145 Middle Schoolers: Wicked Awesome or Epic Fail???DeParting-Such Sweet Sorrow p. 76

[natebenma]

Why was that chaperone able to make the decision on where to go?? Glad you were able to get to MK instead woo hop!! I like DTD but I like to shop. But if I had to choose between the 2 it woul be MK! To bad About the lightning. Kids never change they still wanna swim at the resort rather than go to a park no matter how old they get!! Lol
We ended up driving to NH yesterday morning!! I found out my interview would be Mon. So we packed up and left yay!!!! I was so happy. We were driving down Kancamangus hwy. stopping at the falls and scenic viewing areas along the way (ya know for mom). And all I heard was when are we getting to the hotel so we can go swimming???? They could have swam in the beautiful Swift/Saco river (not sure which it is) but the water was to cold for them. Big babies!! The water was actually the warmest I've ever felt it. You could tell its been a hot summer.

In his defense, the chaperone was just trying to accomplish what the kids wanted to do- get back to the pool as soon as possible after the mandated off-resort excursion. He reasoned that we wouldn't get to MK until 8, maybe ride one ride, and the earliest they would be back to the resort would be 9. I tried to explain that the ride back from DTD alone would probably take 45 mintues to an hour, but that fell on deaf ears and I still to this day don't know when they got back. Nor do I really care.



Enjoy your time up north, and good luck on Monday!

DTD is a funny place. Typically we skip it or try to do ninja shopping at targeted places around ADRs. This trip for the first time, we took our time with it. And can say we did and I can now skip it the next time or go back to ninja shopping with no guilt! I will say that daytime was vastly better than night to knock it out due to lower crowds.

Yay for MK!

Lightening closures suck and always happen at the wrong time!

You are the second person today to say what a difference it makes to go to DTD during the day.

You can't even imagine how happy I was on that bus. That was the third happiest I had been on the trip, after my solo lunch and romantic moment with the soldier.

You are so right about the lousy timing of the storm. If the boys had been able to swim during the afternoon, I know everybody would have been more interested in going to MK or HS for Fantasmic!

I have to go to work for teacher in-service next Monday and Tuesday. I'll have kids on Wednesday the 15th. The first day will be a half day, then Thursday we'll be back at it!

Shopping is ok, if I have a destination in mind and something in particular I"m looking for. I do not like to wander around "just looking."

Glad it all worked out for you in getting to avoid DTD. I'll take MK over DTD any day!

I hope you have a great year!!! I know this year will provide some challenges for you.

We had only 3 days at the park. There was no way I wanted to spend that evening at DTD!

I have to admit I like DTD. Mostly I like sitting with my husband at the marguerita bar listening to disney movie soundtracks while we have an adult drink and the kids eat whatever creations they made in Goofy candy shop. I will say though that I love it more when we are staying at Lake Buena Vista and its walking distance-hate that dtd bus service-ugh

I'm with you though that Magic Kingdom would win hands down

Well, the chaperone code of conduct was clear that if I had gone to DTD I would NOT be spending any time at the margarita bar!

I am certainly no fan of the DTD bus route, as many of you know! My best Disney moves so far has been to return to the Beach Club from DTD by using one of the DTD resort boats and then a bus to EPCOT.

I'm not a huge shopper. By that I mean I usually have an ideal what I want. So I go to that place and buy that thing, then I'll make a run through any other place that catches my eye. I do not browse well. I can do the whole of DTD in less than an hour, and that's with my version of browsing.

MK sounds like a much better plan, expecially since what's a trip to WDW with out Big Thunder.

I know, right!

Big Thunder Mtn had just reopened. It is one of my favorites, if not my very favorite Disney favorite. The ride just makes me smile!

 

[jenseib]

I like DTD to an extent too. Earl of Sandwich for one!

but the buses too and from are just horrid!

 

[JanetMom]

Nice to see you put your disney expertise to good use! Going to MK with only 4 kids was definitely the better plan.

 

[DrMomof3]

Hmmm. MK or DYD? Is that even a choice??? I could spend days in MK and never get tired. DTD would be much more enjoyable if I had a limitless trust fund. Otherwise... Meh.

Amanda

 

[Ninja Mom]

DTD is a funny place. Typically we skip it or try to do ninja shopping at targeted places around ADRs. This trip for the first time, we took our time with it. And can say we did and I can now skip it the next time or go back to ninja shopping with no guilt! !

OooooOOOOoh! NINJA shopping!!
I LIKE!!!!!
(PS whatcha buy me.... or um, did you buy me? If it's the later hopefully you had the coupon. My DH says I am at least 50% "off".)

And Dee... 2 chaperones and 4 kids... who won that one? And I'll bet you still had to take 4 separate bathroom breaks!

I Love, Love, LOVE that boat to DTD from POFQ. I could see me in my old age, just riding that boat, back and forth, while what's left of my mind goes out with the tide.

