Fireworks, DVC, and a whole lot less of me!!!-our 6th trip to disney!-update 7/6 pg14

[SoonerGirl]

I haven't actually stayed at any of those resorts, but I did go to all of them to see the decorations when we went for our Christmas trip. Of the 3 WL by far had the most 'Christmasy' feel to it, so warm and cozy and the huge tree was beautiful! I'm not sure how the villas are decorated, but the main lobby was fabulous.

I also really liked the decorations at the BW & BC, the BW has the gingerbread gazebo and BC has the carousel, both very much worth seeing. Honestly I don't think you could go wrong with any of the three!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I thought I would try and get an update in today. It has been crazy hectic at our house the last several days. Tom's mom fell and broke her arm the end of last week which sent her health in a downward spiral. They transferred her to the UK hospital a few days ago and she appears to be doing some better. However, they still do not know what is causing her to get things really confused so we are hoping they can get that resolved by the end of the week. Please keep her in your prayers.

With all that has been going on, I did not go to my training. Thank goodness my boss was so understanding! So, I was able to call DVC this morning and ATTEMPT to book our Thanksgiving trip. Notice I said attempt. We had settled on a resort but it currently only has availability the first 2 nights we are there. So, I went ahead and booked it and wait listed the rest of the time.

Here is where we decided:

I am really hoping the wait list comes through and we get to stay the entire time here but if no, two nights will be great. I know Jeremy will be excited as he really wants to try the clown slide.

I have to call back on Friday and try to book something for the other nights. Saratoga Springs had availability and so did Old Key West. I need to read up on both to see which we would prefer. I have the last two nights of the stay booked at Bay Lake Tower. I will probably cancel those if I can get something together for the rest of the stay in case the wait list does not come through. I don't really want to switch resorts 3 times in one vacation.

When I left you on our summer trip, we were watching streetmosphere and waiting for Block Party Bash. Before long, the parade started making its way towards us.

I think Lotso is just too cute to be soooo evil!

The parade stopped in front of us at the Monster, Inc. portion.

If you never saw this parade, it stops and performs, like the Celebrate, Shake It parade at MK. In the past, Jeremy was too shy to participate at the one at MK so I figured there would be no hope in that this day. But, to my surprise, he jumped up when they guy came to get him.

Finally, he turned around!!!

At some point, they threw out balls and Jeremy got one (green thing in his hand).

After the parade, we headed to the resort to relax. I really don't think we went swimming since it was raining off and on so we may have took a nap.

We headed back to DHS for the evening. In all our times at DHS, I never knew there was a Pizza Planet. We found it earlier in the day and Jeremy couldn't wait to eat here. The pizza was typical Disney pizza but Jeremy loved the atmosphere. He played games for what seemed like forever in there.

We then went to the Muppets and I think we saw it 3 times in a row!! Did I mention that Jeremy loves this show now!!! We used our fastpass from earlier in the day and took one more turn on Toy Story Mania.

I have no pictures from the rest of the day. We went to try and get in to the early showing of Fantasmic but it was full so we just browsed in the shops until the 4th of July fireworks. It was drizzling off and on but they still had the fireworks and they were fabulous! Afterwards, we got into the later showing of Fantasmic. While we were seated and waiting, we could see Epcot's fireworks in the distance! As usual, Fantasmic was great and is still our favorite show on property!

Up Next?

Will we make it to an early morning breakfast?

Who falls in the bathroom and where?

Will that person get help from the rest of the family or be ignored?

 

[martinolichfamily]

Sorry to hear you've had a hectic week so far......will keep Tom's Mom in our prayers that she gets better soon!

Boardwalk looks cool....I tried to stay there last trip just the first night since we decided to drive all the way to WDW in a day instead of breaking it up but it was just too much $$ for a few hours...

What I have seen on the resorts...Saratoga Springs looks nice!

Great update from your July trip! So glad Jeremy decided to participate in the Block Party Bash! Both my kiddos got one of those balls too!

We will be seeing Fantasmic for the very first time this trip coming up! Super excited about that! Glad to hear it's your favorite show!

