For the First Time in Forever-

[mdsouth]

Joining in. Looks like a great start to the trip so far. I am all for leaving the cold and heading for the warmth although my Jan trip did not work well. Traded sigle digits for 40's and 50's which although warmer was not as warm as I would have liked it to be. Only able to swim one day for a few hours when we briefly made it into the 60's. Most of the time we were in jackets with hats and gloves on. Didn't feel like FL. Looking forward to reading along.

Happy to have you join me! Like you, swimming was a hit and miss when I was there. Our arrival day was the warmest day. We went swimming two days, one was pleasant and the other day was chilly. I pretty much hovered in the hot tub with the other adults while the kids swam in the big pool. I tried to swim with my DD but it was chilly.

You will see in our pictures going from just shirt and shorts to jeans and a light to medium jacket.

So when do you plan to return? Will you be staying onsite?

 

[Pluto0809]

I'm here! Sounds like a wonderful trip so far. I loved seeing the pictures of POFQ since I will be staying there for the first time in 11 days.

I can't wait to see if I might be in some of your pictures from your AK day. We were also in MK on Valentine's Day. I think that was the day you said your son marched? What time was that? We definitely did not see a parade at all that day so I'm thinking it might have been in the late afternoon/ early evening when we were back in the room for a few hours.

 

[mdsouth]

I'm here! Sounds like a wonderful trip so far. I loved seeing the pictures of POFQ since I will be staying there for the first time in 11 days.

I can't wait to see if I might be in some of your pictures from your AK day. We were also in MK on Valentine's Day. I think that was the day you said your son marched? What time was that? We definitely did not see a parade at all that day so I'm thinking it might have been in the late afternoon/ early evening when we were back in the room for a few hours.

Thanks for your reply. Have fun at PORFQ and stop back in and let me know what building your room is in.

My son's band marched on Valentine's Day in MK at 10:00 am. The parade started by the fire station on Main Street, went around the hub and then up Main Street. They went by the castle and then went across the bridge into Liberty Square and ended up in Adventureland near Splash Mountain.

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 7 – Soaking in the Magic of Magic Kingdom!

It seemed like it was only a matter of minutes before our bus arrived at the Magic Kingdom! We were finally here! There were lots of people heading into the park and many didn’t have a clue how to match up their Mickey heads on their Magic Bands with the one on the post. It was anguishing to stand there and wait. I was basically, hopping up and down on the balls of my feet. Finally, it was our turn and we breeze right through!
The first half an hour or so, we just took our time strolling along Main Street U.S.A. We knew we wanted to buy our Mickey ears, so we went to the little hat shop, The Chapeau on the corner of Main Street right next to the Confectionary.
We had a lot of fun picking out just the right ones for us. I just couldn’t decide between a hat with Minnie ears or just one of the headbands with Minnie ears. I regretted not getting any on my last trip in 2009, and since I am a middle school teacher, I figured I would always be able to find a reason to wear them later, so I bought both! Crazy, I know, but I really thought about this trip each and every day for four plus years, and I just wanted to splurge a little! I had my name embroidered on the back as Mrs. S. since my last name was too long to fit and I didn’t want my first name on it if I would wear it to school.



Haley surprised me by her selection of a Peter Pan hat. She saw it and it really called out to her. I was a bit surprised since she has never really talked about loving Peter Pan. We were heading to Peter Pan first, so perhaps she had that in mind when she picked it out. She also got a Minnie ears headband to wear too.

 

[librarygeek]

What a gorgeous view you had from your room! Great upgrade!

And that pic with Peter Pan is adorable. I love her hat!

 

[gracer9977]

Happy to have you join me! Like you, swimming was a hit and miss when I was there. Our arrival day was the warmest day. We went swimming two days, one was pleasant and the other day was chilly. I pretty much hovered in the hot tub with the other adults while the kids swam in the big pool. I tried to swim with my DD but it was chilly.

You will see in our pictures going from just shirt and shorts to jeans and a light to medium jacket.

