That Mickey sure is one smart cookie!! May 2011 CBR TR (update 08/13)

[lbuzz52]

Ah, the dreaded snoring, it is my enemy as well.

I probably make it worse than it is. Its just one of those things that really sets me off! Luckily James was cracking me up!

Ugh, I can't fall asleep with others snoring. Luckily using all I have to do is shove or kick DH and he stops long enough for me to fall asleep. Caitlin on the other hand, will not stop no matter what you do. Next trip she gets her own room. I feel sorry for whoever has to share a room with her in the future.

Great job on the surprises for the kids. It looks like they enjoyed them

Thanks! I think it was a really nice cap to the day.

Sometimes I'd like to give DH his own room too...
If only his snores were normal like in the movies! he has a dozen different ones, and none of them are quiet! I can't say i've never left him asleep on the couch for that sole reason

My DD was a snorer. At a well-check a few years ago, her pediatrician asked if she snored. She said it was because of her allergies, put her on meds, and she sleeps peacefully now. Perhaps checking with your pediatrician to see if there's something that can ease it might make nights more peaceful for everyone.

that's an interesting thought. we all have minor allergies here. unfortunately, dh belongs to the "doctors aren't manly" club.

 

[PixieMama]

My DH is a snorer, too! I'm also surprised he doesn't wake up with his shins all black and blue from me kicking him, LOL!

Your DS's hair is adorably cute! Love the curls.

 

[lovethattink]

How wonderful!! I love the idea of a surprise at the end of the day! The note, the autograph books, pens, etc. what a great idea!

Anakin loves trying to catch frogs and lizards! Some of Florida's wildlife I love, others not so much. We had a snake in the bushes near our front door this morning. Freak me out!! It was just a racer, not poisonous, but I don't like snakes!! I can handle the frogs and lizards.

Bummer about the crib. That's funny about the snoring. I can't fall asleep with snoring either.

I have passed by movies at the Beach Club after dinner, but have yet to stay and watch a movie at one of the resorts. I'd like to check out one of the campfires too sometime.

 

[lbuzz52]

My DH is a snorer, too! I'm also surprised he doesn't wake up with his shins all black and blue from me kicking him, LOL!

Your DS's hair is adorably cute! Love the curls.

Thanks! That's another reason we have put off cutting his hair. SO many people tell me that once they cut their son's hair he lost all his curls. It can be really cute if I fix it, but not at the end of a long sweaty day!

How wonderful!! I love the idea of a surprise at the end of the day! The note, the autograph books, pens, etc. what a great idea!

Anakin loves trying to catch frogs and lizards! Some of Florida's wildlife I love, others not so much. We had a snake in the bushes near our front door this morning. Freak me out!! It was just a racer, not poisonous, but I don't like snakes!! I can handle the frogs and lizards.

Bummer about the crib. That's funny about the snoring. I can't fall asleep with snoring either.

I have passed by movies at the Beach Club after dinner, but have yet to stay and watch a movie at one of the resorts. I'd like to check out one of the campfires too sometime.

The kids really loved the surprises! I was happy they enjoyed them

I would not do well with snakes either. YUCK! I'm also greatful that we didn't have bus issues. I can't stand killing bugs!

Luckily the crib didn't turn out to be a problem for us. It may have if he was still an infant though. I never could get either of my kids to sleep in a pack n play.

The campfire sounds like a blast too. I think I'll have to add more days to our next trip to fit in all the fun extras. darn!

 

[jm106]

a great day! I love the letters from Mickeyand Rapunzle. I planned to do that when we arrived but life got too crazy efore we went,. I did have a letter from Mickey arrive at the house a few weeks before we went.
Snoring, yup hard to fall asleep for sure. Matter of fact, i amlistening to DH right next to me now snoring and I will not be happy if I cant sleep tonight. DH uses breeath right strips and they work, but he didnt tonight

 

[Marshay]

Just found your post trip report! Can't wait to read!

 

[PirateKate]

Dinner at Ohana looks like a lot of fun. Too bad Maya was feeling bad during it.

Did the tile by the sink at CBR make you nervous with James there? I'd be afraid one of my boys would slip and knock his head on that hard tile. I'm having second thoughts about CBR for our Oct. trip. Did you think it was a good resort for James?

I can just imagine James fake snoring. That sounds like something Carter would do, too. He's a great mimic. Luckily, none of us are snorers.

