This is the last trip the 4 of us ever take to WDW. Nov 2-12 *FinalUpdate 3/19* Pg.59

[that's nice]

We had just arrived in Florida and spent a few hours at Give Kids the World. It was time to say goodbye and make the 20 minute drive over to Disney. The kids were excited... and so were the parents when we saw this:

It was a great feeling knowing we finally made it back. I had the GPS but I knew I just needed to follow signs for Animal Kingdom. We were almost there...

There it is!

I think someone was getting a little giddy!

We parked and walked over to checkin.

The checkin process went nice and smooth. I asked the CM about adding one more day on our reservation but it couldn't be done. She suggested trying on Friday and then again on Saturday. Our room wasn't ready so we took a walk over to the gift shop and then outside. We were outside for 2 minutes when I was getting a text. Our room was ready! Sweet!

We drove over to Cabanas 8B and saw we had a first floor standard room. Awesome. Just what we wanted. I forget our room number (i forgot to take a picture of it) but we were on the right hand side of the building- a mere 30 second walk to the bus stop. We plopped all our belongings down- well, it was more like I took numerous trips to the car- and started to unpack a bit. Christopher decided he would help.

We didn't have much time to play around though. We had to get ready for dinner. A couple quick showers and we were off. Christopher passed out before we were even off CSR property. It didn't take long till we were pulling into the Contemporary.

I took Christopher out of the car and laid him in the stroller. He didn't even move. The kid was beat. We walked over and got checked in for dinner at Chef Mickey's! The line was no existent. I guess we were the line. LOL

I think I take this picture every time.

Continued in next post.......

 

[that's nice]

We skipped the picture at the plate and waited for less than 5 minutes. Our buzzer went off and we were brought to our table. We brought the stroller because we couldn't leave Christopher behind…..

We ordered our drinks and the characters were coming.

I felt bad that Christopher was going to miss out, but he woke up right when after Minnie came to visit. Good thing because his favorite, Mickey Mouse, was coming over next. He watched Juliana take a picture with him but wanted nothing to do with him.

When Mickey got close Christopher started screaming. Oh Boy!

Goofy was next.. and was sneaking up on Christopher.

That wasn't a good idea. Christopher started screaming and crying… You can see him trying to have Melody hold him here..

Pluto was up next… It was like rapid fire. He got down to Christopher's level but still Christopher was flipping out.

I wanted a picture with Juliana and Christopher but Mr. Crying Pants didn't want anything to do with it.

There was a little break so I ran to get Juliana, Christopher, and myself something to eat while Melody hung back and hung with the screamer.

I couldn't believe Christopher hated the characters. I mean- he knows them. His whole room is Mickey Mouse. He has been staring at Mickey since he was born. This was going to make for a looooong week.

Juliana and I got back to the table with our food and Donald was 2 tables over. I got ready for more screaming. Donald came over and once again, Christopher started to cry. Donald didn't like that. He got down on his knees and started waving to Mr. Cryee.

Christopher stopped crying and Donald got closer…

Donald started playing peek-a-boo with Christopher and Mr. Cryee's mood changed from crying and hating the characters to laughing and liking Donald. We left Christopher in his seat- we didn't want to ruin the moment and took a few quick pictures with the 'Don'

From the moment Donald came to our table, Christopher started to love the characters. It was like a bit of Disney magic. Mickey even stopped back and we were able to take a picture with him and the kids without screaming.

I don't really want to talk to much about the food here because, well, it wasn't every good. I was really disappointed with it. Melody was too. The chicken was dried out. The sauce tasted worse than jar sauce. Some food was cold…. etc. But we did like the desserts.

We finished up with dinner and walked toward the monorail. It was going to be the first ride of the trip!

We made it on the monorail for our first ride around the loop. Christopher was more interested looking at all the people than smiling for pictures…

MNSSHP was going on and I thought about getting tickets. I'm so glad we didn't because the kids would have been miserable… and the parents might of been too. Here is a blurry shot of the train station!

We got back to the Contemporary and headed back to the car. We made the short drive back to CSR. Melody got the kids ready for bed and I had took a walk to grab some milk.

Once agin the place was empty…

We got the kids to bed and I turned in early too. I had to be up at 5 to run in the GKTW Gingerbread Run 5k in the morning!!!!



Up next…. run, run as fast as you can!

 

[petals]

Aws poor Christopher was probably just tired for the first few characters, I'm glad he came round though.

