“Dreams Come True Momma!” A 2 year old’s first trip ~ May 2015~Complete {NEW TR LINK!}

[afwdwfan]

DH found the ride to be walk on and Little Miss and I found a nice play area in the exit for Little Miss. She had big fun playing in there.

We've never spent any time in the post-ride area there, but I think DD might enjoy that if I get a chance to ride MS at some point.

I love that picture!

Of course if you are eating in a British pub for dinner DH felt he just had to get a British beer to go with it.

Seems like a good idea to me!

Soon it was dark and time for Illuminations to begin. This was just a fabulous place to view them and I can now say that I am a fan of this show. It was also the perfect spot for getting pictures. I may have taken a few….

That was an awesome place to watch the show from!

At $125.98 for a pint of beer, a soda, 2 apps, 2 meals, 2 deserts, an extra (really not needed) side, and a Kids meal we would very much do this again. We both agreed that this was probably the best Fish and Chips we’ve ever had. Add in the pleasant scenery and fabulous fireworks view that we lucked into I don’t see any complaints from any if we were to go there again.

It seems like it really was an overall great experience!

**I'll be back soon to finish the rest. DH replaced our printer recently with something (in my opinion) a tad excessive. He needs to print out some mortgage docs for us to sign and the new printer might trip the circuit breaker.

Good thing I heald off... The thing is a beast and tripped the circuit not 5 seconds after I posted. (He was trying to turn it on. ) He has since taken it to another room and hopes for success.

I hope you aren't in the new house yet!

Our original plan after Illuminations was to hop over to Hollywood Studios for EMH so that DH could get a few rides in on TOT and we could try to catch the late show of Fantasmic. Unfortunately as our evening in Epcot progressed DH started developing more of a headache and by the time that Illuminations was done we decided that it was time to call it a night.

Noooooooo!!!!!! So close, yet so far away...

 

[Gracefulskinny]

We've never spent any time in the post-ride area there, but I think DD might enjoy that if I get a chance to ride MS at some point.

Its a neat little area. And it wasn't very crowded when we were in there either.

I love that picture!

Always finding ways to turn things into pretend phones!

Seems like a good idea to me!

That was an awesome place to watch the show from!

It really is. Its a bit of a crap shoot though, because they have know way to guarantee you a table where you will see the show. We had back up days built in to see it so it didn't matter much to us.

It seems like it really was an overall great experience!

It really was!

I hope you aren't in the new house yet!

Nope. We suspect it may be the house not the printer. I guess we'll see when we get into it. Still haven't gotten our offical close date yet. Cross your fingers that we can get our prefered close date of Dec 11th!

Noooooooo!!!!!! So close, yet so far away...

part of me wishes we had pushed through and made it happen.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Ohana Rest Day (5/12/15)



So this was another rest day for us. We slept in and had breakfast in the room and then went down to the quiet pool. Little Miss and I swam while DH did the laundry and finally got the car seat through the wash. (It had been mostly cleaned before it just needed a thorough wash before Little Miss could use it again.)


When we got down to the pool we realized that we had left Little Miss’s life vest in the room. Instead of going up to get it we decided to go the lazy route and just use one of the vests supplied by Disney. This turned out to be a fabulous idea because it was quickly discovered that Little Miss LOVED this vest and went from hovering near the stairs to a bit of a daredevil happily swimming away. At one point she even pushed off from me and swam a few strokes on her own to the wall. DH was lucky to catch it on camera while I stood in the water dumbfounded wondering where my Little Bit went.


(*Side note about the Disney Life Vests: Little Miss liked it so much we went ahead and bought one. It is pricy (we found ours for $40 bucks) but it is very adjustable so will probably be the only vest she needs and it also doesn’t restrict movement. Highly worth considering if you are looking for new vests for the kids.)

After our swimming we decided to keep things simple and sent DH to the food court for a Pizza. This turned out to be a pretty fabulous deal. For $26.99 (after tax) we got a whole pizza that was actually pretty decent (not stellar, but still good) that ended up feeding us twice, 2 soft drinks, and a milk. By Disney standards that’s beyond dirt cheap. Add in that the pizza was worlds better than the infamous personal pizzas that are known for their poor mediocrity and DH and I were very quick to agree we would do it again. After our lunch we all laid down and ended up taking much needed naps.

After naps Little Miss saw me touching up my nails and asked if I could do hers as well. Seeing as it was vacation and she had been so thrilled at mine I agreed.

Soon we were dressed and on our way to our dinner.

Where did we end up eating?

Ohana of course! We were looking forward to this meal because it had been our favorite meal on our last trip.


Soon we were called to our table and found ourselves with a prime view of Cinderella’s castle.

