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09-03-2011, 08:16 AM
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#1 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 542
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The MAGIC, the MEMORIES, the storms, and HEY! Where's Perry? Aug 2011 TR (upd: Oct21)
We're BACK.
 The long awaited and planned trip is all over. But now I get to relive it by writing my first Trip Report! With loads of pictures!!! It's all I've got now, since another trip won't be planned till at least 2013. We raced Irene to get out, changed tickets, went a day early, battled rain and thunderstorms, lightening, leaking bathrooms, closing pool, ride malfunctions, a trip to Lost & Found...but we found Perry, so it's all okay.  So here we go... The PTR has more info, but here's a recap. WHEN and WHERE  August 25 (26 was original departure date) - September 1, 2011 Disney's Contemporary Resort WHO: A Photopass photo from last year, since I haven't ordered this year's CD yet.  Me: Barbara The Disney addicted Mom. I’m 38 and a stay-at-home-mom at the moment, but worked in the travel industry for a tour operator for many years. Now I have a small home business doing digital design, like photo collages and designing digital scrapbooking products. I  Disney!DH: Mike is 40, like WDW!!! DH is a CPA. He loves Disney too, not as much as I do, but he enjoys it. Just isn't thrilled with the cost of it of course. The pictures from last year prompted him to lose 40lbs over the winter!!!  DS 8: Matthew My big guy. He's 8 and starting 3rd grade in a few days. He loves the 3 Magic Mountains, and RnR. He went on Mission Space the bad side with Daddy and loved it! He’s kinda shy, but starting to come out of his shell a little lately and a wonderful artist. He wants to be an Imagineer when he grows up and design rides at Disney. DS 5: Eric My Little Guy, very shy but very funny once you get to know him. A video of him from last summer's trip is in the Memories show on the castle every night and he thought it was pretty cool getting to see himself up there. Coming up... Racing out to beat Irene...and why is the earth shaking???
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Last edited by beebeeryan; 10-21-2011 at 10:26 AM. |
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09-03-2011, 09:19 AM
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#3 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NH
Posts: 7,872
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I'm here!
 Can't wait to hear more!!
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 Amy  Tim  Alex(12)  & Zach(9)  Family, friends, teachers & Stacy too! Cheers to Friendship! October 2012 Girls Weekend! (TR) Cheers to Friendship A ladies weekend Oct. 12 Group PTR Bumps, bruises, too many teenagers & swimming with sharks! 4/12 TR It wouldn't be spring without an Epcot F&G Festival! 4/12 PTR I finally saw the lights! Our super special anniversary trip! Finally getting to see the lights! Nov 2011 Anniversary/Holiday/F&W PTR Spectrum Moms take on the World! - January 2011 PTR/TR No kids, no husbands & no rain! Girls weekend at BWI! Fall 2010 "Mom, this is like a whole new Disney!" An April 2010 TR |
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09-03-2011, 09:42 AM
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#4 |
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Waiting for the Lights
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: 913 Miles from Home.
Posts: 401
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I'm here too! So glad you had a great trip and I CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR ABOUT PERRY!!!
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 (87) Offsite (91) Disney Inn (95) Port Orleans (99) Dixie Landings (02) Contemporary (05) Wilderness Lodge (08) Boardwalk (09) All Star Movies (10) Dolphin (11) Bay Lake Towers (11) Caribbean Beach (11) Coronado Springs (11) Boardwalk Villas |
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09-03-2011, 09:56 AM
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#5 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Chicago
Posts: 705
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 joining in
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Board Walk - Dec '06, Nov. '09, Feb. '11, Nov. '11
Beach Club - Nov. '07,  Nov. '10, Feb. '12, Nov. '12Caribbean Beach - Oct. '08 Riverside - May '09  |
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09-03-2011, 10:36 AM
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#6 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 542
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Racing to Beat Hurricane Irene
So the TR really starts a few days before the trip. By the Sunday before the trip, Hurricane Irene was well formed and churning along heading straight for Florida. We were glued to the Weather Channel and various online sites trying to determine if we needed to change our plans. With the flight situation over the weekend, we worried that if we couldn't fly Friday morning as planned, we would probably not get out till Sunday or Monday. Irene was scheduled to, according to certain forecast tracks to be arriving into Orlando Friday early am, right when we were flying in. Monday night we finally made the decision to spend the money and change the flights to Thursday morning, making sure we'd get there and not be flying into or through or even around a Hurricane.
