From Sunstroke to a Concussion: A Yacht Club Disney “Trip” to Remember

[Amberleefuta]

The psych hold in the us is 72 hour hold.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Rainandlattes]

Oh my gosh! I actually gasped out loud when I saw your lump!!! WOW! Someone sure was looking out for you that day. I'm glad you were alright.

 

[Feckless]

OK so I had to look it up...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5150_(involuntary_psychiatric_hold)

Also the name of the Van Halen album with "Why Can't This Be Love?" on it. I'm NOT a fan, just worked in a record store for years. LOL

 

[JanetMom]

Just caught up on your "trip" update - Yikkies!!!

Those bumps look so painful, but I totally get why you went into denial. I think it is what we naturally do when we feel an important vacation may be compromised for our one medical condition. In retrospect you should have skipped via Napoli for a visit to a doctor (but I would have done exactly what you did!

 

[Feckless]

DAY THREE: Heading to my Happy Place - MAGIC KINGDOM DAY!

The next morning, I woke up to my DS getting ready - he and the other DS were up and heading for the lounge. The DDs were harder to get out of bed but they were excited, so we managed. I was stiff and sore all over, and still had a headache, but I hit the Advil and continued to suck it up - we were heading to the MK! All hands were super impressed with the lounge, and I got my usual Nescafe latte. Soon we were heading for the bus stop. We only waited about 5 minutes for the MK bus, and then we were on our way. We discovered the next advantage to the YC - the buses start here, so we were always first on and never had a problem getting seats. We were hoping to make rope drop, but we arrived just after, which for 8 people, including two soon-to-be-teenage girls, was pretty awesome.

It was a gorgeous morning, and the crowds were not bad at all. I managed to take a few pictures walking in.

My favourite place!

The scourge of picture taking started to raise its head, being that the two DDs would make faces every time a camera was pointed their way.

Managed to get one pic of DD…

Of course, DS was his normal goofy self.

Our first FP+ reservation was for Under the Sea at 10 - 11, so we had some time and we had agreed to head straight to Fantasyland, as we had FPs for the three mountains for later in the day. First up was Peter Pan’s Flight, which I love, as does the mom of the other family. This early in the day, it was straight walk on.

Next, we headed over to IASW.

DS and I had a laugh, and pretended it was a horror attraction, as he had read the Disney after Dark book where the dolls are evil and come to life. LOL I love IASW, so I was a happy person. Last year I rode it alone. This year it was MUCH less pathetic.

No line at all.

The girls got their first look at the "no dancing" sign, and vowed to recreate this wherever possible!

After this, we headed over the Under the Sea for our first try of the MB FP+ reservations. I was a bit nervous, since the CL staff set up all the other family’s FPs and they did not seem completely confident about them. When we walked past BOG, there were people already lining up to eat there for lunch. We were pretty excited to have our BOG FPs when we saw that! I was excited to see the construction of the Mine ride, and to get close to the Beast’s castle which we had seen in the distance behind the walls during our last trip. The Mine ride has come a long way since then based on the pictures…

We used the FP+ cards during the test phase last year, so we had an idea what it was like. The MBs worked for everyone perfectly, which was awesome. That glowing green Mickey head was a happy sight!

I really enjoyed the animatronics and the theming in Under the Sea - Ursula in particular was incredibly done. My head was swiveling around to take everything in… I did think the clam shells were very similar to the Nemo ride though.

After this ride, we headed over to Goofy’s Barnstormer.

This ride is a favourite of the other family's DS, so he was pretty excited. We had fun, but it was so short! I had forgotten… I also found it pretty rough, maybe because I was still a bit shaken up. I can’t imagine waiting in a long line for that short ride! As soon as we finished, my kids started telling the other DS that if he liked that one, he should have NO problems with Space Mountain. The other DS is not a thrill ride kiddo, and his mom always sits out the big rides with him. However, with my “encouragement” (harassment) she was willing to try on this trip and we were all trying to encourage other DS to try new things.

After this, we headed towards Tomorrowland in anticipation of our Space FPs. We had some time, so the other family wanted to hit the Speedway. We hate the Speedway as does the other DD, so I took the three kids to the teacups while DH hit the bathroom. I skipped this ride as I have a tendency to get motion sick and my head was still scrambled and didn’t need more scrambing. The three kids had a blast!

