Fairies, Stitch and the Five of Us! 9/12/09-9/20/09 - 9 Day report complete!

[kdzbear]

Welcome to everyone that came over from the Wish Trip boards!

For those of you just joining, I will give you a brief background of who went on our trip. It was me, my husband, my DD9, DS4 and DD1. We left our house at 4:15 am on 9/12. The airport is about 20 minutes from our home. Our flight was at 5:40 am. The flight was on time, but we encountered a problem getting on to the plane. The two little ones were in their double stroller and the plane was outside at the bottom of a flight of stairs. There was no elevator. We had to somehow get two little ones, a double stroller and all of our carry-on bags down this flight of stairs. It was not an easy challenge, but we managed. Both flights were relatively smooth. On the second flight I met a young couple that was going for Free Dining and they were both military. They had not booked any dining reservations and they thought that the concierge could do that when they arrived. I pulled out my Passporter book and helped them compile a list of possible places to eat. Hopefully, they were able to get some reservations!

We made it to the Magic Express line at the airport and it was much shorter than it was 2 years ago. We waited about 30 minutes for a bus. Our flight arrived in Orlando at 11:30 am and we were in our room in Pop Century at 1:30 pm. I did the advanced online check-in. I did not send a room request. We stayed in the seventies section facing the lake and it was about a 2-3 minute walk to the dining hall and the busses. We were at Pop Century from Sept. 12-20, 2009 on the free dining plan.

Once we were settled in our room we decided to head to the Magic Kingdom for a few hours prior to dinner at the Whispering Café. We arrived right as the afternoon parade was travelling past Main Street. DH and the kids decided to watch the parade while I went to Guest Services to ask about a Guest Assistance Card (GAC). I had a letter from my geneticists with the most recent diagnosis of my son’s condition. They handed me a red tag for the stroller so he could use it as a wheelchair and a GAC card. They did not explain what to do with it. I went back and met my family. We chose to ride Buzz Lightyear Spin first. DS decided to have his first of many melt downs when he saw the ride. He was scared. They let us in the handicapped line and then had us go to the exit of the ride and we waited a few minutes until we were ready to board. We carried the two little ones from the stroller to the ride. DS screamed the entire ride!

Next we saw that Stitch was out. We waited in line to visit with Stitch as there were only a few people in line. When we got up to Stitch DS would not get out of his stroller. His whole Wish in November revolves around Stitch so this was a problem. He did give him a high five.

Then it was time for dinner so we took the boat from the Magic Kingdom to Wilderness Lodge. DS seemed to do ok on the boat. We arrived 15 minutes early for dinner and the restaurant was not open yet. The host and hostesses played games with the kids. One little girl was chosen to ring the dinner bell to let everyone in the hotel know that it was time for dinner.

We had a lot of fun here. The kids enjoyed the antics of the servers and the food was delicious. We ordered the skillet and I was leery of doing this since I assumed that all of the food was piled all together, but it was all in the skillet, but each item had its own little space. The food was amazing. Then there was dessert at the end of the meal! There was no room for dessert. They brought my daughter a little cake and sang to her for her birthday. Then since we were also celebrating our anniversary this week, they brought DH and me glasses of champagne. They announced our anniversary to the restaurant and then told my husband to recreate our wedding kiss. I was so embarrassed, but my husband hammed it up and dipped me.

Then we explored Wilderness Lodge for a little bit and there were tons of rabbits hopping around in the grass. Next, we took the boat back to the Magic Kingdom. This time DS was ok with the boat. As we discovered as the week went on, we had to scream through each ride once and then the second time it was fun to ride.

We walked over to Toon Town since the two girls wanted to meet the fairies. Tinkerbell, Silvermist and Fawn were present. They had fun interacting with the fairies and the fairies loved their homemade autograph books. The fairies could not believe that we had a picture of each of them in our books. I had many pages for each child’s book and then depending on the park we were going to each day, I added new pages and removed the already signed pages so that once we arrived home I would put them completely back together. The creative designers here make some amazing autograph pages to share. Thank you!

Next we toured Mickey’s house and met Mickey and Minnie in the Judges tent.

Then it was time to call it an evening. I had been up the entire night before making autograph books and Epcot passports. I normally plan ahead, but we had just moved and I had painted all 3 kids’ rooms and my office. I have 6 more rooms to paint now that we are back home. To say the least, I was tired and needed sleep! It was a fun start for our first partial day!

 

[maroo]

It took forever for me to be able to pull up your TR!? Must be my computer here at work. I keep losing my internet connection.

Awesome start to your report!

Glad you didn't have any issues with ME.

I can't believe they did not tell you guys how to use the GAC? Think they thought you knew?