Towards the end of the meal DH had decided to try the infamous Lapu Lapu. I’m not a big alcohol fan and can only give it a review of STRONG! I have asked DH his thoughts and his opinion is that it is a pretty drink that Disney could probably get away with charging a bit more for but thankfully they don’t. He also feels that he might have been too full to really enjoy the drink and would have to try it again with a less glutinous meal to get a better opinion.


As for the meal itself, for me there was just something different about this meal and I didn’t find myself enjoying it as much. I may seriously consider skipping it on our next trip.


Once on the boat dock we ended up catching the full of the Electrical Water Pageant. It made for a fun bonus and end to the night.

****Bonus Time!****
(*Extra Points this round because you'll need to be extra speedy! I plan on posting another update tonight to catch things up a bit.)

Where do we go in the morning?


How long does it take us to get there? ​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Trip Report Game Points



@annie170 :6pts; Ohana, first correct answer bonus

@chunkymonkey : 5pts; ohana





Totals:


Dugette – 40

annie170 – 37


Afwdwfan – 30

Chunkymonkey – 28


Cajunfan – 22

Princessesandpascal – 19

Vleeth – 15


NJLauren - 13

BlvInMagic – 12

Pkondz – 12


BibbitybobityLu – 11

Mdsouth – 10


Kadrachb – 7

LovesTheMouse – 6

ashw100 – 5

​

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Sounds like a relaxing day and glad things worked out with the Disney vest.

That is a very economical meal and the pizza doesn't look half bad!

I love that picture of her sleeping with all the princess pictures in the background

We've had the Lapu Lapus and they are good but strong. You pay a little extra for being in the pineapple but given amount of alcohol doesn't feel like a rip off or anything

Definitely seeing more and more mixed reviews of 'Ohana - I think too many changes and not all for the good

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Sounds like a relaxing day and glad things worked out with the Disney vest.

It really was.

That is a very economical meal and the pizza doesn't look half bad!

I'd say the pizza was at about costco pizza standards. Tasty enough to enjoy but the real reason to get it is for the price.

I love that picture of her sleeping with all the princess pictures in the background

There is just something about it isn't there?

We've had the Lapu Lapus and they are good but strong. You pay a little extra for being in the pineapple but given amount of alcohol doesn't feel like a rip off or anything

DH was actually surprised at the amount of alcohol for the price.

Definitely seeing more and more mixed reviews of 'Ohana - I think too many changes and not all for the good

It would be a hard choice to go back that's for sure.

 

[NJlauren]

Nice rest day!

I haven't been to Ohana, but its on my list, said to see you didn't love it as much this trip!

I am going with you go to Magic Kingdom!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Nice rest day!

I haven't been to Ohana, but its on my list, said to see you didn't love it as much this trip!

It really was a pleasant day and much needed at that point in the trip.

I am going with you go to Magic Kingdom!

 

[pkondz]

Little Miss and I swam while DH did the laundry

Nice. How'd you manage that?

This turned out to be a fabulous idea because it was quickly discovered that Little Miss LOVED this vest and went from hovering near the stairs to a bit of a daredevil happily swimming away.

Way to go Little Miss!

At one point she even pushed off from me and swam a few strokes on her own to the wall. DH was lucky to catch it on camera while I stood in the water dumbfounded wondering where my Little Bit went.

Awww... They do grow up.

After our swimming we decided to keep things simple and sent DH to the food court for a Pizza. This turned out to be a pretty fabulous deal. For $26.99 (after tax) we got a whole pizza that was actually pretty decent (not stellar, but still good) that ended up feeding us twice, 2 soft drinks, and a milk. By Disney standards that’s beyond dirt cheap. Add in that the pizza was worlds better than the infamous personal pizzas that are known for their poor mediocrity and DH and I were very quick to agree we would do it again.

I'll have to keep that in mind for future reference.
I've never eaten dinner at the resort before... but ya never know.

Awwww....

The strong silent type... until he downs the Lapu Lapu and loses all his inhibitions.

As for the meal itself, for me there was just something different about this meal and I didn’t find myself enjoying it as much. I may seriously consider skipping it on our next trip.

Sorry you didn't have as great an experience as you hoped.

Once on the boat dock we ended up catching the full of the Electrical Water Pageant. It made for a fun bonus and end to the night.

Nice!

Where do we go in the morning?

DHS

How long does it take us to get there? ​

Over an hour.

 

[annie170]

Rest days are such a good idea. We never seem to have time for those considering most of our trips are only for five or six days.

Such a sweet pic of Little Miss resting her arm on daddy's leg. Little daddy's girl!