 

[lbuzz52]

a great day! I love the letters from Mickey and Rapunzle. I planned to do that when we arrived but life got too crazy efore we went,. I did have a letter from Mickey arrive at the house a few weeks before we went.
Snoring, yup hard to fall asleep for sure. Matter of fact, i amlistening to DH right next to me now snoring and I will not be happy if I cant sleep tonight. DH uses breeath right strips and they work, but he didnt tonight

It's funny how crazy life can get before a trip. It's almost inevitable that something you were not planning on pops up.
We skipped the pre-trip letters this time. Last trip, i did the Fairy godmother postcards, but with us not knowing if we were going to tell them until last minute, i decided it was too risky.
Breathe right strips, huh? i wonder if i could get DH to wear them

Just found your post trip report! Can't wait to read!

Thanks for joining in. Tell me when you start yours too!

Dinner at Ohana looks like a lot of fun. Too bad Maya was feeling bad during it.

Did the tile by the sink at CBR make you nervous with James there? I'd be afraid one of my boys would slip and knock his head on that hard tile. I'm having second thoughts about CBR for our Oct. trip. Did you think it was a good resort for James?

I can just imagine James fake snoring. That sounds like something Carter would do, too. He's a great mimic. Luckily, none of us are snorers.

It was a nice place. We will definitely be back.

Surprisingly, i didn't worry about the tile. It seemed to dry quickly, because i have no memories of it being wet- despite all the sink usage and drying our bathing suits there. He didn't spend much time over there, other than when we were bathing/ brushing teeth ready and then he was supervised. It just didn't really appeal to him. My mom's kitchen tile makes me extrememly nervous. It will knot your head if you think about falling.

You have to keep in mind that we have never stayed in a place that is super themed like pop. But we really enjoyed it. The pools were great for him, between the zero entry and the toddler pirate area. He loved the playground and arcade. We saw some sort of animal everytime we left the room. And the walk from our area to the main building OPR always had something to look at. I wouldn't hesitate to take a toddler back. I know that Photographymom517 took her toddler son a year or so ago also, she may have an opinion for you too if you ask. She's very friendly.

I think it would be such fun to get James and your boys together. I have a feeling we'd both be in stitches.

 

[lbuzz52]

Dinner at Ohana looks like a lot of fun. Too bad Maya was feeling bad during it.

Did the tile by the sink at CBR make you nervous with James there? I'd be afraid one of my boys would slip and knock his head on that hard tile. I'm having second thoughts about CBR for our Oct. trip. Did you think it was a good resort for James?

I can just imagine James fake snoring. That sounds like something Carter would do, too. He's a great mimic. Luckily, none of us are snorers.

When is Carter's birthday? It just clicked to me that he and James have to be very close in age.

 

[lbuzz52]

I officially have a snaggletooth!

 

[lbuzz52]

When we last left off, we had just gone to sleep in preparation for our first park day!


Wednesday, May 11th


I woke up and had absolutely no idea what time it was. I was certain we had overslept. I got up and checked the clock. 6:00. By that point I was awake. We didn't fully unpack and I knew it would take a while to get the park bags around. But I didn't want to wake everyone else up yet. I stood there for a while staring at my sleeping babies. What is it about sleeping children that brings such warmth to your heart? I just want to wake them up and kiss them to pieces!

I decided to walk to OPR and get coffee. It was extremely quiet and the sun was still on it's way up. OPR doesn't open until 630, so I sat at the outdoor tables and watched the CM's power-wash the seating area. Soon the doors opened and I grabbed a cup of nescrappe before heading back to the room to shower.




I finally got everyone else up at 720.

Apparently we had another visitor overnight, because Maya found a note left for James. It was an invitation for Harmony Barber Shop, for a first hair cut.

(By the way, thanks again to Shadowryter for all the invites!)

If you read my PTR, then you know that James has been in need of a haircut for a LONG while. As in months! I held off though, knowing that we were on the cusp of a trip to Disney. But it was hard. Every day I contemplated trimming it. I figured Mickey would never know. But I would know. So poor James, I tortured him daily by wetting his hair and gelling it so the curls would stay in. Otherwise it would straighten as soon as he laid down for a nap or sat in his carseat- and then we had a borderline mullet goin on! I didn't do the gel before the plane ride yesterday, and today the hair had to be free of product for Harmony, so there may be some intersting hair shots here the first couple days!