UH OH! He is scared of the rides? Of STITCH?!? Oh, I hope that gets better!! I guess they look different on the TV screen.

The Fairies! I have yet to see the fairies! I hope to see them in December!
Looks like fun!

I love seeing Mickey and Minnie together!

 

[wdwtwins]

I LOVE the pics! I hope you update it soon!

 

[kdzbear]

We woke up this morning and decided to fill our refillable mugs and have Pop Tarts in our room. The kids slept in, which is a rare occurrence in our family. We then headed out to the Magic Kingdom. DD9 was asked by the security guard if she helped out with the two little ones in the stroller and when she replied, “yes” she was awarded with a Police Officer badge. She was told that she was an honorary officer for the day. She proudly wore her sticker!

Then we headed off to Fantasyland. We rode Winnie the Pooh, Small World and the Carousel.

Then we rode the Dumbos and met another family in line with a special needs son a little older than ours. We were able to visit with them while we waited on our Dumbos.

Then we took a break in the air conditioning and saw Mickey’s Philharmagic. The two little ones would not leave their glasses on so I am not sure how much they saw of the show.

Next DH took the kids to meet the Fairy Godmother, who was outside of the castle.

I went to check-in for our special surprise, but there were over 20 people in a very slow moving line. The family returned before I was called to the front of the line. The look on DD9’s face when she heard where we were eating was priceless. She was so excited. I had told her that the castle took 2 dining credits and that reservations were next to impossible to obtain.

First we entered into the entryway and stood in line to have our photo taken with Cinderella. This was fun. Since there were five members in our party we automatically received 2 photo packages so we took one with just the kids and one with everyone. I guess it did not matter that the fifth member of our party was under 3 and a non-paying member.

Then we were led upstairs to our table. The table was decorated with confetti of castles and golden carriages. Each child was handed a wishing star. Then they brought around swords for the boys and wands for the girls. They gave DD1 a sword and I had to explain that she was a girl. Then she had a wand. My DH did not know everything that was included with the meal. I thought everyone should have a few surprises. I love surprises, but I am always the one creating them!

Then the princesses were introduced one at a time with a shortened version of their stories. They took their time at our table.

First, Snow White came to visit.

Next, Aurora came to say hi.

She was followed by Belle.

Then there was the wish ceremony where the kids waved their swords and wands in the air, tapped their stars and made a wish.

Then Jasmine stopped by.

The food was good. I ordered the sandwich and it was huge. They told us that DD1 would receive a free plate of buttered pasta and a sundae for dessert. This benefit was awesome since the other sit down places had us share with her. She loved the chocolate crown.
DD9 also received a special birthday sundae. Our anniversary and her birthday were printed on the reservation slips at every restaurant we went to.

Next up ….. the rest of day 2!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Great start to your trip report! DD looks so incredibly happy at CRT! I hope you had another opportunity to see Stitch!

 

[KELLY]

Thanks for the trip report. I'll keep reading.

 

[Matt1026]

What a great start to your TR. Wow to get a start so early on it. I am having so much trouble getting my going. We have had so much going on since we have gotten back.

I love the meal with the princesses. That sounded like so much fun. Can't wait to read more.

 

[Gretchasketch]

Looks like you had a great time! Your children are adorable! I especially love the picture of your son hugging Snow White. SO cute!

 

[kdzbear]

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments. I am still trying to figure out how to quote more than one response at a time. My DD9 did love having lunch with the princesses. She was so surprised and that surprise was hard to keep a secret! My DS4 will get to meet Stitch more than once in the near future.

I will add a new update shortly. It may be over several posts as it is long. I am trying to not add too many pictures, but I took 1398 and it is hard to only pick a few to add.

 

[kdzbear]

Day 2 Continued….

After lunch we met the most wonderful character handler, Rosa. Tyler was scared to death of Pooh and she took his hand and led him over to Pooh. She had him feel how soft Pooh was and convinced him that Pooh was his friend. By the end of the interaction Tyler was giving Tigger high fives.

After this everyone but me rode the tea cups. Tyler was scared of this ride too!

Then DD1, DS4 and DH went back to the hotel to take a nap. DD9 wanted to play more so we did. However, I wanted to get my haircut first and there were only 2 people in line so we joined the line. I had had long hair and my hairdresser at home shortened it and added some layers, but it was just not working for me. The hairdresser at the Magic Kingdom worked wonders and then added some pixie dust at the end. DD9 took 18 pictures of the haircut, but I will only bore you with four.

When we exited the barber shop it was almost time for the parade to start. There was no one waiting for it so we stood behind the empty rope line and had an amazing view of the parade coming out of the backstage area.

