Escape from the North - A Week at the Yacht Club - April 2015- Complete* 1/5

[Molly812]

Following along! I will be in wow next year during this week and I'm enjoying reading about your trip so far!

 

[irene_dsc]

Lol on your Dolphin review! Not my favorite, either, but cool photos.

Good for you getting photos of you and your hubby. It's fun when the kids can take photos!

And too funny how the other kid wasn't supposed to win!

 

[kroseycorn]

Following along... And i would just be lurking, but I laughed OUT loud (and nearly woke up a sleeping baby) at that photo of your terrified family on dinosaur, and you with a grin from ear to ear! Haha! That would be me! (And i distinctly remember crying through the entirety of Pirates of the Caribbean at about 7 years of age... And no ill effects).

Your bat story also killed me. If there was a large spider in the house (like tarantula size), that would be me. Peace, baby! Best of luck!

 

[KathyM2]

What a great day and night!! That's a bit scary about the kids' club...ie: that your son almost got away without anyone seeing...it's good that nothing happened but I'd be a bit annoyed. How nice that you even got to enjoy a quiet drink after dinner and then the kids got in a night time swim!!

 

[pkondz]

I was trying to figure out who I could ask to take our picture when it occurred to me.

Aidan could take our photo.

Okay, I totally relate. My girls are older now, but I distinctly remember that transition from "We have to do everything for them" to "They can do stuff too!"

"Turn the thingy and then press that doohickey right there."

Well, see there's your problem.
You need to make sure he doesn't put his finger on the whatchamacallit.

What do you guys think? I like both of them.

I looked at both photos and decided not to be nice and immediately say "Aidan's!".
I looked at both and thought, "Which one is the better portrait?"

Well, that's obviously the first one.
So it looks like I can say it after all... "Aidan's!"

It really doesn't look like a dolphin at all.

It's not a dolphin, actually. It's a dolphin fish.
You can find the same ones (in the fountain) in Italy, except the mouths are frowning in the fountain and grinning at the hotel.

These buildings are just so ugly.

Read the back story on them and it will make more sense.
Explains why they're shaped (to some extent) the way they are.

There were large desks with spots for several employees to assist people but there wasn't anybody at the desks. It was a ghost town.

<cricket> <cricket>

both boys immediately found something that interested them (video games ).

No! I'm shocked! Shocked!! Young boys, liking video games???

We received two free hours of babysitting for each meal so the babysitting was FREE!

Wow. That's a really nice system.

Plus they took the boys over to the quick service restaurant Picabu for dinner.

Babysitting and dinner provided?
I'm quite impressed, actually.

"I understand not asking for a picture if we were dining in Providence but this is Disney World. Everyone here is a tourist."

That's true!

He consented and Greg snapped this photo:

Very nice photo of you guys.

When I sat down I heard a strong Boston accent at my left and we ended up talking to them about the miserable winter we had.

So you go to Disney to get away from the cold and what do you do????

I was slightly concerned that Sam had run out before any of the camp staff had noticed him. I knew that the door was locked to prevent anyone from entering but he was able to slip out the door quite easily. If we hadn't been there Sammy probably wouldn't have gone far and someone would have caught up with him but you never know. He's not cautious and he often ventures further out on his own than I'm comfortable with.

A bit scary, but did he run out because he saw you coming?
You'd think it would be harder for a child to leave, unattended.

It sounds like Sam was winning all the games and then "Jim" won one so Sam ran out of the room in hysterics.

The whole way home we listened to Sam tell us how he was supposed to be the winner and how much he didn't like "Jim" anymore.

Oh, poor Sam!

Gorgeous. Nice shot.

It was a beautiful night and I wrote at the end of my notes for the day, "I am so happy!" I wish I could bottle that feeling.

I got this picture of the boys as they headed in for the night:

Great shot. Look how happy they are! And a great angle, too.

Not as good as day one but I was pretty close considering Sam's mood.

I'm pretty impressed with how close your days have been to your plans.

Thanks for the update!

Tomorrow we go to Magic Kingdom.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I think both photos came out well - nice to have options!