We all got ready and I packed a quick park bag. I had remembered to bring ribbon to tie on the strollers to make them pop. Only it didn't standout because it was too thin. I had brought labels with our name and phone number, so I stuck one in a sticky badge holder and affixed it to the stroller bags.

It was 8:40 before we got out of the room! But we caught the bus immediately and were on our way to the Magic Kingdom! I'm happy to say that most mornings i remembered to take a picture of my children in case we got separated.

James free of hair product picture... should have slept LOL

Maya

Have you ever seen someone so excited to go through a gate? ​

(Side note- I bought Chris's shirt at Target before we left. I cannot tell you how many times i saw this shirt over the week. It was almost as common as Disney shirts.)


We missed the rope drop by a few minutes, so we decided to stop when we saw a photopass doing the Tink shot. James had no interest in getting in the picture. He didn't really have any idea where we were. He just knew that we were not at home and there were plenty of people around!

Before we left, I was a bit nervous with the overall crowd levels. The numbers, although still moderate, were higher than our last trip. Plus Disney had added lots of Fantasmic shows (2x/ night) and a few MSEPs. I had played around with Ridemax. I figured better to be prepared, and hopefully we would not need it.

We made our way towards Dumbo. On our ridemax plan, if we had made rope-drop Dumbo would have only been minutes. But by this point it was already 35 minutes. We decided to skip it for now; we'd have plenty of chances to do it later. Next on our Ridemax plan was the Speedway. It was scheduled at 920, and it was 9:20 now. We headed there.

It was a good place to start. James was still acting a bit overwhelmed and cars are right up his alley! Ridemax showed a 7 minute wait. It took about 20 to get through the line. James spent the time trying to run off.

James after we made him stay with us. ​

I spent the time sweating. That bridge is seriously one hot spot!

I rode with Maya and I have to say, I'm glad she has many years before she starts driving!

With the line being longer than Ridemax anticipated, I was certain we were in for a rough day. I decided to go on with the plan for a while longer. (If I had been thinking I would have realized the wait time was different because there was only one lane open at the Speedway when we went through!)

We were behind the "schedule" again because of the extra wait. Ridemax would suggest to skip ahead to get yourself back on schedule. But we decided to go on with the plan's next attraction- double Space Mountain.

If we had been on time, ridemax suggested the wait would be 7 minutes each ride. The posted wait time said 10. Close enough!

Space was a new ride for all of us. It was being refurbished last trip (Chris's first ever trip). I had the opportunity as a child but was always too scared to ride it.

I asked Maya if she wanted to ride it, and she declined. So we grabbed a babyswap and I was off to my most anticipated ride of the trip. The line was actually no wait other than the walk time.

I was immediately glad that Maya didn't ride with me. If the dark had not scared her, the spinning and jerkiness would have. It could have completely changed her willingness to ride many other things over the course of the trip.

I got off the ride and was a bit disoriented with the signage. Unfortunately there was no one else around for me to follow, and I think I was headed in the direction to ride again (is that possible without exiting the building?) I seriously had no idea where i was going and was wishing i'd see anyone. I turned around and finally found my way to daylight.

Maya was jumping up and down when I returned.

"Chip & Dale!"

Chris went to take his turn on Space while I took the kids to meet Chip and Dale. I held my opinions so he could ride unbiased.

We grabbed the pens and autograph books and jumped in the short line. James looked them over carefully.

When it was our turn, he refused to get out of the stroller. He didn't know who these characters were or why he was supposed to hug these massive furballs.

While we were in line we saw Stitch come out too. Chris had not made it back yet so we continued to his line. Once again, I asked James if he would like a turn.

James was not interested. By this point I had made up my mind to not let James wear this shirt again. He seemed to be taking it to heart

All of a sudden Maya pulls her hands back and says no. I ask her what is wrong?

"Stitch is trying to take my pen!"


Stitch points at her pen and then makes a heart shape with his hands. His handler then understood.

"oh- Stitch has a major crush on Jesse!"

She was using her new Jesse kooky pen.

Maya asked where Lilo was, and we were told she was still in bed'

Chris returned from Space, and he felt the same way that I had. It was awfully jerky and Maya would not have liked it.


Continued next post due to image limits

 

[lbuzz52]

Wed. May 11th cont.