I agree with you regarding Ohana. I loved it the first time I was there in 2011. I about killed myself getting an adr in 2013, only to be a bit disappointed. My daughter, son-in-law and grandkids were there in October and really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping we just had an off night. I don't know if I'd go back or try something new next time.

I'll guess Magic Kingdom for where you go the next morning and it takes 45 minutes to get there.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Nice. How'd you manage that?

DH offered. He didn't want me to have to do work on vacation.

Way to go Little Miss!

Awww... They do grow up.

I'll have to keep that in mind for future reference.
I've never eaten dinner at the resort before... but ya never know.

Especially if you are trying to feed a big crowd. That pizza could comfortably feed 4-5 people.

Awwww....

The strong silent type... until he downs the Lapu Lapu and loses all his inhibitions.

Sorry you didn't have as great an experience as you hoped.

meh. It might have been the time as well. Everything was just more busy.

Nice!

DHS

Over an hour.

Rest days are such a good idea. We never seem to have time for those considering most of our trips are only for five or six days.

Our rule of thumb is 1 rest day for every 2 park days. Though it is harder to build that in on the shorter trips.

Such a sweet pic of Little Miss resting her arm on daddy's leg. Little daddy's girl!

I agree with you regarding Ohana. I loved it the first time I was there in 2011. I about killed myself getting an adr in 2013, only to be a bit disappointed. My daughter, son-in-law and grandkids were there in October and really enjoyed it, so I'm hoping we just had an off night. I don't know if I'd go back or try something new next time.

We thought about it for March but decided to forgo it.

I'll guess Magic Kingdom for where you go the next morning and it takes 45 minutes to get there.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

I warned I would be double posting this week! Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! Keep your fingers crossed for Monday. All that's holding up the show is the appraiser submitting the appraisal. I should know by Tuesday morning whether we get the clear to close on the house on time or not. Here's hoping for our Dec 11th close date!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Magical Mornings and Transportation Woes (5/13/15 Part 1)




We woke up quite early this morning and got ourselves to the bus stop as early as possible. I think we ended up at the bus stop at 6:20. At around 7 with no sign of a bus, the bus stop getting crowded, and me getting anxious DH made the call that it wasn’t worth it to continue to hang around for a bus and we would just take a taxi.


We weren’t the only ones who did this there were a few families in the same boat. Soon we were on our way to the Contemporary (the closest you can get to MK in a Taxi). The taxi wasn’t bad, it ended up costing about $13 +tip


With such little faith in any form of Disney Transportation left this morning we decided to take the walkway over and I have to say, it’s a pleasant and pretty walk. And really not bad. Pretty much the same distance as if you had walked from the POR bus stop. From the pictures I have of the pathway, the walk only took about 10 minutes.

7:30 finally found us through bag check and in line for our Pre park breakfast.

We were both still pretty miffed about the bus situation and DH wanted to talk with someone in charge about the lack of buses for MK at POR. So while we were in line DH looked up the customer service number for the Transpiration. The person who talked with him on the phone clearly had no care. She repeatedly stating that it is recommended to be at the bus stop an Hour and Half beforehand (we regularly stuck with a 2 hour window) and said if we wanted anything else done we would have to talk with the resort manager.


It was at that point I told DH to let it go for now and just relax. This was one of the mornings I had been most looking forward to and I wasn’t going to allow the incompetence of others stress me out and ruin the peaceful magic of being so early at the Magic Kingdom. With plans to deal with it later we relaxed and soaked up the atmosphere.


After about 10 minutes they released everyone into the park. We were disappointed to see a lack of Photopass people this morning, but I was sure to continually click up a storm with pictures, some of which turned out pretty good!

Soon we found our way outside our ADR and DH went to check us in.


***BONUS TIME***

Where is our ADR at?

What is our First Ride afterwards?​

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Trip Report Game Points




@NJlauren : 5pts; MK; first answer

@pkondz : 10pts; Over an hour, only correct answer bonus

@annie170 : 6pts MK, 45min (points for being close)




Totals:

annie170 – 43

Dugette – 40

Afwdwfan – 30

Chunkymonkey – 28

Cajunfan – 22

Pkondz – 22

Princessesandpascal – 19

NJLauren - 18

Vleeth – 15

BlvInMagic – 12

BibbitybobityLu – 11

Mdsouth – 10

Kadrachb – 7

LovesTheMouse – 6

ashw100 – 5​

 

[NJlauren]

Omg little miss is to cute in that outfit!

Ugh I'm really hateing so many bad transportation issues I have been hearing!

The walk from the contemporary is really quick and nice, if only we could always stay there!

I think crystal place and Aladdin magic carpets.