I think the dolphin is supposed to be a dolphin fish not a porpoise - but yeah, definitely odd. I'm not crazy about the look of those hotels either (though I know some people love them and it was a famous architect who designed them) I just think they are too big and I hate how they can cut the "skyline" view of the boardwalk area if you look in that direction

Wow, that is a great deal that dinner for two covers the babysitting cost! And they even take care of feeding them! Will have to keep that in mind for future trips

Glad dinner worked out so well and that you even had time for a drink after!

 

[ursalita]

Wow! I missed so many updates!! So, let me go back -
Sorry about the sunscreen. I hate wasting money so I would have been very upset. The strange things they have decided are "liquid".
Your room looks gorgeous and such a nice view too!
LOL about the "rule breaking" at the pool. We have broken plenty of Disney rules in our day. Oops.
I think you can feel the fire at Illuminations all around WS but it looks like you got a nice clear view from the FP location. What a nice way to start your vacation!
So happy that your boys liked Kali! I wish I could get all of mine on it.
Great safari pictures! It looks like lots of the animals were out for you.
There is a baby gorilla? How did I not know that? Great pictures!

I can't wait to hear how you felt about bluezoo. I might need to go find your dining report.

Yeah, it stinks that it went to waste. It didn't bother me much at the time because I was on a Disney high but now it bugs me that I have to go out and buy more when I was probably set for the summer. The room was lovely. They love getting wet so Kali was perfect for them. Thanks, I'm glad you liked the pictures. I didn't know about the baby gorilla so when it came out from behind that bush I was thrilled!

oh no - sorry they didn't like Dinosaur either ... but at least lunch worked out. I do like the idea of the kids meals coming in the sand buckets. I think a lot people get that and then go use them in the bone yard dig site

The Oswals plushes are cute and that is cool that you got Goofy's signature on a Goofy hat

Probably didn't go exactly as you planned but seems like you got in what you wanted at AK and had a nice afternoon before your dinner

I hadn't thought about bringing them to the bone yard. By the end of the trip we had a lot more signatures. Definitely. I went from not wanting to go to AK at all to wishing we'd had another day to spend there.

Following along! I will be in wow next year during this week and I'm enjoying reading about your trip so far!

Thank you for joining in. It was a great time to be in Disney, you'll have so much fun next year.

Lol on your Dolphin review! Not my favorite, either, but cool photos.

Good for you getting photos of you and your hubby. It's fun when the kids can take photos!

And too funny how the other kid wasn't supposed to win!

I was probably too harsh. They're just not my style but I don't mind looking at them. We don't have many photos of us together so I think I might frame one. He did a good job, I should hand him the camera more often. Yeah, kids are funny sometimes.

Following along... And i would just be lurking, but I laughed OUT loud (and nearly woke up a sleeping baby) at that photo of your terrified family on dinosaur, and you with a grin from ear to ear! Haha! That would be me! (And i distinctly remember crying through the entirety of Pirates of the Caribbean at about 7 years of age... And no ill effects).

Your bat story also killed me. If there was a large spider in the house (like tarantula size), that would be me. Peace, baby! Best of luck!

Thank you for coming by. I'm glad you didn't wake the baby. I love that DINOSAUR picture so much. I think Sam was starting to enjoy the scarier rides by the end of the trip. Maybe by the next time we go he'll come on all the rides with me. A tarantula sized spider? Yeah, that would kill me.

What a great day and night!! That's a bit scary about the kids' club...ie: that your son almost got away without anyone seeing...it's good that nothing happened but I'd be a bit annoyed. How nice that you even got to enjoy a quiet drink after dinner and then the kids got in a night time swim!!

As we walked in the staff was like, What just happened? I think they would have caught up with him. I knew Jamie was with him and I didn't want to dwell on it but yeah, a little scary. It was such a great night!

 

[SarahDisney]

So I found a good spot and handed the camera to Aidan. Jamie and I got in position and I was trying to teach Aidan how to use the camera. It sounded something like this: "Turn the thingy and then press that doohickey right there."

Expensive photographic equipment ... the least they could do is label the parts so that it's easier to explain!

