No Sleep Till Brooklyn! WDW Road Trip July 2012! UPDATE 8/31/12 (DHS!)

[it's kelly]

Goodness gracious flashbacks! Pofolks. How I used to love going there as a kid and having moon pies. Brought back memories. I grew up in S.Fl and now live in Brooklyn. Many family dinners at Pofolks.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Goodness gracious flashbacks! Pofolks. How I used to love going there as a kid and having moon pies. Brought back memories. I grew up in S.Fl and now live in Brooklyn. Many family dinners at Pofolks.

Oh wow, where in Brooklyn do you live? Po Folks still has that same feeling to it when I walk in there...we're talking about returning to Tampa again in 2 years before going to WDW, and we will definitely eat at Po Folks again if we are back in Tampa! I did see moon pies being sold at the Cracker Barrel store in Georgia. I don't recall them being at Po Folks, but Eric and I split Mississippi mud pie and it was delicious. The boys just had ice cream, they didn't want anything else.

 

[it's kelly]

I'm in Bay Ridge.

The Pofolks in Davie had a counter when you walked in and they had the Moonpies in there. I don't think they were ever on the menu. If I ever make it to Tampa, I will stop there for sure!

 

[CatNipRules]

I love your day at DHS. It looks like you had an amazing time. I'm not sure that I could ever get my boys to eat at H&V.

I am amazed at the people that show up without ADR's to the more popular restaurants and expect to get seated. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been sitting waiting to get seated and then get upset at the cast members because they can't.

I'm totally with you on showing up on time. It makes me wonder if people are on time for their real life or if they expect everyone to wait for them. LOL!!

Can't wait to read more!! Great report so far!!

 

[bangzoom6877]

I'm in Bay Ridge.

The Pofolks in Davie had a counter when you walked in and they had the Moonpies in there. I don't think they were ever on the menu. If I ever make it to Tampa, I will stop there for sure!

I'm not too far from Bay Ridge...I'm near Kings Plaza, in Marine Park. There are some restaurants we really love in Bay Ridge...Plaka Taverna (Greek food) on 86th and 4th Ave, is a tiny little place but has delicious Greek food...they also have a take-out window. We also love Casa Pepe for Spanish and Mexican food (great sangria!), Bay Ridge Ave and Colonial Rd. Then of course for a more upscale place there's Chadwick's on 3rd Ave. (steakhouse). And I love Tanoreen (Middle Eastern food) on 3rd Ave!

They still have the counter where they sell nostalgic snacks and candy at Po Folks. They must have had Moon Pies, I just didn't look for them. The one we went to is in St. Petersburg, about a half hour drive from the hotel we stayed at in Tampa...the Embassy Suites Tampa/Brandon.

I love your day at DHS. It looks like you had an amazing time. I'm not sure that I could ever get my boys to eat at H&V.

I am amazed at the people that show up without ADR's to the more popular restaurants and expect to get seated. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been sitting waiting to get seated and then get upset at the cast members because they can't.

I'm totally with you on showing up on time. It makes me wonder if people are on time for their real life or if they expect everyone to wait for them. LOL!!

Can't wait to read more!! Great report so far!!

I hear ya...I always wonder if people are just late to everything...work, meetings, weddings, flights, etc. I know that occasionally something comes up, or at WDW they are on a ride or in a show they didn't expect to take so long, but when the vast majority show up that late I feel like it's mostly not due to extenuating circumstances. And I think that's also why people don't like the credit card guarantee and complain about it...they feel like they should just have the right not to show up at a very popular place and not have a penalty for it. I'm sure with extenuating circumstances, Disney *may* understand, like if someone is very ill or something. Whenever we have a reservation for dinner here at home, if we can't make it I always call the restaurant and tell them. It doesn't happen often, but each time it does, the host/hostess on the phone can't stop thanking me because people generally don't call to cancel, they just don't show up. Same thing with something like an appointment at a salon. I've been to a salon before where a stylist or nail technician was waiting for their appointment(s) to show up and had to turn away customers or make them wait because they had someone coming in with an appointment...and the customer would go to someone else or leave due to the wait. And then the person never showed anyway. I don't know, maybe I'm too uptight about these issues, but it makes me so upset to see that someone loses out on a customer when they rely on them to make their living.

