVES Toy Story. His 3rd birthday will be Toy Story themed. He has so much TS gear, it's ridiculous.

cool- now i know to ask for whatever drink he wants. i didn't even think of that on the light up cup. yeah, i need to be sure to ask for the main dining room next time too- sometimes i forget to do that stuff! i was so anxious and stressed about even getting in the place since we were late! lol. Very sweet on Jack and TS- you will have to post pics of his birthday!

 

[exwdwcm]

Tuesday, December 7th

So today is Animal Kingdom day! It opened at 9am and we managed to get up, eat breakfast in the room and arrive by 9:15am, yeah! We got a decent parking space and walked on in. Again, freezing cold today- in the low 40s I think at least. It is freezing in the shade!

So we go through the gate, everyone is a pro at using their pass and doing the finger scan now. I keep everyone’s tickets though, so no one loses them. MIL and Lindsey have 8 day hoppers and Alan, Will and I have annual passes.

The goal is to head first to Expedition Everest and get a FP then over to Safari. There are no lines at the FP machine (in fact the park seemed pretty empty) and so we get the FPs and see the standby line is only 10 minutes. So Lindsey, MIL and I all go ahead and ride, we virtually walk on really. They really enjoyed the ride and it quickly became Lindsey’s new favorite! She had seen it on one of the Disney specials on tv and was so excited to try it!

After our brush with the “B” mode Yeti, we head back towards the safari. On the way, we see a crowd starting to form and yep, it’s Devine! We saw her last December too. We watched for a good 10 minutes until she went back on break. She’s so graceful!

Next up, time for a little snack- we hit a little cart outside the safari and Lindsey gets an apple, I get a jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel and some water. It was so darn good- I used to get these in TL, but I noticed they weren’t serving them at the Lunching Pad anymore- anyone know where else you can buy these in WDW now? It was good, I ate every last bite. Once Will saw Lindsey eating an apple, he wanted one too- he loves apples, but has never eaten a whole one, usually just slices. He tried to take a few bites and gave up. Trying to take a bite!

So we parked the stroller and got in line for the Safari. It posted a 20 minute wait, but it wasn’t but maybe 5 minutes if that. We saw all the animals, I was surprised they were all out in this cold- even the black rhinos and it was the first time I saw actual CM Scientist with hard hats out working too. Halfway through our ride, I look over and Will is asleep, laying up next to Alan. Not sure how he fell asleep on such a bumpy ride, but he did. Guess all the running around has caught up with him.

I am guessing it was about 10:30-11am by the time we got off the safari. We headed into a shop to look around and I think MIL bought something for her other granddaughter back home.

We stopped and took a few pics with the tree of life in the background.

We decided to go ahead and go back to EE and use our FP’s before getting some lunch. Better to ride before lunch than after, right? No one except Lindsey and I want to ride. So we hand in our FPs and head in- we virtually walk on, wait maybe 2 minutes. The standby line said it was like 20 minutes, still not bad for EE. We have a great time riding in the very back this time. We were able to get on so fast, we figure, we might as well use the rest of the FPs and ride a third time, right? So we don’t even go tell MIL and Alan, we just exit and go right back in again and are on the ride immediately. So much fun to ride EE 3x before 11am!

We then headed to try out Yak and Yeti quick service. We usually eat at Flame Tree Barbeque at AK, down on the patio by the water. But I had heard Yak and Yeti was good and I thought it might be fun to have something different. Will was still asleep, so we let him sleep in his stroller and save him some food. Alan and I both had the sweet and sour chicken and Lindsey got a hamburger. MIL ate some of ours- the portions were huge anyhow. The food was good and there was no line at all when we ordered. We found a spot in the sun to eat and were attacked by the begging ducks! We did have a nice relaxing lunch, since the crowds were low, we took our time and didn’t rush.