A nice man walking by overheard my word vomit, took pity on us, and offered to take the photo. Aidan had pretty much figured it out so we let him take it. The man stepped in and took his photo taking the time to get the boat in the background. He was really nice, saying Aidan's photo would be just as good. What do you guys think? I like both of them.

They're both great, but I like Aidan's better. It's more a picture of you guys, whereas the other one feels like a picture of the background with you guys in it.
Your hair looks amazing in these pictures!

It really doesn't look like a dolphin at all. These buildings are just so ugly. The giant clam shell fountains are ridiculous. Maybe it's because I was coming from the beautiful and tastefully themed Disney resort but I didn't like it at all.

Yeah ... I'm with you on this. I don't like these buildings at all. Some people may like it, but it's not for me.

Despite a few complaints from Aidan about having to play with babies both boys immediately found something that interested them (video games ).

Well, sure, video games unite all kids.

So I turned to J and said, "I understand not asking for a picture if we were dining in Providence but this is Disney World. Everyone here is a tourist."

So true! People do so many things at Disney that I can only hope they don't do anywhere else.

I love it!

Totally agree - great picture!

It seemed like almost everyone at Disney this week was from New England. I saw so many Red Sox caps and Patriots shirts if it wasn't for the weather I'd have thought I was still in Rhode Island.

That's what you get for going during Spring Break - everyone else in New England has spring break at the same time!

Aidan and I met up with them outside and we got the story of his hasty exit from Camp Dolphin. This will forever be known as the "Jim" incident. Apparently there was another little boy named "Jim" who Sammy was playing video games with. It sounds like Sam was winning all the games and then "Jim" won one so Sam ran out of the room in hysterics. The whole way home we listened to Sam tell us how he was supposed to be the winner and how much he didn't like "Jim" anymore.

Yeah ... Sammy and I really are kindred spirits. If you're winning all night, it is not cool when the other kid wins. I totally understand how Sammy felt.

I love this picture ... but yeah, Yacht Club is nicer.

It was a beautiful night and I wrote at the end of my notes for the day, "I am so happy!" I wish I could bottle that feeling.

I wish there was a way to take the way you feel at Disney and make it last forever.

Not as good as day one but I was pretty close considering Sam's mood. We didn't even try to get in the extra safari between breakfast and Kali. Lunch was not where we planned but we enjoyed it. We missed FoW and Nemo but I think I meant to say FOTLK or Nemo so really we just missed FoW.

Despite Sammy's crankiness and deviation from plans, it still sounds like you had a great day, with a really nice ending!

Tomorrow we go to Magic Kingdom.

Yay!

 

[ursalita]

My girls are older now, but I distinctly remember that transition from "We have to do everything for them" to "They can do stuff too!"

I constantly catch myself doing things for Aidan that he can now do himself, he likes being waited on. Sam is much more independent and he insists on doing everything himself with varying success.

Well, see there's your problem.
You need to make sure he doesn't put his finger on the whatchamacallit.

I looked at both photos and decided not to be nice and immediately say "Aidan's!".
I looked at both and thought, "Which one is the better portrait?"

Well, that's obviously the first one.
So it looks like I can say it after all... "Aidan's!"

Ok, good. I thought I was just biased.

It's not a dolphin, actually. It's a dolphin fish.
You can find the same ones (in the fountain) in Italy, except the mouths are frowning in the fountain and grinning at the hotel.

Oh, that makes more sense.

Read the back story on them and it will make more sense.
Explains why they're shaped (to some extent) the way they are.

I did read a little about them and it does explain some things. They should have called the Swan and Fish to avoid confusion. Just saying.

No! I'm shocked! Shocked!! Young boys, liking video games???

Still wish it was books.

Babysitting and dinner provided?
I'm quite impressed, actually.

It's a great deal. The price we paid for the meal was a lot so this balanced it out a little. If we'd done Flying Fish and left the boys at the Beach Club camp the meal would have been similarly priced and I think babysitting was $15 per hour. No brainer.

Very nice photo of you guys.

THank you.

So you go to Disney to get away from the cold and what do you do????

I have a problem.

A bit scary, but did he run out because he saw you coming?
You'd think it would be harder for a child to leave, unattended.

I don't think so, there was only a small window on the door. I think they would have realized quickly but he has no fear. This is the kid who ran across a busy street without looking a couple of months ago. I think that incident took a couple years off my life.