 

[it's kelly]

I'm not too far from Bay Ridge...I'm near Kings Plaza, in Marine Park. There are some restaurants we really love in Bay Ridge...Plaka Taverna (Greek food) on 86th and 4th Ave, is a tiny little place but has delicious Greek food...they also have a take-out window. We also love Casa Pepe for Spanish and Mexican food (great sangria!), Bay Ridge Ave and Colonial Rd. Then of course for a more upscale place there's Chadwick's on 3rd Ave. (steakhouse). And I love Tanoreen (Middle Eastern food) on 3rd Ave!

They still have the counter where they sell nostalgic snacks and candy at Po Folks. They must have had Moon Pies, I just didn't look for them. The one we went to is in St. Petersburg, about a half hour drive from the hotel we stayed at in Tampa...the Embassy Suites Tampa/Brandon.


Ah, yes. I'm right near Chadwick's. We go to Plaka sometimes, but I really like Spartan for Greek food (68th & 8th). We have some friends in Marine Park.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Ah, yes. I'm right near Chadwick's. We go to Plaka sometimes, but I really like Spartan for Greek food (68th & 8th). We have some friends in Marine Park.

We will have to try Spartan for Greek food. Always like to try new local places! We also like Athena, in Park Slope. It's a very small restaurant but more upscale than Plaka, excellent service and delicious Greek food. Also very good wine.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! I haven’t reviewed in the last couple of days because we were busy. On Wednesday, we took the boys to Sesame Place. We have season passes (Platinum “Super Grover” level, which also got us into Busch Gardens and Sea World on our Florida trip), for the 4th year in a row now. Usually when we go it’s great, nice and clean and we have a wonderful time with the boys. This time, the whole water park area smelled very bad, like a dirty diaper. This smell was everywhere we went. The bathrooms were also filthy, which is unusual based on all our experiences there. I used 3 different Ladies’ rooms throughout the day, and Eric & the boys used 3 different Men’s rooms…all of them were unusually disgusting. Yesterday morning I wrote a letter to Sesame Place Customer Service about our experience. They do have signs posted that say all children who are not toilet-trained must wear swim diapers. But, I think it’s time they post signs all over the place reminding people that they need to change their childen’s diapers once they are soiled. I feel bad for their lifeguards in those areas, that they have to breathe that in all day. We left the park early and didn’t stay for dinner because of how gross it was. Seriously, while I know Sesame Place can’t control people’s behaviors or parenting styles, people really need to change their children’s diapers once they are soiled…it is bad for the child to leave them that way and bad for everyone else because it’s how germs spread. I have been in line at WDW before Jonathan was potty-trained, and he soiled his diaper so I got out of line to change him, then either missed the attraction or went back, to the end of the line. You do what you gotta do.

Yesterday we went to see a Staten Island Yankee game (minor league). They have these deals in the summer for certain games, where you get your ticket, a value meal at Wendy’s, a free baseball cap and a jersey to the first 2500 people, all for $10. Can’t beat that deal! We used the voucher to eat at Wendy’s before the game, and we got to the stadium early enough to get the free jerseys. It was a lot of fun…Staten Island Yankees won and they had fireworks when the game ended! The kids had a great time and so did we.

I’m here to tell everyone about the surprise for the boys in the evening, which was the same day we had gone to DHS. This was something I had booked months and months before the trip. And we kept it from the boys until we arrived there…it’s the Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage!

When I booked this special event, the CM on the phone told me to arrive at the Contemporary Resort for the pre-fireworks cruise party at 8:45pm. We had dinner at Kona Café in the Polynesian Resort at 6:30pm (review is in my dining report!), then we still had an hour to kill before having to be at the nearby Contemporary. We went to Captain Cook’s for Dole Whips for me and the boys (Eric had dessert at Kona), and then we headed over to the Contemporary. We drove over to the Contemporary and walked into the lobby at 8:40pm, and even though we were 5 minutes earlier than the arrival time the CM had given me, I felt like we were late. Eric assured me that it is OK to be on time instead of early too! We headed upstairs to the Conference Center (second floor), to discover that the party had begun at 8:30pm. The CM at the podium knew exactly who we were, and said our last name before we had the chance. I apologized and told him that the CM told me the arrival and start time was 8:45pm…he said it was no problem and checked us in. He gave us Pirate bandanas, and the boys were very excited for their surprise!