So when do you plan to return? Will you be staying onsite?

I am hoping to go back sometime in 2017 or 2018. Depends on how much I can save up and when I get the money put aside. I would really like to go in November next time to see the Christmas decorations. But will have to see. We always stay onsite and I am hoping to be able to save enough to go Deluxe next time.

Love the Minnie ears. I really wish I had gotten ears and had them embroidered but I never did it. Maybe next time. I know what you mean about just buying both. I got a Maleficent headband and the glow ears last time. I have no place I would ever be able to wear them but they look nice on my shelf.

 

[mdsouth]

I am hoping to go back sometime in 2017 or 2018. Depends on how much I can save up and when I get the money put aside. I would really like to go in November next time to see the Christmas decorations. But will have to see. We always stay onsite and I am hoping to be able to save enough to go Deluxe next time. Love the Minnie ears. I really wish I had gotten ears and had them embroidered but I never did it. Maybe next time. I know what you mean about just buying both. I got a Maleficent headband and the glow ears last time. I have no place I would ever be able to wear them but they look nice on my shelf.

I am with you in the earliest I will be back is 2017 or 2018. We should start a 2017-2018 planning thread and keep each other company with our dream versus reality trips. I am sure there are others who will join us. The Dis is filled with people planning way far out.

With Halloween a few weeks away, you could possibly put your Maleficent headband or glow ears to use. Throw a party or just dress up the night of Halloween and wear them. That is what I plan to do.

I will have an update tomorrow with more of Magic Kingdom and photos.
It is marching band and basketball season around here so life has been crazy

 

[mdsouth]

What a gorgeous view you had from your room! Great upgrade! And that pic with Peter Pan is adorable. I love her hat!

Thanks! The room was great. I really liked having the view when I woke up each morning at my usual time around five am and my daughter would still be asleep for three hours or so. I could sit at the table and look out or I would go outside and stand at the balcony

While in the parks, lots of people would stop and ask us where we got her Peter Pan hat. So it was a hit!

 

[gracer9977]

I am with you in the earliest I will be back is 2017 or 2018. We should start a 2017-2018 planning thread and keep each other company with our dream versus reality trips. I am sure there are others who will join us. The Dis is filled with people planning way far out.

I actually did start a 2017/2018 thread because I need to be able to talk about it.

I don't know how to link it here but if you search for "Who's already planning for 2017 or 2018" it will bring up my thread.

I probably will wear my Maleficent headband a few times around Halloween. We usually have a Halloween party every year but had to cancel it this year, just too much other stuff going on.

Looking forward to your next update.

 

[ariane37]

With Halloween a few weeks away, you could possibly put your Maleficent headband or glow ears to use. Throw a party or just dress up the night of Halloween and wear them. That is what I plan to do.

This is what I plan to do!! We attended the first MNSSHP this year on 9/1, and I bought a MNSSHP shirt and Halloween ears. I plan to wear both for
DS8's class Halloween party (I'm a room mom) and again at night when we go trick-or-treating

 

[mdsouth]

I actually did start a 2017/2018 thread because I need to be able to talk about it.

I don't know how to link it here but if you search for "Who's already planning for 2017 or 2018" it will bring up my thread.

I probably will wear my Maleficent headband a few times around Halloween. We usually have a Halloween party every year but had to cancel it this year, just too much other stuff going on.

Looking forward to your next update.

I will definitely join your 2017-18 thread! It will be fun.

This is what I plan to do!! We attended the first MNSSHP this year on 9/1, and I bought a MNSSHP shirt and Halloween ears. I plan to wear both for
DS8's class Halloween party (I'm a room mom) and again at night when we go trick-or-treating

Dressing up for your son's class party as room mom is a great idea!

Last spring, the high school had a fundraiser that showed Frozen on the big screen and had snow cones in the concession area. I went with my DD and we both wore our Mickey ears! We were the only ones with any on but who cares! Any chance I get, I pull them out.