They spun it at fast as possible!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpjzQ7KoIw

Now it was time for our Space Mountain FPs. I can’t tell you how much knowing that we already had all the big rides covered, and also not having to trek back and forth across the park to collect FPs for later, made the day more relaxing and enjoyable. The kids were continuing to encourage the other DS to ride this one. We really thought if he tried it, he would love it, since this is often the case with this kid about other things. No problems again with the FP+… The girls had worked out how to ride in the front by this time, and waited to make sure they could get their spots. I was sitting in front of the other DS, and as soon as we started out, he seemed like he was having a good time, but that quickly turned into howling in terror! Oops! I felt so badly for him! When we got off, he turned, planted his feet with his hands in fists by his side, and yelled, “That was NOTHING like Goofy’s Barnstormer!” So, no more thrill rides for him. LOL Here’s my redneck ride photo (since I hadn’t activated my PP+ yet):

My kids love the gift shop and Space, so we made a point to stop and shop. DS made himself a light saber and sent it back to the room. Happiness!

Got to pose in the Jedi robe…

At this point, the knots in my head had gone down, and I was left with a purple line next to my eye, like a line of plum coloured eye-liner. Not bad enough to wear sunglasses though. I decided that I would take an injury selfie every day. Little did I know how bad it would get!

Next, we got some popcorn, ice cream and drinks and headed for the Peoplemover. Unfortunately, no food allowed! We munched down our snacks and went on one of my favourites… LOVE the views!

Coming up: The rest of our day at the Magic Kingdom, including our BOG lunch, and our dinner at the Yachtsman!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

WHAT A GREAT DAY SO FAR
Love those blue skies and you eye looks so much better
Hate the speedway but loving the look of everything else. I still haven't managed to get any member of my family on space mountain but I have a cunning plan to change that fact the next trip we take

 

[natebenma]

That was a pretty nice morning so far. Great job getting everyone out and to the MK almost for rope drop! I love going on Peter Pan early on!

How many of the Disney after Dark has Gabe read? I have only read the first one.

I'm not a big fan of the Speedway, and I can't ride the teacups either.

Too bad that your friend's son (or your son's friend- same kid0 didn't care for Space. Ben was the same time way for a long time. We were always convinced that he would be fine on big thrill rides but sometimes we were wrong. *cough* Dueling Dragons *cough*

I can't wait for your BOG lunch FP either!

 

[Feckless]

WHAT A GREAT DAY SO FAR
Love those blue skies and you eye looks so much better
Hate the speedway but loving the look of everything else. I still haven't managed to get any member of my family on space mountain but I have a cunning plan to change that fact the next trip we take

My eye looks better... FOR NOW. Wait until my posts for Day 4 and following!!!

I can tell you that telling a kid that Space is "just like Goofy's Barnstormer" might work to get them on it, but not to make them like it!

That was a pretty nice morning so far. Great job getting everyone out and to the MK almost for rope drop! I love going on Peter Pan early on!

How many of the Disney after Dark has Gabe read? I have only read the first one.

I'm not a big fan of the Speedway, and I can't ride the teacups either.

Too bad that your friend's son (or your son's friend- same kid0 didn't care for Space. Ben was the same time way for a long time. We were always convinced that he would be fine on big thrill rides but sometimes we were wrong. *cough* Dueling Dragons *cough*

I can't wait for your BOG lunch FP either!

Gabe has only read the first one too.

WE HATE THE SPEEDWAY. LOL The other family's DS still loves it so they're stuck with it for now.

Where the other three kids are thrill ride junkies, we thought it might be hard on the other DS, but he is such a sweet, easy going kid, it worked out fine.

 

[Feckless]

DAY THREE (part 2) - MAGIC KINGDOM CONTINUED and DINNER AT THE YACHTSMAN

I had purchased PP+ prior to leaving, and didn’t have a chance to pick it up before. I don’t know why I didn’t pop over to the BC and get it… I knew that I could pick it up at the Theatre in the MK, but we really didn’t have an opportunity to get there earlier in the day since we had a plan! The other family was interested in picking up some Sorcerer’s cards, so the rest of the group went there, and I went to the Theatre to pick up my card. It was pretty crowded there, much more than I thought it would be, but once it turned out to be only about a 10 - 15 minute wait. I gave them the voucher it was no problem at all to get the lanyard.