Next up, we headed to Dinoland. I missed Primeval Whirl last time and love that ride, reminds me of an old mousetrap coaster we had at the zoo growing up. So Alan, Lindsey and I get in line while MIL waits with Will who is still asleep! The line is probably about 15 minutes wait, but posted at 20 minutes. We enjoy the crazy, whipping action through time. Next up, potty breaks! But Will is still asleep. The kid has been passed out for almost two hours in the stroller. He almost never sleeps in his stroller. He must be really tired. We head over to Dinosaur next and get a child swap pass. MIL, Alan and Lindsey all go ride while I sit out with Will.

We go hang out in the store and I shop some- get Will some big boy mickey underwear, a stitch pen for Lindsey, earrings for my cousin and a cute green cloth bag (for $1.95 I think) with purchase- it had santa mickey on it. I ended up buying three of these in the course of the trip- one for me, my mom and my sister Wendy (the other big Disney nut in my family). I head back to sit and wait at the exit and they are coming out. So Lindsey and I ride a second time. Alan says there was really no line to speak of, so we probably don’t even need the child swap pass, but I use it anyhow and we go in the FP entrance…..he was wrong, there was a line, all through that back room, so we bypassed it all and got a few stares from some obviously unfamiliar with fastpass people. We head in the preview room and immediately stand by the door, so we are first in. We watch Claire Huxtable’s (lol) spiel and then ride. Lindsey was definitely a little scared on the t-rex part!


After that, Will has woken up, so potty break again for him. Then we spot Pluto and decide for the first time to wait in a line to see him. There are probably 5 families ahead of us. We had a great time visiting with Pluto!

After a visit with Pluto, we let Will play in the boneyard for a bit. We missed this last time and I wanted him to have a chance to enjoy it, especially since he had just woken up from a nap. It worked out well too- he slept during EE, primeval whirl and dinosaur, 3 rides he could not do! So it was perfect. I went on the playground with him and we did a ton of slides and running around. He had a good time- he loves playgrounds.

Next was Tough to be a Bug. As we walked in, one man walking by said something about how Will might be scared…..i told him he had already seen it last year and was fine and the guy looked surprised. Lol- this kid ain’t scared of nothing! We all enjoyed the show and Will loved the 3D- he kept reaching out trying to grab everything. Lindsey and MIL got a kick out of the bee sting and the bugs scrambling out at the end. It’s a great show!

By this time it was about 2:30pm, we had gotten a LOT done already. I still wanted to catch the Lion King show and see Camp Minnie Mickey, but we were fading fast. The cold had not let up either. We were all a little hungry and decided to stop for a snack. We hit up pizzafari and got Will a pizza, since he hadn’t eaten our leftovers from lunch. Lindsey got a pizza too and everyone shared a little and just sat and rested. When we first went in, the place was packed full of people, we had to find a table way in the back.

We debated on Lion King show vs the train……decided the train for Will. Then we headed back towards the train- on my to-do list was Conservation Station, or whatever it is called these days. I had promised Will a train ride, so off we go. Folding up the stroller now that I had shopping bags was not easy, but we managed. We enjoyed the area some and saw Jiminy Cricket all by himself, so we got some pics. We checked out the exhibits about poop! Lol

Next we spot Rafiki and Pocahontas, again barely any wait. So Lindsey gets pics with them. Rafiki was acting silly and doing a yoga pose with this guy, which was so cute. So he tried to get Lindsey to do it in the pic too, but she wasn’t game. You can see him posing with his leg up!

I didn’t think the Pocahontas was very good.

We went outside to the petting zoo, but didn’t stay long, it was so darn cold. Will just wanted to wash his hands in the little wash area, he loves washing his hands. So we stopped quickly on the way out and bought him a present- he wanted a giraffe blanket/pillow pal thing. It was almost $30, but we hadn’t bought him much this trip and I figured we could use the blanket!

We arrived back at the station and were just so darn tired, I knew there was no way we would make the Lion King show and I know they probably only had like one show left by this time. I think it was almost 4pm. So we decided to head out, but wait, we can’t, there is the parade! So we walked out along the parade route watching it as we went. This is the first time I have even caught a glimpse of the AK parade. It was cute. We usually do AK in two mornings- we come at opening and leave by like 1-2pm, so we always miss the parade. It was fun to see.

