Aunt Leslie, what are we going to do next?? A picture- and FP-heavy TR (COMPLETE)
- Thread starter lklasing
- Start date
Big Kahuna
Super Silent Lurker
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
I love this trip report... Who is in the basket ? You know... The ferocious one who guards the trailer when everyone leaves. We haven't met yet....
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
I love this trip report... Who is in the basket ? You know... The ferocious one who guards the trailer when everyone leaves. We haven't met yet....
That's Sophie, the guard dog, who stayed doped up on Benadryl most of the trip.
She travels well, but travels even better on Benadryl!
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
Today is the saddest day (for me at least) of this trip the day I left! 
Because of work, I couldnt stay as long as everyone else, so Evan and I had flight reservations for Tuesday afternoon, while everyone else (including my girls) would have an extra day and a half and then drive back Thursday. But, we at least made the most of our last half-day before going. And, everyone kept having fun (and taking pictures) after we left, so this report isnt over yet. 
This morning, I actually slept until my alarm went off a first for this trip. I finished packing up Evan and me, got ready for last partial day in the parks, then made my last breakfast for 10. We had a big breakfast today: eggs, sausage, Buddys ham biscuits, cheese biscuits made by Buddys mom in honor of the trip, cereal the works. Even though the rest of the gang still has two days left, its definitely gotten to that point in the trip that we need to start trying to get rid of food the pantry looks far more full than it should right now.
Anyway, after a big breakfast, we headed down to catch the boat to the MK. The kids all rode their bikes and we barely beat them. Even 4 year olds can go pretty fast on bikes these days. We just missed the boat, so we had to wait in the cold for about 15 minutes. At last, we got there.
Daniel went with me this time to get the FP exchange cards, as he was about to be the guy in charge since I was leaving. At first, it didnt look like they would give us all 10 with one voucher, but he called and got authorization to do it. It was after 9:30 when we walked in the gates, so the crowds were definitely there. Of course, we headed to the most crowded part Tomorrowland. I grabbed FPs for Space Mountain while everyone else rode Buzz. Then, we all did the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. My girls and I have loved that attraction for years but it was the first time for most of the group to see it. Everyone loved it.
Next, we were going to go to Space Mountain for Evans last ride, but sadly it was offline. So, we headed all the way across the park to the next best thing BTMRR. Afterward, it was time to let Evan pick out something to get with the souvenir money he had brought, and then we head back to the Fort.
On the way to the dock, though, we were sidetracked for a few minutes, when someone spotted a mother duck and lots of baby ducks that were still hatching while we watched. It was so neat to see the ducklings find their way around in such a neat new world.
On the boat back to FW, the kids had to check out Evans new treasures:
Since I wanted to show the grownups where to go to walk or bike to the WL, the biking kids all beat us back to the cabin. Everyone had a big lunch, consisting of a variety of leftovers. Once again, the adults sat outside in just beautiful weather it had warmed up very nicely.
Last pic of my girls and me:
The girls with the new earrings my dad got us:
Then, after one last meeting with Daniel to make sure he knew the ins and outs of getting out of the cabin, turning in the golf cart, fastpasses, etc., Evan and I left.
While I know everyone missed us, they seem to have managed without Evan and me. First, Buddy took off on a bike ride, but the bike appears to be a little too small even for Buddy.
Everyone headed back to the MK where, because of the Space Mountain breakdown earlier plus FPs which hadnt become available to use before we left this morning, they actually had a total of 19 FPs for Space to use that afternoon.
I have no idea exactly how they were used, but I do know that the big 3 kids got some time together on their own and I think they had several back to back rides.
Meanwhile, Daniel, Marie and Ryan checked out Tom Sawyers Island and then caught the afternoon parade.
Im not sure what else everyone did that afternoon, but I know there must have been at least one more ride on BTMRR:
Apparently Ryan was a little tired on their way back to FW:
That night, I think at least part of the group made it to the campfire. Regardless, they all had a great day. The thing that touched my heart was how much I could tell Jodi missed me that night. She was happy to still be at WDW, but sure wished her mom was still there too.
Of course, she seemed to be totally over my departure first thing the next morning. But, it sure was cute to be missed.
Next up: One last day!