When we walked in, there was a dessert party going on, and Captain Hook & Mr. Smee were there. I knew about the dessert party, but we were too stuffed to eat anything. The boys were just in awe of the whole thing and didn’t even care that there were treats there. We went strictly for the experience, not the food. I grabbed a cup of decaf at one point and added some hazelnut syrup, but that’s it. I did manage to get this pic of a beautiful cake they had on display:

They had pieces of cake already cut up, and the CM offered me one but I told him I was too full from dinner. He told me I should take a piece anyway, but I declined. He was very nice.

There was just a short line to meet Captain Hook & Mr. Smee, and take photos with them, so we got right in line. While waiting, I was talking to a very nice lady in front of me, who was there with her 5-year-old son and her mother. They were also DVC members and we were talking about how much trip planning we do, and how much we love WDW. She told me that when she booked the Pirates & Pals Voyage, the CM told her to arrive at 8:45pm. She called the same day as the voyage to confirm, and they told her they recently changed the time to 8:30pm instead. It would have been nice to get a message from them or something once they changed the time…they get your phone number when you book so it would have probably been easy for them to send out a mass voice-mail. It’s OK though…it’s not like we missed out on anything, just 10 minutes less at that party. At one point, Eric went outside the room to buy the boys pirate swords, as a little gift. I think they cost $5 each.

We reached the front within about 10 minutes, and we got to meet Captain Hook & Mr. Smee for the first time! The boys were very excited. I purposely wore a Tinkerbell shirt, and Captain Hook noticed right away. He wanted me to cover up her face in the picture, but I told him no, and that he needs to be nicer. We took this family pic:

After the line was finished for photos, Captain Hook & Mr. Smee were walking around the party. Then, it was Limbo time! Captain Hook & Mr. Smee controlled the limbo stick and it was very funny. Captain Hook kept putting it right on the floor and the CMs were “yelling” at him. The boys participated and had a lot of fun.

Soon it was time for the voyage. We got a 10-minute warning, so everyone could use the rest room. When we checked in, the CM told us this would happen, as there are no rest rooms on the boat. So Eric took the boys, and then in came our pirates who were going to lead us to our boats. There were 2 groups, and we received our ticket with the boat name and seating assignment when we had first arrived. I like it that they assigned seats, so it was more relaxed instead of a mad dash to get whatever seat you want. This made it very organized and fair. We were on the “Hook” boat, and the other boat was “Smee”. The pirates were joking around with each other about whose boat was better and who had the cooler people. We “Hook” boat passengers were now referred to as “Hookies” and the “Smee” passengers were referred to as the “Smeeple”. The boys found all of this fun and entertaining. The pirates reminded us that there are no rest rooms on the boats, and made everyone repeat this statement. He gave another 5 minutes to use the rest room if needed, and then we were on our way to the boats.

The boat ride was wonderful. They took attendance (in a fun way of course), and then we were off. Our first stop was to see the Electric Water Pageant, which has been a Disney World tradition since it first opened in 1971. I have always wanted to see this, but we never made it over. This was beautiful and we had a fantastic view! A couple of pics for you:

Then, we were off for a ride over to see Wishes Fireworks. On the ride, we sang Disney songs together, and we had some Disney trivia. At this point, we hadn’t answered any questions (didn’t get picked yet). We stopped in the middle of Seven Seas Lagoon, and we had a terrific view of the Magic Kingdom. Shortly, the lights on the boat went out and Wishes was about to start. They piped in the music, and it was just a beautiful show, incorporating all the Disney movies and the fireworks were timed just perfectly…well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Disney! Here are some beautiful pics:

On the ride back, we played more Disney trivia. Philip won a pirate beach ball, but Jonathan was upset that he didn’t win anything. Eric and I explained to him that he should be happy for his brother, and you can’t always win a prize. He was still upset. On the way out, the pirate that was leading us gave Jonathan a pirate hat as a prize.

Unfortunately, my phone died right before the end. So I didn’t get a pic of the surprise that awaited us when we arrived back at the Contemporary. It was Peter Pan!!!!! The boys were so excited to meet him. They even got to “sword fight” with him a little!

The Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage was so much fun, especially since Philip and Jonathan are so into Peter Pan. There aren’t any character meals with the Peter Pan characters, so this was a fun and relaxing way to see them, as well as Wishes. It was so nice to be able to see the fireworks without having to fight our way out of a crowded park with 2 little kids. We are so glad we took the boys to do this.

Up next: No park until late in the day...but a nice activity after a late breakfast at Kona! Stay tuned for more...