Hope ya'll have a Happy Easter!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Sorry to hear you've had a hectic week so far......will keep Tom's Mom in our prayers that she gets better soon!

Boardwalk looks cool....I tried to stay there last trip just the first night since we decided to drive all the way to WDW in a day instead of breaking it up but it was just too much $$ for a few hours...

What I have seen on the resorts...Saratoga Springs looks nice!

Great update from your July trip! So glad Jeremy decided to participate in the Block Party Bash! Both my kiddos got one of those balls too!

We will be seeing Fantasmic for the very first time this trip coming up! Super excited about that! Glad to hear it's your favorite show!

Hope ya'll have a Happy Easter!

Oh, you will Fantasmic! Get there early unless you have a dining package as it fills up fast.

Jeremy called me at work today to let me know how he did on a Science test. I told him about the Boardwalk stay and he was super excited! I think I will try for Saratoga Springs when I call Friday for the rest of the stay. I really hope the waitlist will come through for the Boardwalk for the rest of the week so we don't have to change resorts.

I hope you have a nice Easter as well! Hope the kids have fun hunting easter eggs!

 

[martinolichfamily]

Oh, you will Fantasmic! Get there early unless you have a dining package as it fills up fast.

Jeremy called me at work today to let me know how he did on a Science test. I told him about the Boardwalk stay and he was super excited! I think I will try for Saratoga Springs when I call Friday for the rest of the stay. I really hope the waitlist will come through for the Boardwalk for the rest of the week so we don't have to change resorts.

I hope you have a nice Easter as well! Hope the kids have fun hunting easter eggs!

I did book a F! Dining pkg at Mama Melrose but for lunch on our arrival day...I didnt feel like waiting in a huge line forever to see F!

Good luck on getting Boardwalk for the rest of the stay!

 

[snowwhitesmom]

A pre-trippie and a trippie all in one? - I am SO subbing!

 

[MeMom]

Here is where we decided:We headed back to DHS for the evening. In all our times at DHS, I never knew there was a Pizza Planet. We found it earlier in the day and Jeremy couldn't wait to eat here. The pizza was typical Disney pizza but Jeremy loved the atmosphere. He played games for what seemed like forever in there.

I thought I commented on this already. This place is a favorite for kids with the pizza and games and a fun theme. Such a simple thing, but I bet it ranked high on his list of good trip memories.

 

[disneyfan61]

I'm glad to see Jeremy participated in the fun during the parade.

The Muppets is my DH's favorite (never mind my kids)

We have eaten at Pizza Planet a few times. It's ok.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

A pre-trippie and a trippie all in one? - I am SO subbing!

Glad you are here. I see you will be in Disney about the same time we are. Where will you be staying?

I thought I commented on this already. This place is a favorite for kids with the pizza and games and a fun theme. Such a simple thing, but I bet it ranked high on his list of good trip memories.

Very much so! He can't wait to go back this year.

I'm glad to see Jeremy participated in the fun during the parade.

The Muppets is my DH's favorite (never mind my kids)

We have eaten at Pizza Planet a few times. It's ok.

We loved the muppets. I can't believe this was the first time seeing it. I guess we made up for it as many times as Jeremy kept wanting to go back.

Jeremy loved Pizza Planet. I know it will be on our list this trip.

 

[Poolrat]

Joining in.

Congrats on the weight loss and DVC.

I was also there last July. The 8-13th. Hot Hot Hot

I hope your waitlist comes through.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Joining in.

Congrats on the weight loss and DVC.

I was also there last July. The 8-13th. Hot Hot Hot

I hope your waitlist comes through.

So glad you are here.

Thanks, I am very excited about the weight loss and DVC.

Yes, July was very hot!!! We left on the 9th so we barely missed each other.

I did go ahead and book Saratoga Springs for the the rest of Thanksgiving. I really hope that the Boardwalk will come through for the rest of the stay but will be okay if not.

 

[snowwhitesmom]

Glad you are here. I see you will be in Disney about the same time we are. Where will you be staying?

All my ticker is for is the first full week of summer vacation from school - we have had so many snow days this year!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

All my ticker is for is the first full week of summer vacation from school - we have had so many snow days this year!