Because of work, I couldnt stay as long as everyone else, so Evan and I had flight reservations for Tuesday afternoon, while everyone else (including my girls) would have an extra day and a half and then drive back Thursday. But, we at least made the most of our last half-day before going. And, everyone kept having fun (and taking pictures) after we left, so this report isnt over yet. This morning, I actually slept until my alarm went off a first for this trip. I finished packing up Evan and me, got ready for last partial day in the parks, then made my last breakfast for 10. We had a big breakfast today: eggs, sausage, Buddys ham biscuits, cheese biscuits made by Buddys mom in honor of the trip, cereal the works. Even though the rest of the gang still has two days left, its definitely gotten to that point in the trip that we need to start trying to get rid of food the pantry looks far more full than it should right now.
Anyway, after a big breakfast, we headed down to catch the boat to the MK. The kids all rode their bikes and we barely beat them. Even 4 year olds can go pretty fast on bikes these days. We just missed the boat, so we had to wait in the cold for about 15 minutes. At last, we got there.
Daniel went with me this time to get the FP exchange cards, as he was about to be the guy in charge since I was leaving. At first, it didnt look like they would give us all 10 with one voucher, but he called and got authorization to do it. It was after 9:30 when we walked in the gates, so the crowds were definitely there. Of course, we headed to the most crowded part Tomorrowland. I grabbed FPs for Space Mountain while everyone else rode Buzz. Then, we all did the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. My girls and I have loved that attraction for years but it was the first time for most of the group to see it. Everyone loved it.
Next, we were going to go to Space Mountain for Evans last ride, but sadly it was offline. So, we headed all the way across the park to the next best thing BTMRR. Afterward, it was time to let Evan pick out something to get with the souvenir money he had brought, and then we head back to the Fort.
On the way to the dock, though, we were sidetracked for a few minutes, when someone spotted a mother duck and lots of baby ducks that were still hatching while we watched. It was so neat to see the ducklings find their way around in such a neat new world.
On the boat back to FW, the kids had to check out Evans new treasures:
Since I wanted to show the grownups where to go to walk or bike to the WL, the biking kids all beat us back to the cabin. Everyone had a big lunch, consisting of a variety of leftovers. Once again, the adults sat outside in just beautiful weather it had warmed up very nicely.
Last pic of my girls and me:
The girls with the new earrings my dad got us:
Then, after one last meeting with Daniel to make sure he knew the ins and outs of getting out of the cabin, turning in the golf cart, fastpasses, etc., Evan and I left.
While I know everyone missed us, they seem to have managed without Evan and me. First, Buddy took off on a bike ride, but the bike appears to be a little too small even for Buddy.
Everyone headed back to the MK where, because of the Space Mountain breakdown earlier plus FPs which hadnt become available to use before we left this morning, they actually had a total of 19 FPs for Space to use that afternoon.
I have no idea exactly how they were used, but I do know that the big 3 kids got some time together on their own and I think they had several back to back rides. Meanwhile, Daniel, Marie and Ryan checked out Tom Sawyers Island and then caught the afternoon parade.
Im not sure what else everyone did that afternoon, but I know there must have been at least one more ride on BTMRR:
Apparently Ryan was a little tired on their way back to FW:
That night, I think at least part of the group made it to the campfire. Regardless, they all had a great day. The thing that touched my heart was how much I could tell Jodi missed me that night. She was happy to still be at WDW, but sure wished her mom was still there too.
Of course, she seemed to be totally over my departure first thing the next morning. But, it sure was cute to be missed. Next up: One last day!
Of course, I love this one. I hope to be taking a whole crew of grandkids on many Disney trips in the future.
The girls with the new earrings my dad got us:
What an awesome dad you have!
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
What an awesome dad you have!
You got that right!
Pretty funny Leslie...we did HS and MK on the same days as you. And since your group was bigger than mine, I'll blame you for the crowds!
Love your TR!
While I won't take all the blame, I'll take our fair share.
Having said that, the crowds this trip were the worst I've ever seen, including over Thanksgiving one year! Between our big group and the crowds, it took us forever to move from one place to the next. If we hadn't had those fastpasses, we would have been sunk.
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
Sorry Ive been a little slow on finishing up this report. It got harder to write once we got to the point where Im not there anymore!
Anyway, on Wednesday I was back at work. Ugh.