 

[mommy2mrb]

hey I have good timing once again


oh my not a good start with Christopher's first character meet & greet....they are so big to such a little man...happy Donald was able to break the ice and it was fun for all after that!

bummer about the yucky food, dessert does look yummy - we think the food for breakfast is better!

 

[glennbo123]

Goofy was next.. and was sneaking up on Christopher.

That wasn't a good idea. Christopher started screaming and crying…

He probably was afraid that he was going to try to steal his Yuengling.

Sorry the character interaction didn't go better, but you guys are off to a fun start....unpacked and hitting Chef Mickey's.

 

[jenseib]

I'm glad he got over his fears. Poor guy. I have heard the dinner isn't too great. We had breakfast once and it was just ok.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I think someone was getting a little giddy!

Is that what you call it?

Our room wasn't ready so we took a walk over to the gift shop and then outside. We were outside for 2 minutes when I was getting a text. Our room was ready! Sweet!

That's the fastest maid service ever!

Christopher decided he would help.

Good thing because his favorite, Mickey Mouse, was coming over next. He watched Juliana take a picture with him but wanted nothing to do with him.

When Mickey got close Christopher started screaming. Oh Boy!

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Goofy was next.. and was sneaking up on Christopher.

I couldn't believe Christopher hated the characters. I mean- he knows them. His whole room is Mickey Mouse. He has been staring at Mickey since he was born. This was going to make for a looooong week. [/QUOTE'

Maybe he's hated them from birth. Mickey could be like that clown doll from Poltergeist in his eyes.

Donald started playing peek-a-boo with Christopher and Mr. Cryee's mood changed from crying and hating the characters to laughing and liking Donald. We left Christopher in his seat- we didn't want to ruin the moment and took a few quick pictures with the 'Don'

Peek-a-boo is the ultimate secret weapon.

I don't really want to talk to much about the food here because, well, it wasn't every good. I was really disappointed with it. Melody was too. The chicken was dried out. The sauce tasted worse than jar sauce. Some food was cold…. etc. But we did like the desserts.

That stinks. I remember liking it when we ate there. I guess the mileage varies on the food quality.

We finished up with dinner and walked toward the monorail. It was going to be the first ride of the trip!

NOW it's an official Disney trip!

We got the kids to bed and I turned in early too. I had to be up at 5 to run in the GKTW Gingerbread Run 5k in the morning!!!!

5:00 a.m.? Runners.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Glad to hear that Donald was able to warm Christopher up to liking the characters!!! Hopefully he was better with them throughout the week!

 

[shalom]

Donald's not the one who first comes to mind when you think of charming a crying child, but timing is everything, I guess.

 

[that's nice]

Aws poor Christopher was probably just tired for the first few characters, I'm glad he came round though.

I'm sure the lack of sleep and just waking up had a big part in what was going on with him.

hey I have good timing once again

Yes. Yes you do!

oh my not a good start with Christopher's first character meet & greet....they are so big to such a little man...happy Donald was able to break the ice and it was fun for all after that!

We were still worried... we had a long trip ahead.

bummer about the yucky food, dessert does look yummy - we think the food for breakfast is better!

We have eaten breakfast & dinner there a few times. I think I'd just stick to breakfast.

He probably was afraid that he was going to try to steal his Yuengling.

Good eye! Christopher loves Yuengling!

Sorry the character interaction didn't go better, but you guys are off to a fun start....unpacked and hitting Chef Mickey's.

We did have a good time at dinner... even with Christopher being fussy. He did love the monorail though.

I'm glad he got over his fears. Poor guy. I have heard the dinner isn't too great. We had breakfast once and it was just ok.

We have eaten dinner there 3 times and I feel like the quality has gone down each time.

 

[that's nice]

Is that what you call it?

I guess... what do you call it?

That's the fastest maid service ever!

Welcome to the Happiest Place on Earth!

I think Christopher would beg to differ.

Goofy was next.. and was sneaking up on Christopher.

Maybe he's hated them from birth. Mickey could be like that clown doll from Poltergeist in his eyes.

That would be terrible... we could have been torturing him since birth!

Peek-a-boo is the ultimate secret weapon.

I guess so. I'll have to remember that.

That stinks. I remember liking it when we ate there. I guess the mileage varies on the food quality.

A food review from Mr. Burger himself? WOW!

NOW it's an official Disney trip!

5:00 a.m.? Runners.

What else is there to do at 5:00am?

Glad to hear that Donald was able to warm Christopher up to liking the characters!!! Hopefully he was better with them throughout the week!