Oh my, 2 months until you get out!!! You did have a lot of snow!!!

My son has 5 weeks to go and I think I am more excited than he is.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Life is starting to get back to normal around here so I thought it was time for an update. I feel like I am doing 3 reports in one on here. So, I am going to keep the blue color for summer pre-trip and summer 2010 trip report and will change to red for our Thanksgiving/Pre-Christmas Trip Report. Hopefully that will keep me sane and make it easier to decipher.

July 5, 2010

After a wonderful night at DHS for the 4th the night before, I was ready for some true Disney magic----Magic Kingdom. But first, some breakfast at O'hanas.

The Polynesian is so beautiful. It has such a serene feeling. I would love to stay here some day. Jeremy looks so tired in this picture. I should have known better than to schedule an early morning breakfast the day after the 4th of July. We all were worn out but went ahead and got up and went.

We the O'hana's breakfast. Sorry, no food pictures but I do have character pictures.

After a wonderful breakfast, we hopped on the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. I don't remember if we saw the opening or not but I know we headed to Fantasyland first thing. Jeremy's first ride at MK has always been Dumbo and for the many times we have been, I have always been the lucky one he wanted to ride with. Well, today, I suggested he ride with Tom. I wanted Tom to experience that with him. He is growing up so fast and I know that future trips will be headed to Tomorrowland or FrontierLand first.

Look at these happy faces!

Tom had so much fun riding with him.

Afterwards, we needed a restroom break so we headed to the restrooms by the restaurant next to It's a Small World (for the life of me I cannot think of its name).

Tom and Jeremy go their way and I head mine when it happened! The concrete was still wet from where they spray it every night/morning and my lovely Patricia Crocs decided to go skating right as I am walking into the bathroom!!! I literally went down on my bad knee and did a half split. There was a man coming out of the men's restroom who ran to me along with a lady. Jeremy turns to see it and here he comes. I was okay (VERY embarrassed!!!) but was having a hard time getting up due to my knee. I told Jeremy to go get his Dad. Here is where I could have let the MAN'S (notice I capitalized--I was very mad!!) next actions ruin the whole day but I took the high road. I am getting up thanks to the help of the nice gentleman who came running first when what seemed like an eternity, here appears Tom coming out of the men's restroom. He looks and starts into action trying to help and says----"Jeremy says you fell but I thought he was joking. I have been waiting on him before I came out." And, he is laughing to add insult to injury! Boy, I was ticked but still did not say anything. Sometimes my silence is A LOT louder than my words. A nice CM came over and asked if I needed anything. I politely said no, thanked those who did help, and went on to the restroom. When I came out, Tom started apologizing and I just kept quiet. My knee hurt some but I didn't want to go back to the hotel.


Continued in the next post...

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

We rode all the favorites that morning in Fantasyland--Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, and those dreaded Tea Cups. Jeremy loves that ride. Tom hates it and refuses to ride so I usually take one for the team and go on it with Jeremy.

Can you tell that Jeremy is having a ball?

Can you tell how much fun I was having?

Next, we head to Toon Town for the last time. I am really going to miss this area. I can remember going here as a child with Mom and Dad. There was some show I think where they celebrated Mickey's birthday. Can anyone remember that?

Jeremy loves the barnstormer so we rode it several times until the line started getting longer.

Minnie's House

Mickey's House

I think I must have been getting tired and hot as I have very little pictures left from this day. We headed to Tomorrowland. Jeremy still wouldn't ride Space Mountain. He says he will this year so I am holding out hope. We rode the People Mover for the first time ever!

I know, in all our time at Disney we had never rode it before. We also tried out the Carousel of Progress which we all actually really liked. Sing it with me...It's a great big beautiful tomorrow.........you know, you just can't get that song out of your head for days once you hear it! After that, we had fastpasses for Buzz so we hopped on. I am not a big fan of this ride. I can never rack up any points on this thing. Tom, on the other hand, is awesome at this ride. Jeremy wanted to ride with him so he could figure it out so I went solo.