After meeting up with the other family at the Sorcerer’s kiosk, the two DSs wanted to ride the railway. We made a rookie mistake and got two sets of cards. Since the kids did not want to separate, they didn’t really pursue using the cards, so we headed to the front entrance railway stop and headed Frontierland, as our second FP+ window was opening.

Some pics while we are waiting...

Here comes the train!

First stop was BTMR to use our FPs. DS was a little excited.

This was SO much fun, as always. The girls again made sure to ride in the front! All 8 of us rode. Too bad there are no ride photos on this attraction…After this, we made our way to MY favourite, the Haunted Mansion. The other DS also braved this one and seemed to really enjoy it. So, he was pushing himself! Good job for him!

I took this picture for me - although I don't think I had awesome form on my particular landing! LOL

Then it was time to go to BOG for our FPs… I was a little nervous about this one, because we weren’t sure that the other family would have gotten the same FP, as it was added by the CL staff. Our family selected our menu ahead of time (I was even able to customize my DS's roast beef sandwich by taking off the horseradish and veggies online before we went) and the other family didn't because they had the CL staff make the reservation. We had a few minutes wait to get to the reservation window, which got longer when a very pushy family shoved their way in front of us. Oh well… It took them a few minutes longer to find the other family’s reservation but phew! It was there. We were told to find a specific CM named Jose who would look after us. We went straight in, found Jose right in the lobby area, and paid him for our meal right there with our MBs (which was super cool). Sticker shock was in effect - it was about $75! For a quick service place for four! I was hoping that it was going to be worth it…. They gave me the slip and we went and selected a table. We chose the West Wing and we went in and waited for the other family, as they had to go to another room and order from there as they were not able to make their selections ahead of time.

Unfortunately, the meal started out irritating, since there were no tables clean and it took a LONG time for a CM to come. Could have been my head throbbing however. We were standing around waiting for the table to be cleared but the CMs cleared at least four other tables first where nobody was waiting instead of cleaning off the table we had chosen. Very odd for Disney. Other than that, the service was fast. We were barely sitting down and they came around with the big cart. We had barely started eating when the other family got their food, so unless there are a lines at the ordering kiosks it doesn’t take longer. It was SO nice to have the food delivered to our table at a QS restaurant.

DD LOVED the turkey sandwich. My DS loved his roast beef sandwich and DH and I REALLY enjoyed the pork. Mom on the other family had the ahai tuna and said it was excellent. Other DS did not like the taste of the cheese on his Croque Monsieur but ate half of it. I liked the passion fruit creampuff and DD loved the chocolate creampuff, and DS appeared to love his chocolate cupcake! LOL Other DD did not like the taste of the passion fruit creampuff.

DH wasn't expecting to have to get cutlery, but he didn't understand that it was QS and you don't usually have actual heavy silverware OR people bringing food to you in such an awesome location for QS! It was really amazing. It turns out that it was worth the cash that we paid. In fact, when we came home, DS said that it was his favourite meal for the whole of the trip.

We loved the lightning in the room (except it made my pics all crappy!), and we were seated close to the rose. People kept coming in to get their pictures taken with it. I also loved the changing portrait.

When we were done, we poked our heads in the other two rooms. Here’s the main dining room:

It is really an amazing restaurant, and was a wonderful, relaxing break in the day. What a difference from our usual stop at Pecos Bills, which is madness at the best of times. I would absolutely try to do this again. In fact, I would be upset if I couldn’t get back there again!

Next up, SPLASH! Unfortunately, there was no way that other DS would get on this ride - totally not liking the big drops. He was a trooper though, and agreed to wait for us in the gift shop so that the mom could ride for her first time.

The people in the front row look terrified! I rode alone because of the odd number of people in our group...

Boys in the back row:

The girls waited again for their front seat! LOL. They wanted to get as wet as possible!