 

[annie170]

Reading this trip report reinforces the fact that we will never stay at POR again. We had such similar issues in 2011, but nothing like it in 2012 at AS Movies. A value!!! AS Movies had a guy with a clipboard and headset and would tell you when another bus would be arriving. I never saw anything like that at POR, but I thought it might be something new. I'm like your husband and want to let someone know that the problem needs to be fixed. There's nothing worse than getting someone who doesn't care and dismisses you. Why stay on Disney property if waiting for a bus to get to a park makes you late for adrs and fastpasses and raises your blood pressure?

I'm glad you didn't let it ruin your day and those are some pretty sweet pics on Main Street. That dress is adorable!

I'll guess Crystal Palace for your adr and Pirates of the Caribbean for your first ride.

I hope your Thanksgiving was good and hope all goes well with the appraiser!

 

[Gracefulskinny]

Omg little miss is to cute in that outfit!

That dress was an Etsy find! We got quite a bit of wear out of it, however part of me wishes I had gotten it in a size bigger so that she could still fit in it. Its a tad too short now.

Ugh I'm really hateing so many bad transportation issues I have been hearing!

It may have been a POR issue. Our issues will be explained in a future post.

The walk from the contemporary is really quick and nice, if only we could always stay there!

It's a dream of ours to stay there someday!

I think crystal place and Aladdin magic carpets.

Reading this trip report reinforces the fact that we will never stay at POR again. We had such similar issues in 2011, but nothing like it in 2012 at AS Movies. A value!!! AS Movies had a guy with a clipboard and headset and would tell you when another bus would be arriving. I never saw anything like that at POR, but I thought it might be something new. I'm like your husband and want to let someone know that the problem needs to be fixed. There's nothing worse than getting someone who doesn't care and dismisses you. Why stay on Disney property if waiting for a bus to get to a park makes you late for adrs and fastpasses and raises your blood pressure?

That is how we feel and we seriously considered staying off property. Turns out for at least when we ended up pricing it out that once you add in the Parking and resort fees at the off property hotels there really isn't that big of a price difference. It actually turned out to be more cost effective to stay on site with the dining plan than to skip out on the parks and stay off site. As for the problems at POR... just wait! You might just flip your lid when you hear what happened later.

I'm glad you didn't let it ruin your day and those are some pretty sweet pics on Main Street. That dress is adorable!

I am too. Some of my favorite of the trip. I was just bummed that there were no Photopass photographers out.

I'll guess Crystal Palace for your adr and Pirates of the Caribbean for your first ride.

I hope your Thanksgiving was good and hope all goes well with the appraiser!

Thanksgiving was great for us! Thank you!

 

[pkondz]

DH offered. He didn't want me to have to do work on vacation.

That's a good husband. I'd keep him if I was you.

I think we ended up at the bus stop at 6:20. At around 7 with no sign of a bus,

40 minutes and no bus?!?!?

We weren’t the only ones who did this there were a few families in the same boat.

I'm really curious how much longer it took for a bus to finally show up.

The taxi wasn’t bad, it ended up costing about $13 +tip

Did he have change?

The person who talked with him on the phone clearly had no care. She repeatedly stating that it is recommended to be at the bus stop an Hour and Half beforehand

That bites. But I can't say that I'm surprised.

This was one of the mornings I had been most looking forward to and I wasn’t going to allow the incompetence of others stress me out and ruin the peaceful magic of being so early at the Magic Kingdom.

Good for you.
Little stuff like that can grow into bigger stuff that can wreck a morning... or day.

I was sure to continually click up a storm with pictures, some of which turned out pretty good!

Where is our ADR at?

What is our First Ride afterwards?

Probably CRT, but I'll go with CP.
Dumbo.

 

[Gracefulskinny]

That's a good husband. I'd keep him if I was you.

The best! and I plan on it!

40 minutes and no bus?!?!?

Just wait till I get to the part where DH finally talks to someone at POR.

I'm really curious how much longer it took for a bus to finally show up.

I kinda am too but with no designated queue lines it was just pure chaos!

Did he have change?

We brought small bills with us.

That bites. But I can't say that I'm surprised.

It was frustrating to say the least.

Good for you.
Little stuff like that can grow into bigger stuff that can wreck a morning... or day.

Not quite easy but this was once case where having us stand around waiting was a big help and allowed us to re-group and shake off the negativity.

Probably CRT, but I'll go with CP.
Dumbo.

 

[pkondz]

Just wait till I get to the part where DH finally talks to someone at POR.

Uh, oh...

I kinda am too but with no designated queue lines it was just pure chaos!

Good grief!
So even after waiting for 40 minutes, you might not have even gotten on the bus!