Next we went to ride pirates. I love this ride! After the ride we met two pirates in the gift shop who agreed to take a picture with DD9. One of the pirates tried to steal Pal Mickey, but he did not realize that he was attached to the lanyard and he was unsuccessful, but my DD was laughing hard at his attempts.

Then we rode my favorite ride: Haunted Mansion! All of the pictures below were taken without flash so I did not disrupt the ride for anyone.

After the ride a cast member took a photo with us. Then the cast member that took the photo showed us some little known facts in the pet cemetery. We knew that Mr. Toad was there, but we had never read the sayings on the other stones. The duck had one about waddling and not seeing a truck. The rat met his fate with a garden rake. They were hard to see, but they were cute sayings.

 

[kdzbear]

We were walking to Frontierland when we ran into Frontier Donald Duck. DD9 wanted to meet him so we waited in line. When it was her turn Donald saw his picture on his autograph page and went nuts. He danced around and showed it to everyone that would look at it. The character handler had to call him back to take the picture. He signed the book and then posed with DD9 while holding the book with his picture facing out! DD9 will never forget that moment!

Next we took the raft to Tom Sawyer Island. I cannot remember the last time I went over there. We did not find any paint brushes. We did have fun exploring the caves, mines and paths. It was a nice and quiet break from the day.

After returning to Frontierland we started to head to the front of the park. My DH called and said that they were walking down Main Street. The Block Party had just started so we had a little bit of difficulty reaching one another. The kids loved dancing in the street with the characters.

Then DS4 decided that he would like to try Buzz Lightyear again. He did not cry this time! He loved it and was having a blast shooting his gun. I got my all time I score. I tried to take a picture of it, but it kept flashing on and off. It was 330,300! I can’t see where I am shooting so I just keep pushing the button and hope I hit something!

 

[kdzbear]

By this point everyone was hungry so we decided to have dinner in Tomorrowland with Sonny Eclipse. DD9 thinks this is the best place to eat. It had just started raining so we ate while it rained.

Then we decided to try the Tomorrow land Speedway. DS4 was also scared of these cars. I promise that this also turns around later in the week.

Next was the Barnstormer Rollercoaster. DS4 was screaming so bad that they almost did not let him ride. He did not like it.

To calm everyone down we went through Minnie Mouse’s house again. The kids love all of the buttons in there. The GAC was wonderful here since we could push the stroller through the house and not have to take the two little ones out.

We left and the sky was ominous. You could see the dividing line between the storm and the blue sky.

We put my monkeys in a cage and took their pictures.

Then we went to visit Ariel. This is the first time we had a problem with the GAC card. The first cast member let us in and then the second one questioned our card. She let us stand at the wheelchair entrance, but she had us wait a half an hour to see Ariel. It was not a big deal, but as we learned throughout the week not everyone is trained on what to do with the cards.

Then DS4 wanted to ride Small World again. This time he sat in the boat without holding on to anyone and smiled and pointed at all of the happenings. He loved it this time! We learned that he had to scream through each ride once since it was unfamiliar and then he would enjoy it a second time.

Look at DD1’s face as she views Small World:

 

[kdzbear]

It was still hot out so we took a break to watch the Country Bears. I collect bears and love this corny show. I took several pictures during the show. I did not use my flash. We were in the front row and the lighting was bright enough for the photos to come out.

We rode the Jungle Cruise and had a wonderful skipper for the cruise. After that we rode the Magic Carpets without DH and DS4. My son was too scared. Then we went to see the Tiki Birds. The cast member saw my daughter’s birthday button and gave her a Hawaiian Lei to wear. The cast member at the door was the one that helped us at the carpets and after the show he asked if DS4 liked the show and he did. It was so nice to have someone so caring to check on us and how we were doing.

I wanted a Dole Pineapple Whip so we went and used snack credits for Dole Pineapple Floats. They were so good. Then it was time to call it a night!

 

[strmtroopr96]

Hi there! I am enjoying reading your trip report! We were at Pop 9/15-9/22 and actually rode back to the resort on a bus from Epcot with your family one night. LOL Sounds like you guys had a great trip!

 

[kdzbear]

Great start to your trip report! DD looks so incredibly happy at CRT! I hope you had another opportunity to see Stitch!

We saw Stitch several more times. It does get better!

Thanks for the trip report. I'mm keep reading.

Thanks for joining!

What a great start to your TR. Wow to get a start so early on it. I am having so much trouble getting my going. We have had so much going on since we have gotten back.

I love the meal with the princesses. That sounded like so much fun. Can't wait to read more.

The princess meal was worth using two dining credits on it. You will get your report started. I have to work on mine during nap time and after the kids go to bed. I upload the photos I want to photobucket and while they are uploading I type the report in a word document. That way I can stop and start when the phone rings or someone needs something. I love Lucas's magical morning. I read about it on Maroo's mini-report!