~NM

 

[emmysmommy]

Ha ha! I'm picturing a bunch of teen boys at World of Disney shopping - it just doen't seem to fit! The 14 were likely wishing that they had broke ranks and joined the other 4 at MK. Very wise choice!

Why do the buses seem to be an after thought for the return to the resorts?? Almost makes me want to take a taxi back.

 

[natebenma]

I like DTD to an extent too. Earl of Sandwich for one!

but the buses too and from are just horrid!

DTD was not where I wanted to spend my precious, limited Disney time!

And I don't ride the DTD return bus, even when I am with my family. I certainly did not want to do it with 14 teenagers.

Nice to see you put your disney expertise to good use! Going to MK with only 4 kids was definitely the better plan.

It was so much easier to get around with that small number of kids. I was in a much calmer, and better, place!

Hmmm. MK or DYD? Is that even a choice??? I could spend days in MK and never get tired. DTD would be much more enjoyable if I had a limitless trust fund. Otherwise... Meh.

Amanda

Never thought it would come to that!

This would have been an even more disappointing move to me than Cosmic Rays over CHH.

OooooOOOOoh! NINJA shopping!!
I LIKE!!!!!
(PS whatcha buy me.... or um, did you buy me? If it's the later hopefully you had the coupon. My DH says I am at least 50% "off".)

And Dee... 2 chaperones and 4 kids... who won that one? And I'll bet you still had to take 4 separate bathroom breaks!

I Love, Love, LOVE that boat to DTD from POFQ. I could see me in my old age, just riding that boat, back and forth, while what's left of my mind goes out with the tide.

~NM

I don't actually remember how many, if any bathroom breaks there were, so that is a very good thing!

The resort boats were a good find. So far, we have taken them to OKW (really pretty ride) and SSR, but we haven't been over to POFQ or POR yet. I love the look on the boat captain's face when he asks us "Where are you going?" and we tell him "Wherever this boat is going"

Ha ha! I'm picturing a bunch of teen boys at World of Disney shopping - it just doen't seem to fit! The 14 were likely wishing that they had broke ranks and joined the other 4 at MK. Very wise choice!

Why do the buses seem to be an after thought for the return to the resorts?? Almost makes me want to take a taxi back.

Seriously, I was envisioning the same thing! 14 teenaged boys in an overcrowded shopping area? How is that magical?

Honestly, I think the return trip from DTD to any resort is one of the times that a taxi makes sense.

Small group at MK?

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

OooooOOOOoh! NINJA shopping!!
I LIKE!!!!!
(PS whatcha buy me.... or um, did you buy me? If it's the later hopefully you had the coupon. My DH says I am at least 50% "off".)

And Dee... 2 chaperones and 4 kids... who won that one? And I'll bet you still had to take 4 separate bathroom breaks!

I Love, Love, LOVE that boat to DTD from POFQ. I could see me in my old age, just riding that boat, back and forth, while what's left of my mind goes out with the tide.

~NM

Ooooh me too, me too! We can sit there together watching the sun go down

 

[mickeystoontown]

Too bad it was raining and ya'll couldn't get a little swimming done. (well I know the others did later but you know what I mean) You know that we like going to Downtown Disney but we try to go during the day. If we do go at night, we go on a weeknight when it's not so busy.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your evening at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[natebenma]

I Love, Love, LOVE that boat to DTD from POFQ. I could see me in my old age, just riding that boat, back and forth, while what's left of my mind goes out with the tide.

~NM

Ooooh me too, me too! We can sit there together watching the sun go down

I'm in too!

Too bad it was raining and ya'll couldn't get a little swimming done. (well I know the others did later but you know what I mean) You know that we like going to Downtown Disney but we try to go during the day. If we do go at night, we go on a weeknight when it's not so busy.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your evening at the Magic Kingdom.

We had such limited time in the World as it was, the idea of spending any of it in DTD horrified me! I was so happy that I was able to detour to MK.

 

[JanetMom]

I'll join the boat brigade and happily wile away the time on those boats. I'm thinking that is my new retirement plan.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I'll join the boat brigade and happily wile away the time on those boats. I'm thinking that is my new retirement plan.

We could bring our knitting needles and while away a few hours knitting shawls for those chilly winter evenings

I think I like this retirement plan more each day

 

[JanetMom]

We could bring our knitting needles and while away a few hours knitting shawls for those chilly winter evenings

I think I like this retirement plan more each day

Oh, you have described my perfect plan. Clearly we will bond as we knit on the boat.

We can throw in a few books and cameras for the non-knitters on the boat.

 

[scottmel]

Dee enjoying your report. Am wanting to do YES tix for next summer. If I remember reading earlier in your report, the class you seem to favor is the DSH Imagineering one so far, right? Do you do others on the trip or are the YES classes over for the report>

 

[natebenma]

We could bring our knitting needles and while away a few hours knitting shawls for those chilly winter evenings

I think I like this retirement plan more each day

Sounds good!