As we walked through the rest of Tomorrowland, we noticed that the wait times were all very reasonable. We decided at this point to forgo the Ridemax plan, and just make a new one if it was needed later. I didn't really end up using Ridemax the rest of the trip. I did play around with a couple plans when we needed ride length times or show times to figure how much we could fit in. But it just wasn't needed for touring with the crowd levels we had. I'm sure it could have saved us a little time here and there- but it was more structured than what we were looking for. Now if the crowds were really heavy I think I'd use it in a heartbeat.

By now we realized we had made one of the ultimate rooky mistakes. We neglected to get fastpasses earlier when we were in Fantasyland. I sent Chris to get a set- Pooh or Peter, whatever had the quicker return time. James and I waited in the covered area across from Buzz. It seemed like it was taking Chris forever, so I passed the time by taking pictures of our KTTW & photopass.

Yes, I said KTTW. It was then I realized I still had 2 KTTW from park entry earlier. Whoops! Make that a double rooky mistake. Maybe when he realized he only had half our tickets, he went to Splash or Thunder instead? We would only need 2 FP for those.

Nope, he didn't read my mind. It just took him a while. He had grabbed 2 for Pooh, and also got 2 surprise FP for Philharmagic.

The standby line for Buzz's Space Ranger Spin said 10 minutes. But once again, it was walk on. It was my first time riding it. It took me a while to get the hang of it. James had a blast though.

On the way out we stopped for the obligatory Zurg picture in the dump shop. I told Maya to act frightened.

Doesn’t’ she look scared LOL​

By this point I was ready to smoke. Chris and the kids waited in a shaded area while I headed off to the place I smoked in Tomorrowland last trip. It was no longer a smoking area. So I headed back to Chris to get a park map and find the new DSA.

I'm not going to highlight each and every smoke break I took over the trip. I took one probably on average every 3-4 hours. But I know that there are still a few of us left with the habit. So I'm bringing this up now to point out that there are fewer DSA's than there were in 09, and that some that still exist have been moved. I will also say that Disney does a good job of making the designated smoking areas hidden and in a spot where they won't bother too many people.

So far we had ridden rides for James, and rides for Chris and I. Maya had been patiently waiting for her turn. It was time for one of her favorites.

Chris can't handle these, so he watched from the sidelines while I rode with the kids. At first James did well walking himself through the line.

Thankfully the wait was only five minutes, because after a minute James felt the downtime would best be spent anywhere but next to me. (Apparently this is a super fun game!)

I watched James during the ride. At times he was all smiles, but other times he looked quite nervous.

I'm still not sure what he felt about it. Maya was a bit easier to decipher.

We exited and met back up with Chris and the strollers.

Only now, James refused to get back into his stroller. We couldn't figure out why. He wouldn’t get out of the stroller the rest of the morning, and now he wouldn't get back in?

Then Maya pointed it out to us.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hmmm, I wonder what the mysterious reason is for the avoidance of the stroller?

 

[DisneyMomma09]

It sounds like you are off to a great start! I love the invite for the haircut! Did James seem to understand the letters? I would love to do things like this for our trip in August, but I am not sure how much Colby would understand.

I'm looking forward to reading about your experience at the Barber Shop. Colby got his first cut there last June and got another one when we were there in February. They do an awesome job and I wish we could take Colby there for all his haircuts!

Looking forward to finding out what was keeping James out of the stroller...

 

[lbuzz52]

Hmmm, I wonder what the mysterious reason is for the avoidance of the stroller?

we thought he was just being difficult- but he had a good reason!

 

[Lidian]

Oooo! A mystery!

Hmm.... there was a bug in the stroller?
... he needed a restroom/change?
... the stroller was too hot?

Can't wait to hear what the reason was!

Totally loving the update! I felt the same way about Space Mtn. I swear, last year, I loved it. This year ... not so much.

Can't wait to hear about how you handled the FPs, since you had 2 for Pooh and 2 for Philhar.

Oh, and as a mom of an asthmatic child - THANK YOU for going to a DSA instead of lighting up whenever you felt the need. I saw so many people who were rude and I was having to steer DD clear of them. I am, however, sorry that the DSAs have been downsized. (As a former smoker, I feel your pain of not having areas as handy as they used to be.)

 

[Villainess]

I'm joining in! Great TR so far!!! Sorry to hear Maya had a fever - I hope the MK day and all the fun made it disappear for the rest of the trip!

 

[lbuzz52]

Oooo! A mystery!

Hmm.... there was a bug in the stroller?
... he needed a restroom/change?
... the stroller was too hot?

Can't wait to hear what the reason was!