So we head out and get the obligatory pic of the tree!

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Aw man! I forgot all about the coke thing. Oh well. someday.

My cousin made us some Passports for the kids. They had their pictures, names, ages, etc... along with a page for each country to get a stamp and an autograph. They loved it, and it is cool seeing the autographs in the native languages. Now if I had only thought to write down what they wrote since it was different for each passport. Oh well, guess I need to find people who know the languages to translate for me.

Go on babelfish.altavista.com and type in what they wrote and then check the from and to languages and you can translate it yourself.

La Hacienda was good to try once and glad we did. I don't think i would eat there without the window firework experience though. Not sure we will be back anytime soon either. We really want to try all the restaurants in the world and are trying to hit up new ones unless it is a favorite and this didn't make our favorites list (but Via Napoli did!). I would say it is worth trying once at least for Illuminations. It wasn't bad, but was a bit pricey (and we were paying OOP and of course I had forgotten to buy the TIW card, so we paid full price for this one).

i enjoyed my black bean soup, but i didn't have an entree, so can't speak to that. DH said his tacos were good, but nothing spectacular and felt it was overpriced. of course, he is cheap too, so take that with a grain of salt. it did make for a magical first night with our view though and i also enjoyed the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant.

I'm so glad the view is great! We have an ADR for our upcoming trip. I love how Epcot keeps the fireworks time the same no matter what time the park closes. I wanted to try O'hana during the fireworks in June but they're not until 10!!

Awaiting my review and raise at work, hopefully it will happen soon. DH got his bonus and we put it all towards our DVC loan. Just a few thousand more and we will be all paid off completely on our DVC membership and won't have to make those monthly payments anymore. Then we just have that silly annual maintenance fee each year, but that's it. It will be such a great feeling to be clear on that and just enjoy the benefits!

We just bought AKL so that day is pretty far, LOL.

MIL has perm eyeliner and lip liner.

My mom has permanent eyebrows! Ok, we all have permanent eyebrows but hers are tattooed. I've gotten Botox a few times in my eyelid (for thyroid eye disease) and it hurt!!

She only takes baths, not showers

I have to take a shower after taking a bath. I always feel like I'm sitting in dirty water!! LOL

While I had been disappointed about the earlier 8am opening, I was pleasantly surprised how empty the park was………..I guess a lot of people weren’t aware of the earlier opening either. Plus the rain probably scared a lot of folks away and well, it was a Sunday, lots of folks probably had a late night last night and were sleeping in. So it turned out great in the end.

The same thing happened to us the first day we were there! It rained and was cold so it felt like we had the park to ourselves.

I wanted to check out the new queue! And it was amazing.

Isn't the queue so cute!!??

He literally crosses all the crowds across the walkway to touch the next trash can. He especially loves the ones for bottles/recycling and wants to look inside the holes each time. AT least the trash cans are clean! And forget about it if a custodial CM is taking the trash out and putting a new bag in, Will goes nuts and wants to watch.

That is so cute. I showed DH Will's Halloween costume and he said he should do that for Halloween. DH loves Oscar the Grouch.

when we were waiting to get into Le Cellier one of the CM's was asking Disney Trivia questions and apparently Peter Pan is the longest line in all of WDW.

How'd you get Disney trivia??? It should have been switched for us!! LOL I know Disney trivia and you're from Canada so you would've gotten the questions we were asked correct!

I scored a measly 30k and Alan got 80k.

You scored better than I did and I was the one spinning! I suck at Buzz!

then we see him, Stitch!

I LOVE Stitch!! He's so cute and cuddly and FLUFFY!!

We had dinner reservations for Sci Fi for 7:45pm

I can't wait to bring the kids there in June. I think they'll like the theming. I've never eaten there so I'm excited.

Alan gets the grilled chicken sandwich I think. He’s healthy like that sometimes (sick, I know).

Don't you hate that? I always feel so guilty ordering b/c DH will order something like a salad or grilled chicken.