Thank goodness for Donald!!!!

We were hoping he wasn't going to be like this for the rest of the week.

Donald's not the one who first comes to mind when you think of charming a crying child, but timing is everything, I guess.

No, you are right. But we were so thankful Donald got down and started playing with Christopher. It really broke his mood and was a wonderful moment.

 

[brookelizabeth]

We walked over and got checked in for dinner at Chef Mickey's! The line was no existent. I guess we were the line. LOL

What?! No line at Chef Mickey's?! Unheard of! Generally there are so many people there are children laying on the floor!

From the moment Donald came to our table, Christopher started to love the characters. It was like a bit of Disney magic. Mickey even stopped back and we were able to take a picture with him and the kids without screaming.

SO glad Donald brought some magic!!!

Sorry to hear about the food. Our 1 dinner there was like that too - even though some people seem to have the opposite experience and love their dinner. We've had a good breakfast there though.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

A food review from Mr. Burger himself? WOW!

Hey, I also went way out on a limb and had a steak and some pizza at WDW. So there.

What else is there to do at 5:00am?

5:00 a.m. should never consciously exist.

 

[that's nice]

What?! No line at Chef Mickey's?! Unheard of! Generally there are so many people there are children laying on the floor!

I guess I should of took a picture on the way out... it looked exactly how you are describing it.

SO glad Donald brought some magic!!!

Sorry to hear about the food. Our 1 dinner there was like that too - even though some people seem to have the opposite experience and love their dinner. We've had a good breakfast there though.

I'm sure you can eat at any restaurant and have off days.... but paying the premium at WDW, I expect decent food.

Hey, I also went way out on a limb and had a steak and some pizza at WDW. So there.

Wow! Stop the presses!

5:00 a.m. should never consciously exist.

LOL... I've seen 5am way too many times in the last 16 months.

 

[archdandy]

That's so sweet that Donald was able to get your son to warm up to the characters! I probably would have teared up if I was in your situation. I hope your race ended up going well!

 

[KatMark]

I'm back and FINALLY catching up.

We had just arrived in Florida and spent a few hours at Give Kids the World. It was time to say goodbye and make the 20 minute drive over to Disney. The kids were excited... and so were the parents when we saw this:

No greater sight!

It was a great feeling knowing we finally made it back. I had the GPS but I knew I just needed to follow signs for Animal Kingdom. We were almost there...

There it is!

Despite our not "perfect" stay this month, I still love this resort!

I think someone was getting a little giddy!

You look just like Mark when he gets that close.


We drove over to Cabanas 8B and saw we had a first floor standard room. Awesome. Just what we wanted. I forget our room number (i forgot to take a picture of it) but we were on the right hand side of the building- a mere 30 second walk to the bus stop. We plopped all our belongings down- well, it was more like I took numerous trips to the car- and started to unpack a bit. Christopher decided he would help.

Love this picture!


I took Christopher out of the car and laid him in the stroller. He didn't even move. The kid was beat. We walked over and got checked in for dinner at Chef Mickey's! The line was no existent. I guess we were the line. LOL

Great picture of mom and daughter.

I think I take this picture every time.

Continued in next post.......

Too bad the wreath wasn't up when you took the pic!

 

[KatMark]

We skipped the picture at the plate and waited for less than 5 minutes. Our buzzer went off and we were brought to our table. We brought the stroller because we couldn't leave Christopher behind…..

Sleepy little angel

We ordered our drinks and the characters were coming.

Great pictures; Juliana still looks a little tired from being sick, but nothing takes away from her beautiful smile.

I felt bad that Christopher was going to miss out, but he woke up right when after Minnie came to visit. Good thing because his favorite, Mickey Mouse, was coming over next. He watched Juliana take a picture with him but wanted nothing to do with him.

When Mickey got close Christopher started screaming. Oh Boy!

Goofy was next.. and was sneaking up on Christopher.

That wasn't a good idea. Christopher started screaming and crying… You can see him trying to have Melody hold him here..

Pluto was up next… It was like rapid fire. He got down to Christopher's level but still Christopher was flipping out.

I wanted a picture with Juliana and Christopher but Mr. Crying Pants didn't want anything to do with it.

Poor guy...he just woke up from a nap and all these "big things" are coming toward him; I'd be flipping out too.

There was a little break so I ran to get Juliana, Christopher, and myself something to eat while Melody hung back and hung with the screamer.