Gorgeous. Nice shot.

Thank you.

Great shot. Look how happy they are! And a great angle, too.

Thanks, again.

I'm pretty impressed with how close your days have been to your plans.

I put a LOT of thought into the trip.

I think both photos came out well - nice to have options!

I think the dolphin is supposed to be a dolphin fish not a porpoise - but yeah, definitely odd. I'm not crazy about the look of those hotels either (though I know some people love them and it was a famous architect who designed them) I just think they are too big and I hate how they can cut the "skyline" view of the boardwalk area if you look in that direction

Wow, that is a great deal that dinner for two covers the babysitting cost! And they even take care of feeding them! Will have to keep that in mind for future trips

Glad dinner worked out so well and that you even had time for a drink after!

Thank you! OK, I understand the hotel more now. I don't mind looking at them they just don't make me want to stay there. Yeah, it's a fantastic deal. You don't have to go to bluezoo, they offer it for Il Mulino and Shula's, too. Thanks, it was a great evening.

 

[pkondz]

Oh, that makes more sense.

I does?!?!?

They should have called the Swan and Fish to avoid confusion. Just saying.

Yeah, because if you had a choice between staying at the "Swan" hotel or the "Fishy" one. You'd pick fish everytime, right?

Still wish it was books.

e-books.

This is the kid who ran across a busy street without looking a couple of months ago. I think that incident took a couple years off my life.

Holy cow! And you didn't have a heart attack???

 

[ursalita]

Day 3
Magic Kingdom Part 1

I thought about slowing down my updates here so it wouldn't seem like I don't have anything better to do. But I don't want to do anything else. Actually, I've been sticking around the house this week because we're probably going to be starting a major home improvement project so I've been calling and meeting with contractors. Sooo frustrating!!

We had just had a perfect ending to our AK day and we were up early for MK EMH at 8:00. I had a goal to make it to the Welcome Show.

Unfortunately we were a little later than I wanted to be getting down to the bus stop. Everyone was in good spirits:



I also underestimated how long it would take to get to MK by bus. I think this was because we'd always stayed at WL and it's a lot closer to MK. It looked like we weren't going to make it for the welcome show. That's when one of my favorite moments of the trip happened.



I try not to post pictures of strangers on Social Media but I can't not share this. The girl sitting next to them started talking to them about their pins. She gave them two pins each and spent the whole bus ride listening and talking to them. Not once did she look over for me to translate something Sammy said (this happens a lot). I just sat back and enjoyed watching them. I could tell they felt really special.

We ran into her later in the day in line for a ride and I finally had the chance to talk to her. I told her how great she was with them and wondered if she worked with kids because if she doesn't she should. She was a lovely person. Aidan told me later that he felt sad because when you make friends at Disney you never see them again.

When the bus finally pulled up to MK I could see that the Welcome Show had already started. I tried to race to catch it but I kept having to stop and wait for my family to catch up. This happens all the time. I walk fast and I'm always getting out in front and then having to stop and wait.

I got a couple of pictures of it. I wish I'd been closer when it started but at least I can say I saw it.





We stopped at the front of the park to get a locker. I had bought a cute wide brimmed hat the day before that I was carrying. It looked like rain and I didn't want to hold it all day so I put it in the locker. $12 (I got $5 back when I returned the key) for a place to hold my hat. It came in handy later on when Jamie got tired of lugging around their rapidly increasing toy collection.

This was the first glimpse we got of the castle:



The boys immediately spotted this guy:



And were quickly told to stop climbing the statue.

I noticed there was a short wait for Mickey so we got right in line. I asked the CM at the door if he was talking and she said he was in a wink, wink, nudge, nudge way. Well he wasn't and he didn't talk. I was disappointed but the boys weren't because I didn't tell them as I wanted them to be surprised.





So this is the best my hair looked all day. Rain was on the way and it never recovered. I love Sam's face in this picture and how he's holding Aidan's hand.

After this we headed down Main Street. We stopped into Starbucks, I mean Main Street Bakery, for breakfast. Just the standard breakfast sandwiches or muffins, nothing exciting. After we ate we headed through the castle. I didn't get very good pictures but I love Aidan's face in this one. You can also see the storm clouds that would bring rain very soon.