Looks like you had a great time! Your children are adorable! I especially love the picture of your son hugging Snow White. SO cute!

DS4 really liked Snow White. He says that he wants to go and see her again, which is a good sign for his Wish Trip in November!

Maroo: Thank you for teaching me how to multiple quote! As always you save the day!

One more photo: The rainbow after the storm:

 

[maroo]

]

Look at DD1’s face as she views Small World:

Priceless....Just priceless!


I love all of your pictures! They are really, really good!

And I love the rainbow picture.

Seeing a rainbow in the Magic Kingdom would be SO COOL.

 

[kdzbear]

Hi there! I am enjoying reading your trip report! We were at Pop 9/15-9/22 and actually rode back to the resort on a bus from Epcot with your family one night. LOL Sounds like you guys had a great trip!

I am so glad you found my trip report! Welcome!

 

[TNKBELL]

Hey!! Looks like you had fun!! Love the new haircut!! We'll have to get together once the "dust" settles!!

 

[kdzbear]

Hey!! Looks like you had fun!! Love the new haircut!! We'll have to get together once the "dust" settles!!

Thanks about the haircut! I heard your little ones were sick. I hope they are feeling better. Hayley came home from Disney with and ear infection and bronchitis. She is feeling better now. The other two had coughs which are slowly going away. I hope to post some more pictures and report info. tomorrow! I need to go coach 4 year old soccer practice now!

 

[kdzbear]

This morning started a little rough. We decided to have breakfast at Pop Century’s Food Court. My DH went to get the food while I got the three kids seated. While we were trying to help everyone with their food, DS4 put too much food in his mouth at once. This happens almost every meal, but we normally watch him more closely and remind him to take little bites. It was too late. He choked and up came all of breakfast. So, while I cleaned up the mess and DH took DS4 back to the room for a new outfit.

We finally get everyone ready for the day and head to the Animal Kingdom. Timon was out with Ratcliffe from Pocahontas. My DH was in line with the kids to meet Timon. There was no one in line for Ratcliffe so I went to ask the cast member if with DS4’s card he could meet Timon. He said no problem. Then another cast member came over after I pulled the family out of line and at this point they were only 3rd in line and he said no because we did not have a green stamp. Well DH is furious with me and takes a picture with Ratcliffe and then walks off with the two little ones while I am escorted by the cast member to guest relations.

A manager comes over to ask what the problem is and the cast member was gone by this point. I explained the situation to him. He tells me that my card does not need a green stamp since a green stamp only means that your child is staying at Give Kids the World. It does not grant you any extra privileges. He apologizes and says that they character handler should have recognized my card. We go back out to talk to the character handler, but they are no longer out. Now, DD9 is with me this whole time. We go back to customer service and the manager asked some more questions about DS4 and it turns out we were missing one of the stroller as a wheelchair stamps on our card so he stamps it with that stamp and the green stamp. He explains that we should not need it, but if it will make our visit smoother he will add all of the possible stamps we may need. He also lets us know that in case anyone asks that Give Kids the World is a resort where many Wish kids stay during their visit to Disney World. It is now a truly magic card! I manage to reach my DH on the cell phone and he is no longer mad and the two little ones are looking at animals as they slowly stroll through the park.

Next we decide to head to Camp Minnie Mickey. We see Chip and Dale and get in line to meet them.

At this point all of the characters are just out in the street area, but within a few minutes they are all moved to their covered pavilions. DD1 and DS4 decide that they are afraid of characters again this morning.

Then DS4 came out and reluctantly gave Donald Duck his autograph book.

However, Koda and Kenai scared them!

When we met Goofy, they were a little less scared.

Then DD1 decided that Minnie Mouse was friendly.

DS4 wanted to hold Mickey Mouse’s hand.

After this exhausting visit we decided to go see the next showing of the Lion King. We were seated in the Pumba section. DS4 really liked this show, but he was a little scared when Pumba sat right next to him. DD9 was picked to be part of the show, but she was too scared and did not go.

Then we decided to ride the safari. On the way to the safari we ran into a character line. It was none other than Stitch! We used our pass to go up the exit as the line was long and in the sun. DS4 does not tolerate the sun well and turns bright red, but he does not sweat. One rude gentleman told us that the back of the line was back there and pointed to it. I heard the cast member quietly whisper to him that DS4 was special needs and he had a special card to allow him to go in the exit line. My husband was very embarrassed at this point and we did not use the card for characters for some time after this. He thought it was rude to cut in line even though Disney said it was ok. DS4 was so excited to see “his” Stitch!

More of day 3 to come later…..