Tuesday afternoon, as I was sitting on the couch working on itineraries and such, I felt a strange sensation and wondered why I felt so dizzy. I wasn't dizzy, I realized when I heard and saw a picture hanging on the wall shaking. We were having an earthquake. Well, the earthquake was in Virginia and we're in Upstate NY, but we felt it pretty good. The house shook for 30 seconds or so. Earthquakes are not common up here and it was stronger than any tiny ones we have felt once or twice in the past. Very strange feeling. So, now it's a race to pack since I've got a day less to get ready all of a sudden. We're leaving on the 7:30am flight Thursday morning. Re-did my online check-in, printed my boarding passes Wednesday morning and got B boarding on Southwest. DH had to scramble to get some work done with a day less to do it. But finally, after counting down from 181 days...the day has arrived! By Wednesday night it looked like Irene was going to stay mostly offshore so Orlando probably wouldn't be impacted very much, but we were just happy to not be worrying about it anymore and still getting there before things got dicey. We're at the airport by 5:30am. Got the kids up at 4:45 and dressed, quick breakfast and out the door. The airport is only a 10 minute drive. Got a good spot in the closest long term lot. Checked in and there was no line at security which was strange, there are a lot of early am flights and it's usually the busiest time at the airport. Turns out we could have slept in a little longer. We were through security and at the gate by 6am and our flight was at 7:30. Blah.  We watched the sun come up and planes taking off till it was time to board.  Our bags heading to the plane!  Our flight actually got out a few minutes early as thunderstorms were expected and we landed a little early in Orlando too. We headed to Baggage Claim and discovered our Happy Limo driver was not waiting at the bottom of the escalator like last year. I called them, they said the driver was changed last minute and that the driver had just called them asking for our cell # and he was at the airport. Turns out he was waiting somewhere else for whatever reason and hadn't made his sign yet. Took about 10 minutes, but we finally found each other. Nice guy, his name was Wally and he gave the kids Walle Jibbitz for their crocs. First pixie dusting of the trip. We learned a lot about the history of the MCO airport from him too. And now I know why the initials are MCO instead of ORL which never made sense to me. Next up... Arriving at the Contemporary!!!
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Last edited by beebeeryan; 09-04-2011 at 07:16 AM. |
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09-03-2011, 12:55 PM
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#7 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NH
Posts: 7,872
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I'm glad you made it safe & sound! I worked for a shipping company briefly after college & got quite an education in airport codes! It's like learning a foreign language - luckily I had a cheat sheet!
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Amy Tim Alex(12) & Zach(9) Family, friends, teachers & Stacy too! Cheers to Friendship! October 2012 Girls Weekend! (TR) Cheers to Friendship A ladies weekend Oct. 12 Group PTR Bumps, bruises, too many teenagers & swimming with sharks! 4/12 TR It wouldn't be spring without an Epcot F&G Festival! 4/12 PTR I finally saw the lights! Our super special anniversary trip! Finally getting to see the lights! Nov 2011 Anniversary/Holiday/F&W PTR Spectrum Moms take on the World! - January 2011 PTR/TR No kids, no husbands & no rain! Girls weekend at BWI! Fall 2010 "Mom, this is like a whole new Disney!" An April 2010 TR |
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09-03-2011, 01:07 PM
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#8 |
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Been there, done that, going back
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 88
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Waiting to hear more. Your kids look so excited waiting at the airport.