I am writing the update right now. So, I should have it posted in about an hour or less.

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 8 – MK Part 2 - Off to Neverland!


While we waited for our ears to be engraved, we visited the cart by the front entrance to get Haley an autograph book and a pair of sunglasses for me since I had left mine back at home or in the room. I picked out a pair of sunglasses with sparkly Mickey heads on the sides. The lens part is a bit big on my face as you can see in some of the pictures we took later in the week.




We picked up our ears and headed straight to Fantasyland! It was fairly busy but nothing like the huge crowds we normally see in the summer when we are there. Here is a picture of Haley so you can judge the crowds yourself.



It was really pleasant weather wise, a perfect day to be at Disney. Haley was comfortable in her shorts and a light jacket, and I had on short sleeves, no jacket and jeans. I just really enjoyed walking around the parks without sweating the moment you step outdoors!

We both fell in love with the new Rapunzel area of Fantasyland. It was as if we were actually in the village scene from the movie, Tangled. Tangled, is currently my favorite Disney princess movies. I just love how Rapunzel took things into her own hands and defended herself instead of just standing around waiting for the guy to take care of things. If you haven’t seen this movie, you must! It is filled with lots of funny scenes. It is very entertaining!




We were about five to seven minutes early for our fast pass time at Peter Pan so the CM made us wait. We just hung out in the area and took a few pictures and came back since we didn’t have enough time to really do anything else first.





We returned and still had about a minute before our time. We just waited at the gate and the CM ushered people past us while we waited. During our entire trip, the CMs were really following the times on the fast passes. I think this was because the whole Fast Pass Plus with the Magic Bands was still fairly new.

We hopped into our flying ship and headed to Neverland! I just love the very first scene when we head through the bedroom window and up into the night sky over London. I hope they never change this ride! It is just classic Walt! I also love that each time I ride it, I make new memories that are tightly connected to my childhood memories of coming to WDW for the first time and riding it with my mom and dad and siblings.
After Peter Pan, we rode It’s a Small World, and watched Mickey’s Philharmagic.





Up Next: Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 9 – Wild, Wild West

It was almost time for our next fast pass, Thunder Mountain Railroad. So, we headed to Frontierland.


Haley had an absolute blast! The stand-by line wasn’t very long so we immediately went on it again. I am really not very big on roller coasters but I love this one and can handle it well. It seems like we rode it three times but I really don’t remember.
 
We then headed back to Fantasyland to our last fast pass of the day, Under the Sea with the Little Mermaid. This was a new ride for us to experience since it was not open the last time we were at WDW in 2009.


It was very cute! The music is just so lively and upbeat and you just have to love, Ursela and her “body language”!

This is a photo that one of the Disney photographers took of us. It is perhaps my favorite photo of just my DD and I together from the entire trip. I thought the background and the lighting during that time of day, at dusk, really made it a nice picture.

Up Next: Our dinner at the Crystal Palace with Pooh and Friends

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 10- Crystal Palace Dinner with Pooh and Friends

During my planning stage, back in October, the special discount, Play, Stay and Dine came out. So, I had changed my regular room only reservation to a package that had originally started on Thursday. Then in December I added additional days to my trip, making me arrive on Sunday instead of Thursday. Since the extra days were at the beginning of my trip, I made a room only reservation at AoA Little Mermaid. Eventually, when the dates of my trip got closer, I changed my plans once again and added the package to the entire trip so that I was able to stay the entire seven nights at the same resort, PORFQ and it allowed me to make Fast Pass Plus reservations for my entire trip. This gave me lots of extra table service credits at the beginning of the trip to use since we had my husband's credits to use that he would not use until he arrived on Thursday.

I had decided that I wanted to reserve something for dinner Sunday night at Magic Kingdom since I figured we would not get to the park until mid afternoon and the park was scheduled to close at 1 am. I figured, it would be best if we just stayed inside the park for dinner. I had only been to the the Crystal Palace once and that was when I was a kid and there were no characters.