Totally loving the update! I felt the same way about Space Mtn. I swear, last year, I loved it. This year ... not so much.

Can't wait to hear about how you handled the FPs, since you had 2 for Pooh and 2 for Philhar.

Oh, and as a mom of an asthmatic child - THANK YOU for going to a DSA instead of lighting up whenever you felt the need. I saw so many people who were rude and I was having to steer DD clear of them. I am, however, sorry that the DSAs have been downsized. (As a former smoker, I feel your pain of not having areas as handy as they used to be.)

I wonder how i would have felt about Space if I had started riding it in the height of my thrill ride days. I swear there was a time that it would not have bothered me. But of any ride on WDW property, i could see Space as the one to make me queasy.

Less DSA's just keeps you focused on the task at hand... better have the map to find them. People are wierd about them though. I can't tell you how many families i saw sitting with one of both parents smoking and the kids just sitting there in the midst of a dozen smokers. or the one near BTMRR- there were people having picnics there. Seriously? There are six small places in the whole park that will have smoke and you choose to feed your children there verses anywhere else? i don't want to smoke around my children or yours.
and Bravo for putting your child's needs ahead of yours!!

No worries on the outcome of the FP... we are DIS'ers, you know


Here, i'll add to the mystery- before this moment, i was worried about how the whole trip was going to go with James- but not after.

I'm joining in! Great TR so far!!! Sorry to hear Maya had a fever - I hope the MK day and all the fun made it disappear for the rest of the trip!

Thanks for reading along!

I forgot to update on the fever in my post. Maya had a fever that wore her our Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But by Wednesday morning (the Mk day), her fever was so light that we couldn't tell if it was fever or just hot because she woke up from the blanket. She never felt hot enough to need any more tylenol

It sounds like you are off to a great start! I love the invite for the haircut! Did James seem to understand the letters? I would love to do things like this for our trip in August, but I am not sure how much Colby would understand.

I'm looking forward to reading about your experience at the Barber Shop. Colby got his first cut there last June and got another one when we were there in February. They do an awesome job and I wish we could take Colby there for all his haircuts!

Looking forward to finding out what was keeping James out of the stroller...

It was a great morning. well, a great day actually. Nothing beats the first day in a Disney vacation!

I wish that we could have every haircut there too. i'd probaly get my own hair cut a bit more frequently

I'm not really sure how to answer that question. James understands much more than I think he does, and that really became apparent when we were out of our normal element on this trip. I think he understood that they meant something special, but may not have known exactly what he was in for. James had his sister to help him "get it", but Colby has experience. You could always try one or two.

 

[ctink23]

I'm joining in, too. Love your trip report so far!

Too bad Maya was sick. Seems like she felt a little better on the MK day? Hope she stays well for the trip!

Love the notes and gifts for your kids. What a great idea!

 

[Moira222]

When we last ended, Maya was freakin out about "the people in the bushes" at Ohana.

LOL I had a feeling...

James must have gotten a second wind because he laid awake singing for a long time. Chris fell asleep immediately and started snoring I HATE snoring. I can't fall asleep when Chris is snoring, and it takes me a good thirty minutes ususally to get him to stop long enough for me to crash. I elbow, push, call his name, pull his pillow out from under his head. He ignores it all, or even worse, throws a dead weight leg on top of me. All the time i'm muttering, "please wake up, i really don't want to sleep on the couch". By the time he finally notices and rolls over, I'm surprised he isn't bruised Add in the fact that there is no where to escape in this tiny 10 ft room and it feels more like a prison than a vacation!

James is usually exempt from this torture. Not tonight though, and it meant plenty of entertainment from a child who is fighting sleep. I couldn't help but laugh once James started mocking him. Have you ever heard a 2 year old pretend to snore? It's quite hilarious!

Finally it was my turn to fall asleep. It had been a great day!

It was a great day! The snoring cracks me up. When we traveled to WDW with DSIL in 2009 I quite literally dragged my pillow with me into the bathtub and shut the door to try to drown out the snoring. I love the picture I have in my mind of James in the playpen imitating daddy snoring

Your letters & invitations are so nice what a great idea!

I officially have a snaggletooth!

She is a cutie pie!!

Only now, James refused to get back into his stroller. We couldn't figure out why. He wouldn’t get out of the stroller the rest of the morning, and now he wouldn't get back in?

Then Maya pointed it out to us.

Hmmmm was the Mad Hatter in the area?