So we exited and headed towards the Animation area, I heard there was a ‘dance party’ after hours for EMH at the playhouse Disney venue. We went in and it was pretty crowded, but Goofy and others were dancing around- including Mickey and Minnie with guests.

What??? I never knew that! Definitely have to put an EMH night on my list this year. Michael battled Goofy at the MVMCP but I'll write more about it in my TR.

Trip notes? Why didn't I think of that. I have to do my entire TR based on memory. Well, memory and pictures, and since I have 1300+ pictures, I guess I am good for around 1.3 million words.

I also rely on my pictures. Next trip I do intend to bring a tiny notebook to write stuff down. Sometimes my kids will say the craziest things and I can't remember exactly what it was.

I find it very hard to try to get stuff done in FW and WS in the same day, especially since Epcot is so big and the kids are walking. I always plan a day for each area

I do the same. I plan two different days for Epcot, one for each part.

 

[DisneyRed95]

Congrats on hitting EE 3 times! That's such a great ride!

We haven't tried Yak & Yeti yet, but I think we may try it in May when we're there. Do you know if the Quick Service part has indoor seating? Or is the indoor seating only for the Table Service part of the restaurant? The reason I ask is we ate at Flame Tree last fall and one of the birds literally snatched some pulled pork from DH's sandwich while it was sitting on our table! He wasn't very amused and doesn't want to eat with the "birds" if he doesn't have to. Ha!

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

Congrats on hitting EE 3 times! That's such a great ride!

We haven't tried Yak & Yeti yet, but I think we may try it in May when we're there. Do you know if the Quick Service part has indoor seating? Or is the indoor seating only for the Table Service part of the restaurant? The reason I ask is we ate at Flame Tree last fall and one of the birds literally snatched some pulled pork from DH's sandwich while it was sitting on our table! He wasn't very amused and doesn't want to eat with the "birds" if he doesn't have to. Ha!

OMG, that's hysterical. What did you guys do when it happened?

 

[DisneyRed95]

OMG, that's hysterical. What did you guys do when it happened?

I think my DH was ready to strangle the bird! It was like slow motion. I set the tray down on the table and one of those taller white birds with the super long neck, brought his head back (almost the same effect that happens during the opening sequence of RnRC!) and snapped forward shooting his beak into the middle of DH's sandwich! The bird snatched the pulled pork but the bun never moved! We just stood there and stared at the bird! We didn't know how to react!

 

[khertz]

I get a jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel and some water. It was so darn good- I used to get these in TL, but I noticed they weren’t serving them at the Lunching Pad anymore- anyone know where else you can buy these in WDW now?

Someone started a thread about this! No real answers yet, but someone may come alone with the info! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2634435

I was a little behind on your updates, but I'm all caught up now!

I probably would have done the same thing on the monorail. I get little bouts of anxiety, and being late coupled with potentially being separated from my group would have tweaked me out for sure! I tend to panic immediately instead of just thinking, hey another monorail will be coming right after this one, I'll just catch that one.

That sucks about the slow service at 'Ohana. That can certainly put a damper on a good meal right there. That bread pudding looks divine! But DH and I will probably never eat there since we are both so picky.

I loved the MSEP! I was never that much a fan of Spectro, but I really enjoyed MSEP on our last trip. It was just the right length for me that I wasn't too bored and I liked that it focused more on classic characters instead of all the princesses. I'm kind of hoping this is the parade they have going on when we go back this year. That picture of the people on Main Street! I hate trying to make it down MS when it looks like that.

How fun that you & Lindsey got to go on a little EE marathon! I absolutely love that ride. And it never seems to have much of a wait, at least not the times we have been in the past few years. I know people dog AK but I'm pretty excited to take DS. I think he will love seeing the animals and checking out the petting zoo. Too funny that Will is so not afraid of Tough to Be a Bug...I'm terrified of it! I hate bugs and I absolutely HATE when I can hear or feel things moving around in the dark. Not my kind of show!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

Hey Michelle! I've seen you post on other TR but I haven't checked out yours until now!

Im also an EX WDW CM..CP in 2008 at BBB MK, PI in 2008 at AK Kids Discovery Clubs, and was seasonal from 2009-2010 at BBB MK!