Everyone else, of course, was ready for one more big day of fun. They planned to go to Epcot in the morning and HS in the afternoon. While there were still two GAD vouchers left, the decision was made to not use one at Epcot in the morning, so as not to risk not being able to use one at HS in the afternoon.
I obviously trained Daniel very well on the importance of getting up and to the parks early. In fact, I trained him better than Ive trained myself on recent trips. I called down there at 8:05 Orlando time Wednesday morning and they were already on the bus pulling into Epcot parking lot. They did such a good job getting there early that they got to do something that Ive never done in all my trips they (along with some other early birds) were selected to enter the park prior to rope drop and got to enjoy a ride on Soarin with just a small number of people. When they got off Soarin, the CMs were just letting people into the park. What a great way to start the day!
Beyond Soarin, Im not exactly sure what all they did, except I know they did TT, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and the big kids did Sum of all Thrills.
TT:
(Buddy and Paw Paw on the back row)
(At first I couldnt figure out what Danielle was doing in this one and then I finally determined that she is trying to show the Hidden Mickey to Brad.)
There was a good bit of texting and napping on the way back to FW for lunch:
After lunch, they hit HS for their last park visit. They turned in the GAD vouchers, got lots of FP exchange cards and hit the park hard. Im not sure what all they did, but I know it involved lots and lots of TSMM, TOT and RNRC. (Buddy and Paw Paw didnt stay long as they wanted to ready the trailer for the trip back, so there were that many more rides for everyone else.)
The only picture I have from HS that day is one of my girls and one of our favorite neighbors, who happened to be at WDW with a group of friends from college. They were all entering RNRC at the same time, even though my girls were in the FP line and she was in standby. Small world!
Its a good thing they had the GAD FPs that day. It had been crowded for us the whole trip, but apparently Wednesday was particularly rough. Danielle reported to me that TSMM had 130 minute waits by mid-afternoon.
Interestingly, when we planned this trip, it was forecasted to be 7s on the crowd calendar for our entire trip. However, while we were there, they changed the predictions to be 10 each day. Apparently, lots more people showed up that week than anyone was expecting. It was definitely the most crowded Ive ever seen the parks, including when we were there for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.
That night, everyone had a final dinner together, packed up and got ready to hit the road tomorrow.
So thats it! Another great trip over. Of course, there is already lots of talk about the next one. Buddy and Paw Paw are even looking at whether to continue to pull their trailer down or for us all to just get lots of cabins together. Only time will tell on that one.
Thanks for reading!
Leslie
Anyway, on Wednesday I was back at work. Ugh.
Everyone else, of course, was ready for one more big day of fun. They planned to go to Epcot in the morning and HS in the afternoon. While there were still two GAD vouchers left, the decision was made to not use one at Epcot in the morning, so as not to risk not being able to use one at HS in the afternoon.
I obviously trained Daniel very well on the importance of getting up and to the parks early. In fact, I trained him better than Ive trained myself on recent trips. I called down there at 8:05 Orlando time Wednesday morning and they were already on the bus pulling into Epcot parking lot. They did such a good job getting there early that they got to do something that Ive never done in all my trips they (along with some other early birds) were selected to enter the park prior to rope drop and got to enjoy a ride on Soarin with just a small number of people.
When they got off Soarin, the CMs were just letting people into the park. What a great way to start the day!Beyond Soarin, Im not exactly sure what all they did, except I know they did TT, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and the big kids did Sum of all Thrills.
TT:
(Buddy and Paw Paw on the back row)
(At first I couldnt figure out what Danielle was doing in this one and then I finally determined that she is trying to show the Hidden Mickey to Brad.)
There was a good bit of texting and napping on the way back to FW for lunch:
After lunch, they hit HS for their last park visit. They turned in the GAD vouchers, got lots of FP exchange cards and hit the park hard. Im not sure what all they did, but I know it involved lots and lots of TSMM, TOT and RNRC. (Buddy and Paw Paw didnt stay long as they wanted to ready the trailer for the trip back, so there were that many more rides for everyone else.)
The only picture I have from HS that day is one of my girls and one of our favorite neighbors, who happened to be at WDW with a group of friends from college. They were all entering RNRC at the same time, even though my girls were in the FP line and she was in standby. Small world!
Its a good thing they had the GAD FPs that day. It had been crowded for us the whole trip, but apparently Wednesday was particularly rough. Danielle reported to me that TSMM had 130 minute waits by mid-afternoon.