I remember thinking oh, look at the pretty trees.



Wait a minute. Those aren't trees!

I guess that's my limit for pictures.

What will we ride first?​

​

 

[pkondz]

I thought about slowing down my updates here so it wouldn't seem like I don't have anything better to do. But I don't want to do anything else.

Good!

Unfortunately we were a little later than I wanted to be getting down to the bus stop. Everyone was in good spirits:

Look at those smiles!

I try not to post pictures of strangers on Social Media but I can't not share this. The girl sitting next to them started talking to them about their pins. She gave them two pins each and spent the whole bus ride listening and talking to them. Not once did she look over for me to translate something Sammy said (this happens a lot). I just sat back and enjoyed watching them. I could tell they felt really special.

That's great.
And that's exactly what Disney's about, isn't it?
No "stranger danger", just people having a good time and being friendly.

I told her how great she was with them and wondered if she worked with kids because if she doesn't she should.

What did she say? Does she?

Aidan told me later that he felt sad because when you make friends at Disney you never see them again.

Awwwwww....

When the bus finally pulled up to MK I could see that the Welcome Show had already started. I tried to race to catch it but I kept having to stop and wait for my family to catch up.

Ditch them! Take off! You can always meet up back at the hotel.
Oh, sure. DH will be angry, but so what. You'll have had an amazing time.

I had bought a cute wide brimmed hat the day before that I was carrying. It looked like rain and I didn't want to hold it all day so I put it in the locker. $12 (I got $5 back when I returned the key)

So you bought a hat so you could spend $7 on a locker.
Gotcha.

The boys immediately spotted this guy:

And were quickly told to stop climbing the statue.

I thought they looked a little too well behaved in that photo.

I noticed there was a short wait for Mickey so we got right in line. I asked the CM at the door if he was talking and she said he was in a wink, wink, nudge, nudge way. Well he wasn't and he didn't talk. I was disappointed but the boys weren't because I didn't tell them as I wanted them to be surprised.

Too bad. You're all excited, thinking how this will just floor the boys and.... poof. Nothing.

So this is the best my hair looked all day.

Very nice.

I love Sam's face in this picture and how he's holding Aidan's hand.

That's really great. I didn't even notice until you pointed it out.
I bet Sam just reached up without even thinking and grabbed his hand.

I remember thinking oh, look at the pretty trees.

Wait a minute. Those aren't trees!

Where was that?

What will we ride first?

Oh, that's easy. I've done this. It's Pooh, right?

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hi Colleen......all caught up now!!!! I love, love love all your pictures!!!!!

 

[KathyM2]

That girl on the bus taking time to share pins and talk to the boys was awesome. We had a wonderful experience like that too last time we were there. It's so nice when people seem to really take an interest in your kids!!! Looks like you are well on your way to a great morning at MK here!! You almost made the morning show!!! So what's with Mickey...sometimes he talks and sometimes he doesn't? Or does he only talk at certain locations or times? I haven't paid much attention to the character interactions before but my DD seemed to really enjoy them last time so I hope to do some more "on purpose" ones next time.

 

[401Disney]

I love how frequently you update!

I get how your son feels about meeting people in the parks and then not seeing them again. I've met so many awesome people on busses monorails ferries and in lines.

I've never met talking Mickey either. I'm hoping he doesn't lose his voice when we go to see him next week.

 

[SarahDisney]

I also underestimated how long it would take to get to MK by bus. I think this was because we'd always stayed at WL and it's a lot closer to MK. It looked like we weren't going to make it for the welcome show. That's when one of my favorite moments of the trip happened.

That's the one downside of staying at a new hotel ... you don't know the travel times.

The girl sitting next to them started talking to them about their pins. She gave them two pins each and spent the whole bus ride listening and talking to them. Not once did she look over for me to translate something Sammy said (this happens a lot). I just sat back and enjoyed watching them. I could tell they felt really special.

I love this! Bus friends are so special!

Aidan told me later that he felt sad because when you make friends at Disney you never see them again.