I'm loving all the updates so far!

Thanks for posting the Ebay link for the pearl carriage! I ended up buying 2, one for myself and one for my mom. Where did you get the chain to go with it???
I've done Pick a Pearl twice now (but at TL). I have a necklace and ring and bought the chain for my necklace at pick a pearl but they get tangled very easily!!
If you could let me know, that would be great! My mom has never done pick a pearl before so I think she'd get a kick out of it in March when we're there!

We were also there around the same time in Dec but we were at WL.
Can't wait for more updates!!

 

[exwdwcm]

Hi all! another update coming this afternoon. Unfortunately, i caught a bad cold Friday. Or maybe it is the flu. A coworker was out almost all of last week with the flu, although she tried to come in last Tuesday for a meeting and we all shoed her away. Now i have something. I was home yesterday and today. i hate being sick already in the first of the new year, but i tried to go in and my coworkers shoed me away too- i know my constant nose blowing and coughing was annoying, since we all sit in cubicles. I can't say i blame them. Doc couldn't get me in either, booked solid and computers were down too. go figure. So starting to feel a little better, but my throat is on fire now and my nose is so darn raw.

So will update this afternoon while i have time at home. I am also thinking about starting my October 2011 PTR!!! Anyone else have a good October TR i can read? I am looking to read up on October and MNSSHP!

I'm so glad the view is great! We have an ADR for our upcoming trip. I love how Epcot keeps the fireworks time the same no matter what time the park closes. I wanted to try O'hana during the fireworks in June but they're not until 10!!

The same thing happened to us the first day we were there! It rained and was cold so it felt like we had the park to ourselves.

That is so cute. I showed DH Will's Halloween costume and he said he should do that for Halloween. DH loves Oscar the Grouch.

Don't you hate that? I always feel so guilty ordering b/c DH will order something like a salad or grilled chicken.

What??? I never knew that! Definitely have to put an EMH night on my list this year. Michael battled Goofy at the MVMCP but I'll write more about it in my TR.

La Hacienda was great for the view. I am sure we will give it another try sometime. If you are a big margarita lover, you will really enjoy it. We just aren't big tequila lovers.

We loved that morning when it rained. sure it was nasty out for a bit, but the crowds were amazing (none!). We always stick it out in the rain and it always pays off.

Will loved his trash can costume! glad DH liked it! i actually saw one of my old CP roomies do a laundry basket- i think she got the idea from our trash can costume. She had her torso through the middle of a laundry basket with dirty clothes hanging off, detergent inside etc. Pretty funny- like she was stuck in constant laundry!

I totally hate how DH will order something healthy while i am eating chili cheese fries! go figure!

Yep, the dance party was fun- the characters were all dancing, you couldn't get pictures posed with them or autographs, but you could get pics dancing with them or near them.

the tiny notebook helps. i thought about using my iphone, but to be honest, i am not a big texter, so i hate typing on it. just handwriting it is easier for me. i did have my laptop in the room and i would write down notes each day (well almost). but you are right, there are those funny little moments or sayings you will totally forget if you don't write them down!

Congrats on hitting EE 3 times! That's such a great ride!

We haven't tried Yak & Yeti yet, but I think we may try it in May when we're there. Do you know if the Quick Service part has indoor seating? Or is the indoor seating only for the Table Service part of the restaurant? The reason I ask is we ate at Flame Tree last fall and one of the birds literally snatched some pulled pork from DH's sandwich while it was sitting on our table! He wasn't very amused and doesn't want to eat with the "birds" if he doesn't have to. Ha!

i did not notice any indoor seating for the QS location. It mostly was outside that I saw, unless I missed something. I love Flame Tree, but yeah, i think the Y&Y QS is probably the same way as Flame Tree. all outdoors. i didn't notice anything inside, we would have taken it if we had, since it was so cold. yeah, the birds are crazy! they were bad there too.