The girls’ first attempt at “no dancing”:

Next, after checking my MDE app, we headed over to Pirates, which had about a 15 minute wait. The MDE app was very helpful in figuring out the wait times and where to go when… All involved loved the ride. The gift shop was a big deal for our DS and he took his time picking out the perfect wooden rifle. He picked the biggest one, but I thought that I could fit it in my suitcase… After that, the other DS wanted to ride around on the railroad again, but I had a Dole Whip on my mind. The other parents and DS took the railroad and headed back to the YC. Our family plus the other DD got the precious Dole Whip (SO yummy and I had another convert in the other DD) and headed slowly for the main entrance. We stopped for a few PP pics…

On the way out, we ran into this band:

The girls loved it, and even danced the jive. We are all band geeks, so we loved them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzcw8QRQ9f4

It was an easy and smooth ride back to the YC, and the kids hit the arcade again. This was an interesting little item. LOL

My eye was swelling a little bit more at this point, and the bruising was getting a bit better, but it didn’t hurt!

Then DS recreated his “pirates” gun shot on the balcony - he did the same shot last year.

Soon, it was time for our dinner at the Yachtsman. The kids were told to be on their best behaviour! So, they tried their very best to not be themselves. LOL. We got in with minimal wait. I had a delicious caesar salad, and the filet. We had some lovely wine… The service was great. The kids were hoping to have a night swim after supper, but unfortunately the weather did not accommodate. The rain was heavy and thunder and lightning closed the pool, so we had a leisurely supper. The boys were falling asleep during supper again! Another comfortable night in our lovely rooms… We had the boys that night, and they were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Good thing, since tomorrow was our Epcot day!

Coming up: DAY FOUR - Black Eye in Epcot

 

[JanetMom]

Love the updates! It is so great that you have friends you can travel with so easily.

We are just starting to contemplate a trip in summer. Did the MDE site work the same here in Canada? (I know things aren't always the same.)

So you already have international data coverage on your cell phone, or do you get a special package for your trips to WDW? We only have one cell phone between us, so I figured we won't bother with any kind of US package since we can check in with home via email, and with only one phone we won't be able to check in with each other if we split up at WDW. But hearing you talk about using the MDE app in the parks has me reconsidering.

 

[Pinkgirl]

Brill updates. No wonder your friends DS didn't like Space Mountain, he got the rough ride in the backseat. I made that mistake. The front is sooo tame. Same with Big Thunder, the front is like a kiddies ride whereas the back throws you all over the place.

 

[Feckless]

Love the updates! It is so great that you have friends you can travel with so easily.

We are just starting to contemplate a trip in summer. Did the MDE site work the same here in Canada? (I know things aren't always the same.)

So you already have international data coverage on your cell phone, or do you get a special package for your trips to WDW? We only have one cell phone between us, so I figured we won't bother with any kind of US package since we can check in with home via email, and with only one phone we won't be able to check in with each other if we split up at WDW. But hearing you talk about using the MDE app in the parks has me reconsidering.

The MDE app was buggy, but it worked. I don't think we had all of the advantages. I still have a Blackberry, so I imported it an Android app. I used MDE on my laptop to do the FP changes. I wasn't as secure in the MDE app on my phone for that, since it didn't seem reliable. However, we used the MDE app on the phone to check wait times all the time in the parks. We didn't have great experience with the WiFi on our phone in the parks - it would show as me being logged on, but it would default to 4G. We had international data roaming plans on our phones though, and it wasn't too expensive.

Brill updates. No wonder your friends DS didn't like Space Mountain, he got the rough ride in the backseat. I made that mistake. The front is sooo tame. Same with Big Thunder, the front is like a kiddies ride whereas the back throws you all over the place.

Never knew that! I must remember to ride in the back from now on!

 

[Feckless]

DAY FOUR: A Black Eye in Epcot

So, when I woke up, I couldn’t open my left eye. I thought, “UH OH!!!” It felt really swollen and then I looked over at DS and he screamed, and then at DH and he winced, and looked SO guilty. Anyway, this is what faced me in the mirror:

OMG. Time for the rehab sunglasses! Thank GOD they were polarized, so wearing them inside wasn’t too bad. Also, so happy that my sunglasses are big ones. LOL Poor DH almost died when he saw me, and he kept apologizing to me (for leaving the suitcase in front of the balcony door, in case anyone is wondering!). I had to tell him to knock it off in public - his guilt and apologies looked a little suspicious. LOL. I still had a headache, but I was mostly controlling it with Advil, and my eye didn’t hurt. The main problem is that I am quite nearsighted, and the sunglasses were not prescription. Trying to get my contact lens in that eye… Well, the less said about that, the better!