It is pretty sad ...
Although we once made friends on the bus, and then 2 days later saw them somewhere else ... well, they saw us and screamed out to us. It was hysterical!

When the bus finally pulled up to MK I could see that the Welcome Show had already started. I tried to race to catch it but I kept having to stop and wait for my family to catch up. This happens all the time. I walk fast and I'm always getting out in front and then having to stop and wait.

Slow people ... You're at Disney, this is no time to walk slow!

I love this picture!

I noticed there was a short wait for Mickey so we got right in line. I asked the CM at the door if he was talking and she said he was in a wink, wink, nudge, nudge way. Well he wasn't and he didn't talk. I was disappointed but the boys weren't because I didn't tell them as I wanted them to be surprised.

Uch. I'm so sorry to hear this!
We also had a non-talking Mickey (in November) ... I wouldn't wish it on anyone else going to for that experience. I really hate that they can't get him to talk all the time. I'm glad the boys weren't disappointed, but it really would have been so much better if Mickey had been able to talk to them!

This picture is hysterical!

Wait a minute. Those aren't trees!

I just thought of a new Disney game:
Wall, Attraction, or Natural?
You see something and have to guess if it's a construction wall, an attraction, or something natural.

What will we ride first?

The suspense!!! I don't know what the answer will be, but I must know!

 

[CaseFace5]

Hi There

I'm here!! I'm all caught up! I've been so swamped at work but lurking when I can. Today I have some down time so I am going to catch up on things! There is too much to comment on now..but I will start!!

Enjoying everything so far!

 

[afwdwfan]

I had made a couple of FPs for the afternoon at Epcot but the boys wanted to go in the pool. I couldn't blame them after the winter we had so that's what we did. We changed into our suits and headed down to Stormalong Bay!

Yeah, definitely can't blame them. Especially when your pool is Stormalong Bay!!!

Dinner was great. If you want to know more about the meal and see some pics they are over at my dining report. The No Way Jose was the best part of it. We absolutely destroyed it and nearly fought over every bite.

I checked it out. I'm still drooling over the No Way Jose.

But why share???

They were setting up for a private event on the beach. They had torches along the water and tables set up on the beach.

That would be a nice spot for a private party.

We were eventually let in and we were early enough to get a spot in front right along the rope. I think the draw of this FP is the fact that the ground slopes upwards so if you arrive later and get a seat at the back you will still have a good view. I was happy with our spots but since I'd never seen the show I'm not sure how much better the view was from anywhere else along WS. The FP worked out since we didn't do anything else at Epcot that day but if we had a full day planned I might have skipped it.

I think that's a fair assessment. I don't think I'd ever want to use FP+ for it, but as you said, it's all you were doing that evening anyway so it isn't like it kept you from booking other ones. I've seen it from all around the Lagoon. It pretty much is what it is and you can see it well from everywhere. Just try not to be downwind if you don't want to breathe smoke.

Some pictures that came out alright:

Very good!

I enjoyed the show and was glad we saw it but it's probably my least favorite behind Wishes and Fantasmic!

Agreed.

I was tempted to tell them it was because I burned my fingerprints off that time I robbed a bank.

He's a Galapagos Tortoise. I think. I might be completely making that up.

I'll buy it.

I have mixed feelings about bats. I love seeing them come out at dusk in the summer to eat mosquitoes. But up close they are really creepy. We had one in our house when Aidan was a baby. At first I thought it was a bird but when Jamie said it was a bat I ran out of the house in terror completely forgetting the baby. Jamie came out and was like, "Are you forgetting something?" He handed Aidan to me and went back in the house to shoo it out. I appreciate bats from afar.

Kind of like the theory that you don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun the other guy.

Jamie mentioned that the smell of the antelope must be driving the tiger crazy. The CM told us that they installed a - I can't remember what he called it - system to prevent the tiger and antelope from smelling each other. If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't be as relaxed as they are. I found that fascinating.

Hmmm... interesting.

We drove past an area that was under construction for their night time safari. I guess there are nocturnal animals that they are hoping to feature for nighttime safaris. I'll just reserve judgement on this and some of the other stuff they're planning at AK until it's complete.