I think my DH was ready to strangle the bird! It was like slow motion. I set the tray down on the table and one of those taller white birds with the super long neck, brought his head back (almost the same effect that happens during the opening sequence of RnRC!) and snapped forward shooting his beak into the middle of DH's sandwich! The bird snatched the pulled pork but the bun never moved! We just stood there and stared at the bird! We didn't know how to react!

LOL! too funny. Those birds are truly pros.

Someone started a thread about this! No real answers yet, but someone may come alone with the info! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2634435

I was a little behind on your updates, but I'm all caught up now!

I probably would have done the same thing on the monorail. I get little bouts of anxiety, and being late coupled with potentially being separated from my group would have tweaked me out for sure! I tend to panic immediately instead of just thinking, hey another monorail will be coming right after this one, I'll just catch that one.

That sucks about the slow service at 'Ohana. That can certainly put a damper on a good meal right there. That bread pudding looks divine! But DH and I will probably never eat there since we are both so picky.

I loved the MSEP! I was never that much a fan of Spectro, but I really enjoyed MSEP on our last trip. It was just the right length for me that I wasn't too bored and I liked that it focused more on classic characters instead of all the princesses. I'm kind of hoping this is the parade they have going on when we go back this year. That picture of the people on Main Street! I hate trying to make it down MS when it looks like that.

How fun that you & Lindsey got to go on a little EE marathon! I absolutely love that ride. And it never seems to have much of a wait, at least not the times we have been in the past few years. I know people dog AK but I'm pretty excited to take DS. I think he will love seeing the animals and checking out the petting zoo. Too funny that Will is so not afraid of Tough to Be a Bug...I'm terrified of it! I hate bugs and I absolutely HATE when I can hear or feel things moving around in the dark. Not my kind of show!

thanks for the link. i will have to check out the other jalapeno pretzel locations! Yeah, i sort of over-reacted on the whole monorail thing. funny how frazzled we can get over something so silly. only on vacation. True, i did enjoy all the classic characters on MSEP, since i do love them! i hadn't thought about it that way!

i couldn't believe we rode it 3x. i love it. DH i don't think will ride it ever again, he said the backwards thing just throws off his balance too much and how at almost 40 now, he just can't handle all the coasters anymore.

i love AK too and there was a lot for Will to do and enjoy there! I am excited about our October trip where we can skip some stuff we have done and just focus more on him. this last trip was more about showing everything to his mom and Lindsey. this next October trip will be all about Will!!!!

Hey Michelle! I've seen you post on other TR but I haven't checked out yours until now!

Im also an EX WDW CM..CP in 2008 at BBB MK, PI in 2008 at AK Kids Discovery Clubs, and was seasonal from 2009-2010 at BBB MK!

I'm loving all the updates so far!

Thanks for posting the Ebay link for the pearl carriage! I ended up buying 2, one for myself and one for my mom. Where did you get the chain to go with it???
I've done Pick a Pearl twice now (but at TL). I have a necklace and ring and bought the chain for my necklace at pick a pearl but they get tangled very easily!!
If you could let me know, that would be great! My mom has never done pick a pearl before so I think she'd get a kick out of it in March when we're there!

We were also there around the same time in Dec but we were at WL.
Can't wait for more updates!!

Hey Megan! I've actually followed your TR before- i followed along as you started the job at AK and all that too. loved it all and your experiences at BBB too.

the chain actually came with the carriage! it isn't a fancy one, so if you want something nicer, you might look around. I am sure your mom will love PaP!!

Did you enjoy WL? we love it- we were there last December. so beautiful!

So do you still work seasonally or keep up your status? are you back in school now or planning to stay at WDW permanently at any point? I was lucky that i did the fall program- i started in august 96 and my last day was like january 2nd, 1997, so even though i only worked 2 days in 97, i got the CM ID that was good for all of 97, so i got in free that whole year! they had a 15 year WDWCP reunion that WDW actually hosted (I haven't heard of them doing one since?), so we went to that in Oct 97 and it was great fun to still get in free and see my roomies again. I would have loved to have gone for an advanced internship, but i felt bad leaving my boyfriend behind (we had lived together for 3 years by then and he wasn't thrilled i had left to go to FL for a semester!). plus i only had one class left to graduate, so i headed home. now married to that same BF and he eventually has come to the darkside and even bought us DVC! i do regret though not going after the advanced internship. not sure i would have stood a shot, but i still regret not at least trying. my time on the CP was one of the best times of my life!!!!