Lesson learned----Never, and I do mean, Never let loose of any personal belongings on this ride.....glasses, backpacks, you get the picture. Remember....I said Never do this!!! I laid my backpack and my sunglasses next to me. Well, during the ride they fell down on the floor and out onto the ride somewhere! I go to get my things to get off and they are gone. The CM told me not to worry. It happens all the time. They stopped the ride, turned the lights on, and in a few minutes were back with my belongings. They actually had some other things which weren't mine so I hope whomever lost their stuff found it before their trip was over.

At this point, it had been a heck of a day. We were worn out, I had fallen, and I had lost my belongings on a ride. It was time to go back to the WL for an afternoon of swimming. And that is exactly what we did. We enjoyed the pool until late evening, ate at Roaring Fork and went to bed early. I am sure we watched the MK fireworks from the room as we did this a lot of evenings when we got back to the room on time.

Here are a few pictures from the lodge on the way back to our room. It is so beautiful there.

Up Next.......

A Dis Meet

Will I drink the Beverly?

 

[Kat in GA]

I am just loving this trip report and pre-trip report in one!

We are actually going to be there the same time as you this year - June 25th - July 9th

We have not July before (or at least not since we had the kiddos) - so I am a little overwhelmed about the crowds - but your pictures don't look too bad - and you rode TSM three times on the fourth of July - sounds pretty managable to me! We have gone to the Studios and only managed one time on TSM in the off season!

Many congrats on your weight loss. I struggle so much with mine. I have been doing Atkins and have lost 40ish pounds. It's coming along, slowly but surely! My mom had a lap band - but had such bad reflux from it, she had a gastric a year ago. She has lost almost 100 pounds - and she looks fabulous! She has much more mobility than ever.

Looking forward to reading more (and contemplating my own PTR - especially as we are getting APs and having the Year of Disney!)

 

[SoonerGirl]

Yikes Erika, I'm so sorry you fell! And to add insult to injury, your DH didn't come to help you - men, ugggg! From reading the cruise board I've learned that crocs aren't the best shoe to wear on a cruise ship because the decks can be wet quite often and I guess crocs are slippery, your experience tells me this is true!

The rest of your day sounds lovely though, well I guess aside from losing your stuff on Buzz.....

The TTA and CoP are my two favorite Tomorrowland attractions

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

I am just loving this trip report and pre-trip report in one!

We are actually going to be there the same time as you this year - June 25th - July 9th

We have not July before (or at least not since we had the kiddos) - so I am a little overwhelmed about the crowds - but your pictures don't look too bad - and you rode TSM three times on the fourth of July - sounds pretty managable to me! We have gone to the Studios and only managed one time on TSM in the off season!

Many congrats on your weight loss. I struggle so much with mine. I have been doing Atkins and have lost 40ish pounds. It's coming along, slowly but surely! My mom had a lap band - but had such bad reflux from it, she had a gastric a year ago. She has lost almost 100 pounds - and she looks fabulous! She has much more mobility than ever.

Looking forward to reading more (and contemplating my own PTR - especially as we are getting APs and having the Year of Disney!)

Welcome!!! Glad you are here.

I liked going in summer. It was actually less humid (if that is possible) than the time we went in September a few years ago. We go to the parks early in the morning and always leave early afternoon for a pool break. It really helps tolerate the heat. There are a lot of days it might rain in the afternoon and cools down the evenings.

Crowds were very manageable in my opinion. I also followed Tour Guide Mike, which I have for many trips. I am doing things a little different this year at the request of DH. He wants to go with the flow as he says so we will decide on parks each morning/afternoon. We will see how many days that lasts! I think with a few bad choices and crowds, he will back to trusting me to decide. I do want to take in more EMH this years as we have done this very little in the past.

Yay, for AP's. This will be our first time buying them and I am super excited.

Yikes Erika, I'm so sorry you fell! And to add insult to injury, your DH didn't come to help you - men, ugggg! From reading the cruise board I've learned that crocs aren't the best shoe to wear on a cruise ship because the decks can be wet quite often and I guess crocs are slippery, your experience tells me this is true!

The rest of your day sounds lovely though, well I guess aside from losing your stuff on Buzz.....