Our first stop of the day was breakfast in the lounge - unfortunately the Nescafe machine was broken, and so I didn’t get my regular latte. The regular coffee in the pot was pretty bad, and did not go well towards improving my mood after the lovely sight in the mirror! However, the kids got ready harmoniously, and soon we were on our way to Epcot. CL was already worth it for us - because everyone was getting ready at different times, we were able to stagger our breakfast times. If we had to all be ready to go together to a restaurant for breakfast, it would have increased our morning stress exponentially.

Already having TT and Soarin’ FPs made the morning very relaxing. I am not looking forward to tiering, should we go again since we do all the big ticket rides. Our other FP+ was for Mission Space. We walked through the International Gateway and stopped at the phone boxes in England. Having the FPs already made it a much more enjoyable walk, and we could stop and “smell the roses” as it were, instead of running for the Land.

Then the Canada pavillion! The kids liked seeing the Chateau Laurier replica again since we have seen it in real life in Ottawa.

First stop was the Land for Soarin’.

As always, we waited for front row, and also took our shoes off (the best way to ride it is barefoot). Magical as always, and FP+ worked perfectly as well for everyone. Or longest wait for Soarin’ was at our 2009 trip, with the legacy FPs. We ended up waiting at least 30 minutes that day. After Soarin’ we headed out to Figment. I always liked that ride, but I always look away at the last minute and miss the butterfly in the cage part and not fond of the skunk either. LOL.

Girls get front row again, and assume the position:

Next, we head to Club Cool. Here is DS trying the Beverley drink:

Here is the other DS:

Next it was time for the new TT! TT was closed on our last trip so we were all excited. Here’s DH making our car:

The DDs did this car (shocking):

We had fun! We all loved it, even the other DS.

When we left, I managed to get everyone together for a picture - only one for the whole trip! Nobody was particularly happy to stop. We were all go this trip.

After TT, we headed back to Sunshine Seasons for a delicious lunch. I had the chicken enchilada soup and beet salad, and enjoyed every bite. After lunch, we headed for Mission Space. I rode it on Orange - DH, the other mom and the other DS sat out. Afterwards, we had a blast playing the group game, and also my DS in particular liked the gift shop.

It was super hot and extremely humid, so after MS we hit Ellen’s Energy Adventure. This was DS’s first time, and all hands really enjoyed it. So relaxing. After that, we headed for Space Ship Earth. The kids made sure that they made ridiculous faces, so the “visions of the future” were very entertaining. There were peels of laughter coming from the DS’s car through that whole part of the ride, and here’s why…

When the pics showed up on the big board, well, the boys almost peed themselves laughing!

Here’s ours!

At this point we had done everything we intended to do, and it was as hot as Hades, so we headed back to the YC. We took the boat for novelty’s sake - so nice to be on the lake again…

The kids headed straight for SAB and after some yummy appetizers and drinks at the Lounge, I decided to head over to the BC lobby to meet up with Teena! So nice to see her… She and the other CMs were very interested in our cool little MB covers.

Should have done a selfie with her! Next time, right Teena?

We pulled ourselves together, got showers and got ready to head back into Epcot for Chefs de France. It was a gorgeous night.

We didn’t have such a great meal there the last time, so I was looking forward to a do-over, and also for a Grand Marnier slushie! There was no line when we got there - score!

I started with the lobster bisque and then had the Coquille St Jacques with gnocchis, and the profiteroles for dessert. It was DELICIOUS. Night and day from the short ribs I had last time, which I did NOT enjoy. As well, we had the most amazing server. I spoke my terrible French to her, and she was tickled pink at our kids’ French (they are in French Immersion in school). Definitely the best service we had all the time we were there.

The other family was telling us that we were making them “slow down”… The last family we went with were struggling to keep up with us, but this family was all go! LOL. I didn’t think touring from rope drop to 5 p.m. was relaxed, but apparently their last trips they spent sun up to sun down in the parks so as not to miss anything. It was so great that we were able to match up with two different families and their touring strategies (or maybe they just went along with us! LOL) and have an equally fabulous time with each. The DS’s didn’t fall asleep at dinner (although they came close), and when we got back to the YC, they headed down to SAB for night swimming. I took the opportunity to ice my knee!

All ready for our day at Blizzard Beach the next day!