 

[exwdwcm]

Tuesday, December 7th part II

So it was about 4:45pm by now. We get to the car, and turn on the heat. Man it was so cold! We decided to head to Wal-Mart----Will said he wanted to go see the trash cans at Wal-Mart! Go figure. We always have to go down the trash can aisle and the vacuum aisle at Wal-mart! I know where the WM is on 535, so we head that way. It is always packed with tourists and locals. We go in and shop- I like checking out all the Disney stuff they have- we find some pins for $5 and get one for Lindsey. I had gotten her a lanyard before the trip with about 5-6 pins on it. She loved all the pins and didn’t want to trade but one or two. She had fun trading, but she liked what she had already and wanted to keep. So I got a pin for her to trade, but she wanted to keep it too. LOL. I can’t wait until Will is old enough to enjoy pin trading. I have some really nice pins- many from 2000, a roman mickey from the old Las vegas Disney store, a special leadership pin from Ex VP of Epcot and author Lee Cockrell that I got on the DIS podcast cruise and more. I did have one guy stop me towards the end of the trip on the one day I wore them and ask if I would trade any. He was a big time trader obviously with his book and all. I told him no, I just like to wear them to display.

I find a cute Minnie pot holder/dish towel set for $5 that is lime green and pink for my mom- she loves pink and has green in her kitchen and loves Minnie! Score! We buy a little Hormel snack tray of cheese, salami and crackers to snack on and MIL gets a few things she needed too. We make it back to the hotel by 6:30ish. The plan tonight was- no plan! This was sort of our ‘break’ night. We were cooking dinner in the room tonight. I had ordered $100 worth of groceries from garden grocer, including a frozen family lasagna and salad. We got it in the oven and snacked on the meat/cheese/cracker tray. William and Lindsey ate almost all the cheese and crackers. William ate so much of that, that when it came time for dinner, I put a bite in his mouth and he threw it all up. Lovely! All over his clothes. So in the laundry they went. We had been doing laundry almost every night btw- we loved having a washer and dryer in the room. Since we were wearing mostly long sleeves and layers, we kept washing them often.

I got Will into the bath, gave him a bath and we got him ready for bed. Alan and I wanted to check out the Top of the World Tower. MIL and Lindsey were too tired and I think MIL wanted to give us some alone time. So we headed up there just before holiday WISHES, as this was a MVMCP night. At first I wasn’t sure where to go- so we headed towards the lobby of BLT and asked. She directed us where to go and we went to that elevator along with another gentleman. A CM asked to see our room keys, checking to see that it said DVC member on it staying here and then took us up in the elevator.

WISHES was at 9:30pm tonight for the Christmas party. So we got there just before it started at like 9:25.

The lounge was full- at least all the seats were taken anyhow. Looked so nice and comfy- I checked out the drink and appetizer menu and can’t wait to enjoy this more in the future. We did head out to the patio/balcony once they started the fireworks, but it was so darn cold- especially that high up. No way I could stay out there. So we went inside and watched it. It was such an amazing view with the piped in music and lowered lights. So glad we did it. We were so tired, we almost didn’t at first. It was worth it.

I would estimate there were probably 50 or so people up there. It wasn’t super crowded. I can’t wait to try this again when the weather is nice enough to be outside and enjoy it. We made it back to the room right after and everyone was in bed by 10pm, one of the earliest nights for us all week!

Another note about our resort…..I was a little nervous about owning BLT, it isn’t really our style of décor- we hate modern. But we loved the location and the easy walk to the MK and while the monorail wasn’t as convenient as I thought it was, we did enjoy it and it is a nice perk. I also worried that I would miss the nice lobby experience we had at WL and AKL- how you walk into that big amazing lobby and are just awed. I loved coming home to that each day when we stayed at those resorts. BLT of course doesn’t have a huge lobby and I don’t care for the lobby at CR much. I was afraid I would miss that, and I did a little, but I also found that I enjoyed having our own little door that led right to our elevator and I loved walking across the skybridge (other than the cold and wind) each day to head to the monorail and hear the hustle and bustle of the shops in CR, Chef Mickey’s and all of that. So in the end, I did love BLT!!!