The TTA and CoP are my two favorite Tomorrowland attractions

Thanks for letting me know about the crocs on the ship. I love my crocs and that would have been a disaster!

We TTA and CoP. They were lots of fun. I can't believe we missed those in the past.

 

[photographymom517]

Great update, Erika! I loved seeing your pics of the Poly & WL! But so sorry about the fall & losing your belongings on the ride! As I read about your fall & the reaction of your DH, I was sitting here shaking my head -- because it totally reminds me of something MY DH would do as well Must just be a man thing!

I was so upset when I heard that you lost your belongings on Buzz -- AND I made a note of it for next trip! I ALWAYS lay my park bag & sometimes my camera on the seat next to me if I'm riding solo! So I will definitely make sure not to do that anymore, thanks for the heads-up!!! Usually I wrap the straps from my bag & camera on my wrist so if they fall down, I will feel it falling & grab it quickly...but I think I'll just stop putting them on the seat all together now! That is soooo great that the CM was able to stop the ride & find your belongings!!! I was relieved to read that part!!!

Somehow we skipped ALL of Tomorrowland last year The crowds were just too much by the time we got to that portion of the park. I really want to ride on Stitch, but we aren't attempting that one with Luke! Luke STILL hasn't been on TTA after his first 2 trips, so next trip its a must for me! I remember riding on it a million times my Senior Trip! TTA is one of my favorite memories of that entire trip because it was just so relaxing!!! The CM let us ride it 3 times in a row because they weren't busy at all that day!

I your pictures of the Polynesian resort!!!! It is my dream resort!!! Next year, I'm planning a big trip for my 30th birthday & I am really trying to find a way to stay there if only for 1-2 nights! I know we're staying at the Beach Club this trip & so many people want to stay there -- but for me, the Beach Club & Poly are tied for first place!!! I love them both in different ways!

I was actually doing research last night for our September trip & had a question about the Poly. After reading your update, you are the perfect person to ask!!! We have an ADR at Kona Cafe right before MNSSHP at MK. My first question is -- how far do you have to walk to get to the monorail station at the Poly from the main building? And how long does it take to get to MK? I'm assuming its around 5 minutes since its right there on the monorail loop. I was using Google Earth to find alot of information last night & it is so neat to "see" Disney & the beautiful palm trees & resorts/parks when its so rainy/cold here!

I just signed up for Tour Guide Mike the other night! I am already a member of Touring Plans and love using the info on there, so I can't wait to see what both of the sites have to say!!! I just plan out park days & then we each decide on 1 thing per day that we "have" to do & a few things that we'd like to do if we have the time.

I know I am in the minority, but I love riding the Tea Cups! I always make sure that we ride it prior to eating because I don't want to get sick & I prefer to only spin a little bit! Your pictures were sooo funny -- there is Jeremy laughing & loving it and then you look so bored!

What a wonderful picture of your husband & Jeremy on Dumbo!!!! You should definitely frame that one! Kids grow up soooo fast!

I am soooo sad to see ToonTown leaving as well!!! I really hope that they move the houses somewhere else on property so I can at least visit them. Maybe they could find a way to incorporate them (or parts of them) into the new Art of Animation resort? Michelle suggested that I visit Disneyland to see their ToonTown because its so much better than the one at WDW -- and I definitely plan on doing that someday!!!!!!!

It is really bittersweet! I love looking at the construction walls & updates to see pictures & progress of the new rides & restaurants! I think it will be really neat. My favorite 3 Disney movies when I was growing up were Snow White, Beauty & the Beast, and the Little Mermaid! So, since all 3 of those are being incorporated into the new expansion, I'm sure I will love it. But I'm still so sad to see ToonTown go. It was one of my favorite parts of MK! I can't imagine walking through MK and not visiting the houses. At least you were able to get some really great "last pictures" of the houses & barnstormer!!!

I hope you & your family had a Happy Easter!!! I can't wait to hear more about both of your trips!!! I love your combined PTR and TR!!!

 

[teachermommy78]

Have you posted ADRs or park days on this PTR yet? I want to see if we overlap at all. If so, I'll find it. I just didn't want to search if it wasn't on here!