 

[natebenma]

Caught up on your last couple of updates.

Sounds like a really nice morning/afternoon at MK!

for rides on the train, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion and Pirates.

I am so glad to hear you had a great lunch at BOG. Passionfruit is one of my favorite flavors and I am drooling over the thought of a passionfruit creampuff.

We have never been to the Yachtsman!

What a bummer that your eye was looking worse, not better over time. And a broken coffee machine??? That is the scariest thing I have read so far!

Loving your day at EPCOT. Once again, jealous about what you had for lunch. That beet salad is my second favorite thing in the World!

Your dinner at Chefs sounds wonderful this time around (another place I've not been) and I'm glad that there was some SAB time for the kiddos.

 

[JanetMom]

Oh that eye - oww! But hey, you really rock the sunglasses.

My favourite part of CL is the breakfasts, especially when everyone gets up at different times. Definitely a win with kids.

That is a great group photo, you must be happy to have it.

Looking forward to your next update.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Awesome updates fp+ definitely makes for more relaxed touring by the sounds of it

Ouch on the eye-your poor hubby sounds so annoyed with himself Glad that it wasn't hurting too badly

 

[Feckless]

Caught up on your last couple of updates.

Sounds like a really nice morning/afternoon at MK!

for rides on the train, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion and Pirates.

I am so glad to hear you had a great lunch at BOG. Passionfruit is one of my favorite flavors and I am drooling over the thought of a passionfruit creampuff.

We have never been to the Yachtsman!

What a bummer that your eye was looking worse, not better over time. And a broken coffee machine??? That is the scariest thing I have read so far!

Loving your day at EPCOT. Once again, jealous about what you had for lunch. That beet salad is my second favorite thing in the World!

Your dinner at Chefs sounds wonderful this time around (another place I've not been) and I'm glad that there was some SAB time for the kiddos.

Yes, I agree that the broken coffee machine was definitely the scariest part of the trip (other than the actual TRIP. LOL)

Got the beet salad because I remember you talking about it, Dee! Thanks for the tip - it was delicious. DH got it at well and LOVED it.

The progression of my black eye is quite entertaining. LOL. Wait until you see the shot from the next day!

Oh that eye - oww! But hey, you really rock the sunglasses.

My favourite part of CL is the breakfasts, especially when everyone gets up at different times. Definitely a win with kids.

That is a great group photo, you must be happy to have it.

Looking forward to your next update.

I was SO happy to get a group shot. This one has the other DH with his eyes closed, but my DD made a face in the second shot so this one has to do! Teens, what are ya gonna do??? At least she smiled in one or two pictures. The other DD was way worse - she just made a face every time a camera came her way. I told her she'd regret it!

Awesome updates fp+ definitely makes for more relaxed touring by the sounds of it

Ouch on the eye-your poor hubby sounds so annoyed with himself Glad that it wasn't hurting too badly

He is STILL kicking himself. He is more upset with himself for not making me go to the hospital, especially when I came back and actually had a bunch of tests, and found out how close I came to disaster... I did have a concussion by the way!

 

[scottny]

Great updates and pics.

YIKES! to the eye.

 

[Pinkgirl]

O M G the eye!!!!!!!!!!

Hmmm, given my distate for Nescafe a broken machine can only mean

 

[Feckless]

Day Five: Blizzard Beach!

When I woke up this morning and my left eye was completely swollen shut. Luckily it was early, so I had some time before we all got going. After an hour with a cold cloth, the swelling went down quite a bit, but I still had quite the shiner. Jamming my contacts in there was even more interesting than the day before, but I needed the sunglasses so that everyone wouldn’t be staring at me. With the glasses on I could forget about the injury! This is my greeting in the mirror on Day Five:

DS went down to the gift shop, and used his newly acquired charging privileges on his MBs to purchase his solution to my problem:

I think he was a bit disappointed I didn’t wear it outside the room. LOL. All bad enough without losing sight in my right eye! Got breakfast and spent some time on the balcony while the other parents went for a run around the Boardwalk. The view was soooo spectacular. Unfortunately, the Nescafe machine remained broken, so we were stuck with the morning sludge.