I couldn't believe Christopher hated the characters. I mean- he knows them. His whole room is Mickey Mouse. He has been staring at Mickey since he was born. This was going to make for a looooong week.

Juliana and I got back to the table with our food and Donald was 2 tables over. I got ready for more screaming. Donald came over and once again, Christopher started to cry. Donald didn't like that. He got down on his knees and started waving to Mr. Cryee.

Christopher stopped crying and Donald got closer…

Donald started playing peek-a-boo with Christopher and Mr. Cryee's mood changed from crying and hating the characters to laughing and liking Donald. We left Christopher in his seat- we didn't want to ruin the moment and took a few quick pictures with the 'Don'

Way to go, Donald Duck...you're the man!

From the moment Donald came to our table, Christopher started to love the characters. It was like a bit of Disney magic. Mickey even stopped back and we were able to take a picture with him and the kids without screaming.

What a sweet picture.

I don't really want to talk to much about the food here because, well, it wasn't every good. I was really disappointed with it. Melody was too. The chicken was dried out. The sauce tasted worse than jar sauce. Some food was cold…. etc. But we did like the desserts.

We've not been back for dinner to CM's since 2000...it was awful then.

We finished up with dinner and walked toward the monorail. It was going to be the first ride of the trip!

We made it on the monorail for our first ride around the loop. Christopher was more interested looking at all the people than smiling for pictures…

It was all new to him and he had to be sure of what was going on.

MNSSHP was going on and I thought about getting tickets. I'm so glad we didn't because the kids would have been miserable… and the parents might of been too. Here is a blurry shot of the train station!

We got back to the Contemporary and headed back to the car. We made the short drive back to CSR. Melody got the kids ready for bed and I had took a walk to grab some milk.

Once agin the place was empty…

We got the kids to bed and I turned in early too. I had to be up at 5 to run in the GKTW Gingerbread Run 5k in the morning!!!!



Up next…. run, run as fast as you can!

Great first day; can't wait to hear about the race.

 

[MissPrice]

HI there Joining in. Really enjoying the TR so far. -Amanda

 

[Moira222]

Hey Tim! I have been Awol from your ptr but had to sub to your new TR. I can only think of one reason for that title. But i will wait to see.

I remember traveling with Katie when she was 11 months old. We had to rent a turtle for the roof for all the baby gear. Can't imagine how much stuff we would have had to take on a plane!

I just loved that phlto of Christopher sprawled out in his stroller. So cute! Did Ana enjoy showing Christopher little things throughout the trip? She is such a good big sister.

Thank goodness for Donald breaking the ice with Christopher. That memory is a keeper!

 

[that's nice]

5:45 came quickly on Saturday morning- I didn't sleep too well. I kept thinking I would oversleep and miss the run. Even though my clothes were all laid out, it was hard trying to be quiet and not wake anyone up. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to put some of my items in a plastic bag. Do you know how loud a crinkling plastic bag is at 5:45am?? LOUD! I was able to get out without waking anyone up. I drove back over towards GKTW. I had to park in the Walmart parking lot and they had shuttles to bus people down the road to GKTW. There was a stage set up with a DJ playing, characters starting visiting, and I was getting anxious for the run to start.

About 7:45 they started calling people over to the starting line. They started with people who run a 6 minute mile, then 8, then 10. I walked over when they said 10. I'm not sure if people weren't listening or just wanted to be near the front, but when the race started I was dodging slow joggers and runners for at least .3 mile.

The race was fun. It had 2 loops in the village and I passed the villa that we stayed at 2 times. It was pretty emotional. After the run they handed out gift bags, certificates, and had breakfast for us. I stayed for a while and listened to a few families speak.

This particular family was from Canada and moved to Florida after their son Noah passed away to be closer to GKTW and volunteer there. The mom is a DISer and posts on the WISH threads. Have you ever noticed when you roll your cursor over the angel smilie while responding to a post it says Noah? Well that's in honor of their son.

They gave out awards for the top runners...

The finish line...

I finished the run in 29:30.. not too bad.

I left GKTW around 10:30 and headed back towards Coronado Springs.

While I was gone, Melody and the kids ordered room service and had breakfast in the room. Then they went exploring....

A little relaxing on a hammock.

Christopher playing in the sand.

How's the pool look Juliana?

Looks like they continued walking words the dig site....

I got back to the room and they were back from their walk. I had a little breakfast and Melody & I tried to form a plan for the afternoon.



Up next.... waiting for a special guest, & a cut, a flag, & a mouse