I am glad I made reservations, even for a slow time. Sunday, Feb. 9th had been predicted to be a low crowd day but even so, there was a few guests walking up to the podium and being turned away or told it would be a long wait that night. Our reservation was at 7:10. We arrived about fifteen minutes early and had to wait about five to ten minutes before our table was ready.

We sat down and placed our drink order. Since Piglet was already stopping by tables in our area, Haley got out her autograph book and we waited to see Piglet before heading to the buffet.

 

[vleeth]

I can't imagine living in a place that has below zero temperatures! It must have been amazing to be at Disney while your friends and family are freezing back home.

I enjoy reading trip reports about Port Orleans because I live an hour from New Orleans.

 

[mdsouth]

I can't imagine living in a place that has below zero temperatures! It must have been amazing to be at Disney while your friends and family are freezing back home. I enjoy reading trip reports about Port Orleans because I live an hour from New Orleans.

It felt so nice to get a break from all the cold and snow.

I have never been to New Orleans but it is now on my bucket list. I just found the cobblestone streets and old world charm so nice at PORFQ that I am going to have to visit the real thing!

 

[mdsouth]

Chapter 11 – Continuation of Dinner with Pooh and Friends

My daughter was ten years old at the time of the trip. She is a very picky eater and is very skinny for her height and age. It is something that her doctor and I have been watching closely for several years. She is at a 98% for her height, meaning out of 100 girls her age, she is taller than 98 of them. But she is under the 5% range for weight, around three percent. So, out of the same 100 girls only two weigh less than her. The doctor wants her to gain weight so that she can fight off any illness she might have. I am always trying to find things she will eat as well as looking for new foods that she will try. Ever since she was a toddler, she struggles to eat foods with certain textures. When I planned this trip, I looked closely at the menus to make sure there would be something that she would eat at each place.

I chose Crystal Palace since it is a buffet and there was a children’s buffet with mac and cheese on it. Mac and cheese is her favorite food and I knew she would at least eat that if nothing else. She exclusively drinks white milk or water only. She has never drunk a full glass of anything else. I have tried all sorts of juices in all sorts of diluted forms but she will not drink anything but white milk, water or a vanilla shake. I have also tried the Boost vanilla shakes but she does not like the taste. Again, I tried to mix it with regular milk but with no luck. If anyone is reading this report has had success getting a picky eater to expand his or her diet, please share. I would appreciate it.

At the Crystal Palace dinner, Haley mostly ate mac and cheese. I did get her to eat some green beans and a roll too.





I realized at dinner that Haley was about all done in for the day. I had hoped that the dinner itself would give her a boost of energy so we could stay and watch Wishes. But it was not to be. It had been a long travel day for us and so we headed back to PORFQ. I was sad that we didn’t stay for Wishes but I knew I had one more chance to see them later in the week when my husband and son would be there too.

 

[jwwi]

Found your TR on the POFQ site. Yeah for the upgrade! It will be fun to see all the things you do with Haley before the rest of your family arrives. Thank you for teaching the teenagers, it takes a special person to be able to do that daily!

 

[mdsouth]

Found your TR on the POFQ site. Yeah for the upgrade! It will be fun to see all the things you do with Haley before the rest of your family arrives. Thank you for teaching the teenagers, it takes a special person to be able to do that daily!

Thanks for the sweet comment. I think we, junior high teachers, must be a bit crazy too. Tee Hee But I really do enjoy working with teenagers. I might not like all the choices they make, so I just have to keep that in mine. And I really can't see myself doing anything else.

As for Haley and I we end up spending two days at Animal Kingdom since she loves animals so much! The next installment will be our Epcot day and lunch with the princesses.

 

[mdsouth]

Found your TR on the POFQ site. Yeah for the upgrade! It will be fun to see all the things you do with Haley before the rest of your family arrives. Thank you for teaching the teenagers, it takes a special person to be able to do that daily!

I forgot to ask, jwwi, are you planning a trip to PORFQ soon? I know I am ready to back!