I'm trying to withhold my judgment too. But dang, it's tough.

He was really having a tough time but I needed to see the gorillas so I kept walking. At this point he was loudly stating his wishes for all animals to go extinct. I was mortified but also kind of happy that he used the word in the proper context.

Ok... that's funny.

And then this happened:

You guys. I can't believe I was lucky enough to see this!!

Awesome!!! Well worth dealing with a grumpy kid for the payoff.

We walked past EE and I said goodbye to my chance to ride it solo. Oh, well. Another time.

NOOOOOOO!!!!

I guess you at least still had the baby gorilla high carrying you.

This place hadn't even been on my radar but it was fine. You can read more at my DR if you're interested. Although busy we got our food and found a table pretty quickly. We all liked the food and I think it gave Sam the energy he needed to keep going. He was also happy that his food came in a pail and shovel that our pack mule, uh Jamie, got to lug around all day.

I had to check out your DR after our poor service there. I'm glad to see that it was good, if not all that memorable. I mean, that's pretty much what it is. Just a regular CS type of place.

I loved this ride. I was laughing the entire time but the boys and Jamie were not fans. Poor Aidan was terrified. When we got off the ride he said, "When I saw that big dinosaur my mouth went completely dry." I felt bad that he was scared but it was funny. Here's our ride photo:

I'm sorry it wasn't a hit. Why Didn't Jamie like it? The man chased a bat out of the house, he surely wasn't scared of a dinosaur!

That put a smile on Sam's face

Mickey bars do it every time.

He was really nice, saying Aidan's photo would be just as good. What do you guys think? I like both of them.

It really doesn't look like a dolphin at all.

I call it the carp.

Despite a few complaints from Aidan about having to play with babies both boys immediately found something that interested them (video games ). I filled out some paperwork and they gave us a card to show the server so we would get credit for ordering entrees at bluezoo. We received two free hours of babysitting for each meal so the babysitting was FREE

Not a bad deal at all. Great way to spend an evening.

I was slightly concerned that Sam had run out before any of the camp staff had noticed him. I knew that the door was locked to prevent anyone from entering but he was able to slip out the door quite easily. If we hadn't been there Sammy probably wouldn't have gone far and someone would have caught up with him but you never know. He's not cautious and he often ventures further out on his own than I'm comfortable with.

Yeah, that's definitely concerning that he was able to just get out the door without being stopped!

Aidan and I met up with them outside and we got the story of his hasty exit from Camp Dolphin. This will forever be known as the "Jim" incident. Apparently there was another little boy named "Jim" who Sammy was playing video games with. It sounds like Sam was winning all the games and then "Jim" won one so Sam ran out of the room in hysterics. The whole way home we listened to Sam tell us how he was supposed to be the winner and how much he didn't like "Jim" anymore.

Poor Sam. It just wasn't his day.

I know I wasn't kind when I described the look of these hotels but I liked this view at night:

Any architecture can look good when it is dark and you have some well placed lights.

I still prefer my Yacht Club.

I thought about slowing down my updates here so it wouldn't seem like I don't have anything better to do. But I don't want to do anything else.

I totally understand. Although it is hard to catch up!

I try not to post pictures of strangers on Social Media but I can't not share this. The girl sitting next to them started talking to them about their pins. She gave them two pins each and spent the whole bus ride listening and talking to them. Not once did she look over for me to translate something Sammy said (this happens a lot). I just sat back and enjoyed watching them. I could tell they felt really special.

That's great! Always nice when you can get a little extra magic from another guest.

When the bus finally pulled up to MK I could see that the Welcome Show had already started. I tried to race to catch it but I kept having to stop and wait for my family to catch up. This happens all the time. I walk fast and I'm always getting out in front and then having to stop and wait.

I totally know how you feel.

I remember thinking oh, look at the pretty trees.

Wait a minute. Those aren't trees!

Well... that's something. I've seen the fake facades in front of construction for buildings, but never trees!

And I loved Aidan's shirt on the MK day.

 

[ursalita]

Day 3
Magic Kingdom Part 2

When we last left off we were heading through the castle. In the last update I forgot to include the MM photos we had taken after breakfast in front of the castle. Here are a couple examples:





While I was there the walls didn't bother me too much but they really stand out to me in the photos.