Interestingly, when we planned this trip, it was forecasted to be 7s on the crowd calendar for our entire trip. However, while we were there, they changed the predictions to be 10 each day. Apparently, lots more people showed up that week than anyone was expecting. It was definitely the most crowded Ive ever seen the parks, including when we were there for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.
That night, everyone had a final dinner together, packed up and got ready to hit the road tomorrow.
So thats it! Another great trip over. Of course, there is already lots of talk about the next one. Buddy and Paw Paw are even looking at whether to continue to pull their trailer down or for us all to just get lots of cabins together. Only time will tell on that one.
Thanks for reading!
Leslie
MNTwinsMom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
Thanks for another great trip report! Your trip reports are a great example of the different age groups and generations enjoying Disney together. It's as much fun to see your nephew enjoying his first trip as it is to see you Dad and Stepmom on their bike cruising Ft. Wilderness. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Would you do this again? Get a cabin in 1100 to be close to the comfort station? The one bathroom was the only downside to 6 of us (4 adults & 2 kids) sharing the cabin on our last visit. We requested to be near the quiet pool, so that gave us an extra bathroom close, but not an extra shower. I'm curious if it was close enough to not be a hassle and if the showers are busy in the morning. Of course I'm sure that's a bigger problem in the Womens then Mens. Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Thanks for sharing it with all of us!Would you do this again? Get a cabin in 1100 to be close to the comfort station? The one bathroom was the only downside to 6 of us (4 adults & 2 kids) sharing the cabin on our last visit. We requested to be near the quiet pool, so that gave us an extra bathroom close, but not an extra shower. I'm curious if it was close enough to not be a hassle and if the showers are busy in the morning. Of course I'm sure that's a bigger problem in the Womens then Mens. Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
lklasing
Told that I need DA meetings - Disney Anonymous
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2005
Thanks for another great trip report! Your trip reports are a great example of the different age groups and generations enjoying Disney together. It's as much fun to see your nephew enjoying his first trip as it is to see you Dad and Stepmom on their bike cruising Ft. Wilderness.
Would you do this again? Get a cabin in 1100 to be close to the comfort station? The one bathroom was the only downside to 6 of us (4 adults & 2 kids) sharing the cabin on our last visit. We requested to be near the quiet pool, so that gave us an extra bathroom close, but not an extra shower. I'm curious if it was close enough to not be a hassle and if the showers are busy in the morning. Of course I'm sure that's a bigger problem in the Womens then Mens. Any insight you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Thanks for the sweet comments about the report! About being in 2100, we would absolutely do it that way again. The only downside to me is that neither pool is in the immediate area. But, having the comfort station so close was really a Godsend. It really relieved the situation for Daniel to shower there every morning - with that, we never had any "bathroom issues" of someone in there and someone else waiting. I never showered there this trip so I can't say for sure about whether it ever got too crowded, but I know that in the past I've never had to wait on a shower, and Daniel never mentioned having to wait. I think Daniel also probably liked having some privacy, given that he was the only adult male in the cabin.
The other helpful thing is having laundry, which I did do twice on this trip. You'd have that with the CS that's near the quiet pool, though.
Will you have a GC? If so, I'd say to go with 2100. That way you can cart to the pool (either one), but it will definitely make getting ready in the mornings easier. If you won't have a GC, then you'll have to decide how important being adjacent to a pool is.
Have a great trip! I know you will!
MNTwinsMom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2009
Thanks for the reply. I think we will have a GC again, so 2100 ( I mixed up 1100 and 2100 on my previous post, I'm glad you knew what I meant
) seems like a good choice. Thanks again for your positive contributions to the boards. I'm looking forward to hearing about your future trips.
SunnieRN
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
It was fun to "see" your family again!! Fantastic pictures! I love how the girls love to ham it up!!
Isn't it amazing that you plan and wait, wait and plan, wait some more, then your trip is over in the blink of an eye!! Truly amazing how fast it goes. We were there during spring break/Easter, last year and the crowds were horrendous!
Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!!
Isn't it amazing that you plan and wait, wait and plan, wait some more, then your trip is over in the blink of an eye!! Truly amazing how fast it goes. We were there during spring break/Easter, last year and the crowds were horrendous!
Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us!!
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