As I mentioned in the previous entry, I had spoken about the cabana to the other family, and they thought it was a great idea. Even though it was supposed to be for a maximum of 6 people, the CL staff let us purchase it for the 8 of us. We took the Disney bus to Blizzard Beach, and it was fast and easy, like all of the transportation while we were there (and a WAY better ride than to Typhoon Lagoon). We had never been there before, so we were really looking forward to it. When we got there and saw the cabana, we realized that it was some of the best money we spent all trip. It was right next to the entrance to the wave pool and right by the path back to the refillable mug station. Couldn't have been any better!

Still life with black eye…

We had an amazing day. It was so relaxing! There was a big cooler full of ice and water, and giant refillable mugs waiting for us. I spent much of the day in the comfie lounge chairs reading. The kids spent most of the day in the wave pool, and did a lot of the bigger slides as well. I did Teamboat Springs with the family a couple of times, and at the end of the day I went with them to do the Toboggan racers. I LOVED Teamboat Springs, but not so much the Toboggan Racers… With my knees being so sore, it was hard to kneel at the top. Also went around the lazy river a bunch of times with DS. The girls went on every slide of course, including multiple times down Summit Plummet. My DS and DH went down a few times as well. Last time I rode one of those big slides, it was like a free colonoscopy so I wasn’t interested. LOL.

Here is DD going down, with other DD looking on:

DS's turn, with DH looking on:

The only problem we had was that lightning closed the chair lift in the afternoon so there was a lot of walking up stairs! LOL. Otherwise, the day was excellent. With the cabana, we had a server who came by every 20 minutes. We had staggered lunch orders so that we weren’t all in the cabana at the same time. The food was fast food fare, but really delicious. It worked out all day so there was never more than four people in the cabana at a time. The server was so pleasant and helpful, it made the day even more enjoyable. Round the clock service was also just SO decadent…

One of the negative parts of the day was that there were a ton of wasps around, and the two DSs are both terrified of wasps. Oh well, it kept them out of the cabana and in the pool! LOL. At the end of the day, when DH went to empty out the refillable soda mugs that we were all drinking from and they were all full of dead wasps! They were attracted to the sweet soda and all drowned in there. Extra protein! Blech!

We had late (8:45 p.m.) dinner reservations at Coral Reef. We closed down Blizzard Beach and headed back to the YC for a rest, some lounge fare and drinks and to clean up, then headed to the Seas through the International Gateway. Given the long day, we didn’t get out of the YC until at least 8:15 or later. It was a stunningly beautiful night… Sorry about the quality of the pictures, but nobody was stopping! LOL

Soon we were at the Seas!

We managed to make our reservation - I was a bit nervous because I knew that it was the last one of the night so I was afraid if we were late we would be out of luck for dinner, when this was the one we were looking forward to the most. I made this reservation for my DD, because she mentioned that she missed out on this restaurant last trip.

We loved the theme… The restaurant was gorgeous. And I loved the little decorating touches.

When we went in, we were way in the back and DD was disappointed we were located so far from the tank. However, she and other DD went wandering up to the tank and they noticed an empty table for 8 near the tank. The wonderful waitress agreed to switch us even though it meant that we would be moving out of her section, and losing the tip... I felt bad about that, but I wrote a lovely letter about her upon our return which I hope helped her!

I had the rainbow trout on the bed of white beans and it was delicious. Where we live by the ocean, I usually don’t order seafood away from him, but we all really enjoyed our fish entrees. The boys didn’t make it through the meal - they fell asleep at the table again! While the boys snoozed, we lingered over dessert and enjoyed our view of the tank.

Epcot had EMH that evening, so right after we finished dinner, we headed over to the Nemo ride. As always, I was shocked at the giant queue that we just walked through - can’t imagine waiting for Nemo in that giant line! After Nemo, my DS, DD and the other DD and I decide to stay even later, while the other DS and the other three adults headed back to the YC. Another joy of staying on site, and close to Epcot! We headed for Mission Space and rode on Orange. Impossible to be this flexible when you aren’t staying on site.

Kids still had enough energy to run around in the halls.

After this ride, we headed back to the hotel. It was a super late night after a very loooooonnnng day, and the kids were asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. The plan of rope drop at Animal Kingdom the next morning was in jeopardy! LOL. Again, having the FP+ took away a lot of the pressure of having to make rope drop, so we had a great night sleep, not worried about the morning. No stress, so pressure!

Next up: Animal Kingdom Day!