 

[PRmamiDEdos]

We had been doing laundry almost every night btw- we loved having a washer and dryer in the room. Since we were wearing mostly long sleeves and layers, we kept washing them often.

I'm looking forward to that for our June trip but it would have been useful during this one. I was washing hoodies, thermal and jeans during the trip and trekking down to the laundry room wasn't fun. I did like the convenience of my Purex 3-in-1 sheets though, LOL.

Another note about our resort…..I was a little nervous about owning BLT, it isn’t really our style of décor- we hate modern. But we loved the location and the easy walk to the MK and while the monorail wasn’t as convenient as I thought it was, we did enjoy it and it is a nice perk. I also worried that I would miss the nice lobby experience we had at WL and AKL- how you walk into that big amazing lobby and are just awed. I loved coming home to that each day when we stayed at those resorts. BLT of course doesn’t have a huge lobby and I don’t care for the lobby at CR much. I was afraid I would miss that, and I did a little, but I also found that I enjoyed having our own little door that led right to our elevator and I loved walking across the skybridge (other than the cold and wind) each day to head to the monorail and hear the hustle and bustle of the shops in CR, Chef Mickey’s and all of that. So in the end, I did love BLT!!!

We thought about BLT when we just purchased, but I too didn't like the look of the rooms. They were also selling at $10 more per point so I think they helped us decide. I will try and stay there just once so I can see the fireworks from the TOWL.

I'm excited about our first DVC stay in June at our home resort.

 

[exwdwcm]

I'm looking forward to that for our June trip but it would have been useful during this one. I was washing hoodies, thermal and jeans during the trip and trekking down to the laundry room wasn't fun. I did like the convenience of my Purex 3-in-1 sheets though, LOL.

We thought about BLT when we just purchased, but I too didn't like the look of the rooms. They were also selling at $10 more per point so I think they helped us decide. I will try and stay there just once so I can see the fireworks from the TOWL.

I'm excited about our first DVC stay in June at our home resort.

how are those purex sheets- do they work pretty well? I want to try them out. i did LOVE having a w/d in the room- so convenient!

Yeah, it totally is not our style (BLT), but i really liked it after staying there. i do look forward to staying at VWL or AKL again in the future- that is more our taste! But while Will is little and we are spending lots of time at the MK, BLT is good for us. the fireworks from TOW were amazing- totally worth it!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

GREAT UPDATE!!!

I wondered what the lounge looked like! I missed the CM preview by a couple of months before it opened which I was sad about but I did get to see the treehouse villas and Kidani before they opened!

I love love love WL too! We've stayed there now 7x since 2000. POFQ was our "home" resort prior to staying there. My dad surprised us with the upgrade in 2000, and we haven't been back to POFQ since. My bro is 6'4, 23 years old and still is able to sleep in the bunk bed haha!!

I was statused as Seasonal after my AK internship (to help train the new PIs). After a month at AK, I went back to BBB and worked at BBB (with my AK seasonal status) from Feb 2009-May 2009. I was pretty much at my cap for working and looked for jobs outside of FL since my roommates were all leaving too and got a job as a Pre-K teacher north of Cincinnati where my parents had relocated to from Pittsburgh so it kind of all happened for a reason I think. I was supposed to head back and work at BBB May 2010 but they cut my status 2 weeks before I was supposed to work because the rules had changed..must work twice a year for 40hrs and I thought it was once a year for 40 hours. So..I've been without my status for a year in May. I still have my ID because my plan is to finally pass my teaching boards to become certified, move back to FL, teach FT there, and work seasonally at WDW somewhere, anywhere in the summers. I left on good terms, good record, etc. so there shouldn't be any rehire issues I would hope!