Oh, you have described my perfect plan. Clearly we will bond as we knit on the boat.

We can throw in a few books and cameras for the non-knitters on the boat.

Sounds better! Love the idea of the books and camera. I was not quite sure what I was going to do...

 

[natebenma]

Dee enjoying your report. Am wanting to do YES tix for next summer. If I remember reading earlier in your report, the class you seem to favor is the DSH Imagineering one so far, right? Do you do others on the trip or are the YES classes over for the report>

Yes, No more Y.E.S

We only had the two classes- Energy and Waves at MK and The Science of Imagineering at HS. I definitely preferred the Imagineering one. In the past, our school as done Energy and Motion at MK and that got high marks.

I stumbled upon a Y.E.S. thread on one of the boards (probably Budget) and they describe a few more classes- one woman describes one in AK in too much detail as I recall, giving away the secrets to the class, which angered some of the other posters.

Do you know when the schedule comes out? They don't run every class every day and I believe there are limited times that the classes have open enrollment to the public.

 

[natebenma]

We arrived on Main Street in the MK around 7:45, according to the time stamp on this photo.

I volunteered to run ahead for FP and then we would meet at Big Thunder Mountain. That way, the other chaperone and 4 boys could mosey their way across the park.

When I arrived at BTM, the FP return time was 9 to 10.

I put in the first park ticket:

“Invalid for FP”

Same message for the next ticket.

Dang! I forgot to separate out the 6 tickets we used to enter from everyone else’s. So I had to put ALL of the tickets through the machine to get all FP.

Once I got the 3rd FP I smartened up and put the valid park tickets in the pocket of my shorts so that I knew which ones were good to get additional fastpasses.

The rest of the group arrived and the chaperone asked “So, did you get the FP for Space Mountain?”

Wait, What???

I guess I was so hyper-focused on riding BTM, that it didn’t occur to me that I should try to get FP for a different ride, like Space (if they were available) or maybe even Splash, once I looked at the FP return times and the standby times. Then we could have gone on BTM standby and still had another ride. Maybe. I didn’t go that way, but I suspect the SM FP were gone for the day or too late to be of any use to us. Splash might have worked. I could have checked the timing of both rides since they are so close to each other.

Where is the MK tip/time board by the way? Is it near Casey’s? Could have checked that on the way in to make a better plan.

Embarrassing, rookie mistakes!

In the hour or so we had before our BTM time was due, we decided to take the train over to Tomorrowland (well, Fantasyland and walk) to see what was cooking over there.

But in the meantime, one of the boys said that he saw something he wanted to buy in the Splash gift shop when we were stuck there on the previous day. So we went in and looked around, but the boy had forgotten what he wanted to buy. He ended up making a purchase, I think a bracelet for his sister and one of those extremely long, thin and dangerous twisty lollipops that are all over the park. You know the ones I am talking about, right?

“Don’t open that here!”

When we exited the gift shop, we could hear that a train was at the station. We booked it up there and we were able to get seats.

And now, for a journey on the “Least Wildest Ride in the Wilderness”

We arrived at the station, got out and made our way to Tomorrowland.

Would there be anything to do there that didn’t involve huge wait times?

Next up: Battle with “Bad Cow”

.

 

[JanetMom]

I'm a bit speechless here. I can't believe you, who I have on a fastpass pedestal, made a rookie mistake. I can appreciate your enthusiasm for BTM, but I'm still shaking my head at your lack of planning for more fast passes.

Thankfully you were with a small group, and the others didn't see you in this state of mind.

I love that the boy couldn't remember what he wanted to buy in the store. That made me laugh.

Sounds like a nice evening with a small group.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Was Nate embarrassed by the rookie mistake??
I do understand wanting to ride BTM- it's my favorite too It was awful not being able to ride it in April
You're right though about the FP for SM were probably already gone anyway.
liked the title for the train ride

 

[natebenma]

I'm a bit speechless here. I can't believe you, who I have on a fastpass pedestal, made a rookie mistake. I can appreciate your enthusiasm for BTM, but I'm still shaking my head at your lack of planning for more fast passes.

Thankfully you were with a small group, and the others didn't see you in this state of mind.

I love that the boy couldn't remember what he wanted to buy in the store. That made me laugh.

Sounds like a nice evening with a small group.

This trip did not bring out the best in me!!! Mistakes were made and I am not proud of the things that happened.



I probably should just come clean and say that my family's FP prowess is probably all due to my husband's expertise.

It was amusing that the boy knew there was something in the store he wanted, but didn't remember what it was.

Was Nate embarrassed by the rookie mistake??
I do understand wanting to ride BTM- it's my favorite too It was awful not being able to ride it in April
You're right though about the FP for SM were probably already gone anyway.
liked the title for the train ride

Nate is not even aware of this incident. He was not one of the boys in the group who went to MK. Like other times during this trip, I was a chaperone, but not necessarily for my own son. Nate was with his friends in the DTD/swimming group.