Mandatory Trip Report Element:
As defined in Article II, Section D, Subsection
Beta, Paragraph 4, line 12c of the International Trip Report Treaty of 1967 (Ratified by the United Nations Vacation Council*, 1968, Amended 1973, 1988, and 2006), I am hereby including this "
Cute kids, worn out by a day at Disney, sleeping soundly, and about to be rudely woken up, fed, dressed and herded out to another fun-filled day in the parks" picture:
*Delaware, still riding high on their "first to ratify the Constitution" victory, tried to be the first entity to ratify this treaty, until France pointed out that as a state, they don't have any representatives in the UN. Not to be dismayed, Delaware left and immediately ratified Omaha, Nebraska's Lincoln Elementary School "Wear a Hat to School Day" petition.
I'd like to say our morning went just about as smoothly as one can imagine, but that wouldn't make for a very good trip report, now would it? But considering we had 5 adults and 2 kids to get ready for a day at the Magic Kingdom, we didn't do to bad. The plan was to see if the CM that checked us in knew what she was talking about or not - that the Tree Houses had their own bus service directly to the parks. I had a strong feeling she was wrong, but she was insistent, so we thought we'd give it a try.
After a hearty breakfast of
Blueberry Muffin French Toast (thank you Diners, Drive-ins and Dives for that idea
) whipped up in the Tree House kitchen, Evan and I were the first two out the door. I took a few shots outside the Tree House and of the 17th hole of Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course - which was litterally right outside our living room window.
This is looking back across the fairway at Saratoga Springs
Some Spanish Moss framing the Tee Box
It didn't take long, and everyone was ready to head to the bus stop and test that CM's statement. As luck would have it, we were only a few steps from the bus stop. And with in a minute or two, a bus pulled up, and about 3 seconds after that, we found out that she did indeed
not know what she was talking about. I wasn't upset so much as disappointed. I knew from other TRs and websites that the only bus service to the Tree Houses took you back to Saratoga Springs, where you would then have to catch another bus to a park or DTD. But I still have the tiniest sliver of hope that something had changed in the past month or so. But alas, it didn't. Sooooo.....
Plan B!
We didn't want to try the 2-bus system on this day since it was our first park day with lots of expectations of fun. Two buses is not our idea of first day fun. So we hopped into the cars and drove over to MK.
Despite our brief hold up with the bus, we arrived just in time catch the Rope Drop show:
That morning I had been texting another DisDad - GorshGoofy. The sea of humanity finally parted just enough once we cleared the train station to meet up for a quick picture. It was great to meet you, Ray!:
(Oddly enough, I'm wearing that same green shirt today as I type this. Heavy stuff, huh?)
Anyway, on the walk to the MK, Kaylene caught the edge of a little hole with her foot and twisted her leg. I didn't see it, but it sounded like she went down hard on one of her two already-bad knees. She went off to the bathroom to survey the damage. The kids were getting a little itchy to go for a ride, when this guy pulled up.
The kids ran up the stairs and got front and center for the drive to the castle. Bambi stayed back with Kaylene while Dean, Carol and I went for a ride. It was a very unique vantage point to see Main Street and the Christmas decorations.
The kids climbed down and asked if they could sit up front for a picture.
I still had not heard from the girls, so we wandered around a bit and caught some of the Main Street singers. Anything with singing and dancing, and Madison is in her element!
As you can see, it's a chilly day at the Magic Kingdom. Grandma was very concerned that the kids were too cold and went off to the Emporium to get some hats.
Photopass Time!
We wandered around a bit, but the kids really couldn't wait any longer. I mean, an you imagine being taken to the Magic Kingdom and told to wait around. Torture! So, Grandpa & I took them over to Peter Pan's Flight. The standby line was surprisingly short so we jumped in line.
Meanwhile, Kaylene's knee was rough, but walkable. Her and Bambi stopped for a few Photopass pictures on the way to Fantasyland
Coming Up
Will we finally get everyone back together again?
(Spoiler Alert: yes)
) She told me the f1.8 was much smaller, and although not as fancy, still took very good pictures. And for $99, much easier on the wallet. I'm certainly happy with it. 