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   DVC since 1992  |
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09-03-2011, 01:16 PM
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#9 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: reliving June 1st
Posts: 4,270
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I'm in
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09-03-2011, 01:36 PM
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#10 |
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If I don't get tagged, I am gonna hold my breath until I am blue!
Didn't work. The tag turned blue instead! 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Newnan, GA
Posts: 5,145
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Subbing. I live in Georgia. I didn't feel the earthquake at my house but people did about 40 miles away from us. It was so crazy to hear about. I can't wait to read about your trip.
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09-03-2011, 02:04 PM
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#11 |
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Mouseketeer
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 125
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yay!!!!
I have been searching for a trip report with a DS5!!!!! soo excited I found yours!!
 The reason being...my son will be five on his first trip in october 2012. I haven't been to WDW since I was 8...so I'm trying to find advice and good places for kids meals and such. I am extremely excited and will be anxiously awaiting each new post.
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Annie
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09-03-2011, 02:15 PM
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#12 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Western MAss
Posts: 1,686
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I'm in.. our trips overlapped a little.. can't wait to read more!
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Alison
 Eric  Noah18  Declan 11  Jadziah 9  Taejan 7  Gamma to Xander  homeschooling mom,Disney freak and more DxL '99, CBR '00, Pop '11 BWI '12,POFQ '12 , PORS 9/13 Can we pull this off again 9/13 PTR No Distractions,Never say Never TR Ponchos Ponchos Everywhere An August 2011 TR |
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09-03-2011, 02:33 PM
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#13 |
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Live, Laugh, Love and Disney <3 :)
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Not close enough to Disney
Posts: 774
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I'm in
How cool that your youngest son's in the show up on the castle!!!! I would have been super excited about that even now! I'm also glad that you guys managed to avoid Irene, 2 bad you didn't manage to avoid the earthquake. That was one big earthquake (well, big for around here). I live in chicago and a lot of people felt it, I actually think i may have felt it a little bit. It wasn't super noticable here though. In fact, nothing was really shaken up.
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12-POP Century, 11-POP Century,'09-POP Century,'08-POP Century,'07-A.S.Mu and POP Century,'06-Wilderness Lodge,'05-Carribean Beach, '05-A.S.Sp, '04-Wilderness Lodge,'03-A.S.Sp, and Many More
DM:  DD:  DB 27: DB 25: DSIL 24: Me 21:  CURRENT THREAD: "Good Morning! No Sleeping!"- A Mother Daughter January Get Away Pottermore: GoldThorn119 Twitter Page: Jazzyjen508  |
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09-03-2011, 04:19 PM
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#14 |
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Ontario
Posts: 2,055
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Joining in! I missed the end of your PTR and trip updates, as I was in WDW myself and then had to come home and get back to real life before I had time for the DIS lol But good start to your report! That is crazy how far that earthquake went! We had Tornado warnings in my home area then, which is extremely rare - the weather was all messed up all over the place! I can't wait to read about the rest of your trip!
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Dec 1988 - First Trip! * 1989 * 1990 * 1992 - Polynesian * 1996 - ASMu - Dance Trip for Disney's Magic Music Days * Dec 2002 - DCL Wonder & ASMo * March 2004 * March 2005 - Pop * August 2007 - ASMu * September 2010 - Grand Floridian - Wedding/Honeymoon Trip! * August 2011 - AKL Kidani Village * December 2012 - CSR  |
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09-03-2011, 05:01 PM
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#15 | |||||||
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DIS Veteran
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 542
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 They were excited, even at 5am! Quote:
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Hopefully I can be of some help. Pretty much any restaurant or quick service place at Disney is kid friendly. You can always find either chicken nuggets or pizza. Quote:
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It's very strange for the Northeast to get an earthquake and/or hurricane, but both in the same week is just crazy! |
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