We were passing through the castle and I took a little time to admire these:



We had some time before our first FP at 7DMT so we decided to ride.... Winnie the Pooh! @pkondz guessed it!

The boys checked out the interactive queue but they didn't seem too impressed.
-




They perked up when they met their friends from the bus who were right in front of us in line. She chatted a bit about what they'd done so far that morning. She told them on the bus they they were headed straight to 7DMT. Aidan told her that we had a FP. So we rode the ride and poked around the gift shop a little before saying goodbye to their friends.

It had started raining by that time so we pulled out our ponchos. We headed over to 7DMT for our FP but it was closed because of possible lightning in the area. The CMs assured us that we would be able to return any time that day and our FP would be honored.

We started walking to Tomorrowland and stopped to ride the Teacups.

We ducked into one of the gifts shops to look around while it poured. Sammy found another Stitch stuffy that he wanted. He was trying to build a Stitch army. The CM that rang up his purchase knew a lot about Stitch and explained that the more Stitches there are the weaker they get. IDEK.

It was still raining pretty hard so we ran over to get on the Peoplemover. It was here that something happened that would come back to bite us this evening. There was an area that flooded with rain water and we all ran through it. Sammy was unscathed because he was wearing crocs but the rest of us were wearing sneakers and our feet got completely soaked.

Sammy had decided not to wear his poncho so this is him on the Peoplemover:



He was shivering, poor thing. I love this ride! From here we were able to see that Buzz Lightyear had only a 5 minute wait so we headed there next. I am happy to report that I had the best score by a lot.



Poor Sam's head is always blocked in these pictures.



I almost didn't post this pic because hair.

It seemed like the rain was starting to slow down so we headed back over to 7DMT. Still closed but we were again assured that we would definitely be able to use our FPs when the ride came back up.

It was time for our Peter Pan FPs so we rode that. I don't know if I ever rode this ride, I don't really remember it. We all really enjoyed it. Next we did a new attraction for us that was on my must-do list:



Now it was Aidan's turn to complain. He didn't want to do this because it wasn't a ride. He stayed cranky through the show and refused to admit that he liked it. I did catch him reaching out to touch the 3-D images.

After this we started walking towards Frontierland to grab the train. Sam saw Splash Mountain and wanted to ride it. I checked the wait time and standby was only 10 minutes. Last year we all rode it and both boys refused to ride it again. I was ecstatic!

The plan was for Sammy and I to ride Splash, Jamie and Aidan would ride around on the train, and we'd meet back up at the exit from Splash Mountain.

I was standing in line with Sammy thinking about all the rides we would be able to ride together: BTMRR, EE, Space, RnRc...

Then Sammy decides he doesn't want to ride after all and wants to be with Daddy and Aidan. No amount of begging and pleading would convince him to stay:



We had to squeeze past a bunch of people who'd gotten in line behind us. By the time we got up to the train it had left the station and we had to wait 20 minutes for it to get back. Sam couldn't seem to understand why we had to wait and he whined the whole time.

When the train finally showed up we joined Jamie and Aidan and I tried to find my happy place again. When the train pulled up to Fantasyland we disembarked.

What will we do next?​

​

 

[kastoney]

We received two free hours of babysitting for each meal so the babysitting was FREE! Plus they took the boys over to the quick service restaurant Picabu for dinner.

FREE and dinner!!!! Think I need to eat somewhere at the Swolphin next trip.

I was slightly concerned that Sam had run out before any of the camp staff had noticed him.

Wow, this is scary You'd like to think they had noticed, but yikes either way.

I got this picture of the boys as they headed in for the night:

Love it!

The girl sitting next to them started talking to them about their pins.

I just love the people you meet on Disney buses. How lucky of the boys to make such a special new friend.

Well he wasn't and he didn't talk. I

I thought Mickey always talked. Guess that isn't the case?

So this is the best my hair looked all day.

You got one up on me. Florida and my curly hair do not mix. I gotta rock a pony on almost every trip.

In the last update I forgot to include the MM photos we had taken after breakfast in front of the castle.

These are great. I can't believe how empty the park is!