 

[RHMH]

That looks like a lot of good wholesome fun, love the light parade on the water and the view of the fireworks. We are very excited to experience the firewaorks from the beach of the Poly resort.

 

[bangzoom6877]

That looks like a lot of good wholesome fun, love the light parade on the water and the view of the fireworks. We are very excited to experience the firewaorks from the beach of the Poly resort.

I think next time I would like to eat at Kona, walk around the Polynesian Resort, do some shopping, have a Dole Whip, and watch the Electric Water Pageant and fireworks from there. It seems like such a relaxing way to see everything, also without all the craziness of leaving MK with the masses and fighting to get to the bus and on the bus. We do talk about taking the boys to the Electrical Parade next time though...and then leaving before the fireworks begin. Or maybe go on an EMH night and go on rides during the fireworks, and then leave after the initial crowd leaves. I can't believe we're almost at the point that we're considering evening EMH...they will be 7 and 9 when we go again in 2014, and I think they will be able to handle it as long as we don't have to get up early the next morning. But then I worry that the park would be VERY crowded during the parade...we'll see, plenty of time to work that out!

 

[bangzoom6877]

And here comes another day!

Since the Pirates & Pals Fireworks Voyage ended around 11pm, I did not schedule an early morning the day after. I booked a 10am ADR (late for us) at Kona for breakfast. Review is already on my dining report…it was VERY good at Kona!

This was the day that my parents, my sister, my nieces, and my sister’s boyfriend were arriving to stay for 4 nights at the Dolphin Resort. We were very excited to see them! Philip and Jonathan are very close with their cousins and grandparents because we live so close to each other (I live 4 blocks from my parents, and my sister lives across the street from my parents!), and we are a very close-knit family. We really enjoy spending time with each other, it is truly a pleasure and not because of obligation. I feel like this is very rare, and we are so lucky to have this relationship with them. My parents bring all 4 kids to and from school every day, and my mom watched all of them when they were babies (before my dad retired). We are all truly blessed!

The rest of the family drove from NY down to Virginia and took the auto train…where you put your car on Amtrak and ride down, a 17-hour ride overnight. They include dinner (with free wine!) and breakfast. However, they get very little sleep on the auto train. They took it round trip last time. This time, we were all going to drive home together so they only took the auto train to get there.

I had gotten in touch with my dad when we were on the way down to Florida, because Eric had left his gift card for the ride-along at the Richard Petty Driving Experience that I gave him for Father’s Day. This was before they left home, so we called my dad and told him where it was at home, he found it at our house and said he would bring it to us. That was why we ended up at DTD on arrival day. While we were at breakfast, my dad called to tell me they were almost at the Dolphin. I told him I was going to call him when we are done with breakfast, and we would meet him wherever they are at that time. As it turned out, they had to check in and check the luggage, and when we finished eating they were still at the Dolphin. We met up with them outside the Dolphin, and it was so nice to see each other. All the kids were very excited. We had explained to the boys that we had to go do something first and then we would see them again right after. They were heading to DTD, so I told them I would call them when we are finished and we would meet them there if they are not back yet. And we were on our merry way to the Walt Disney World Speedway.

When we arrived, we found out that they now do a junior ride-along, for children who are 48 inches tall and up. We knew at this point that Philip was already 48 inches…so we were strongly considering this for him. I was very concerned and nervous. I asked the guy inside about a dozen times if he is sure this is safe for a child his size, and he kept reassuring me. I don’t know what possessed me (because I am usually very cautious and paranoid), but I was OK with it. Eric was fine with it too, I was the one who was questioning about it. So, we decided to let him do it. It costs $59. Adults normally cost $89 but I got Eric’s gift card all the way back on Black Friday (yes, I shop that far in advance sometimes! ), and it was also only $59! Even with a DVC discount off the regular non-discounted price (20%) this was a better deal so I couldn’t pass it up.

First, Eric and Philip both had to suit up for their ride-alongs. Eric was going first. Here he is, all dressed, with his helmet and neck brace on, ready to go!

And here’s the car he went in, a Ford Fusion…

He said they hit speeds close to 200mph! He loved it and was so glad he got to do this. It was 3 laps around, with the second lap being the fastest of course. Next it was Philip’s turn and I was REALLY nervous. But he was very excited to go:

It’s funny, because Philip got to ride in a Dodge Charger, the kind of car my father used to race (a 1969) back in the early 1970s! When I told my dad this, he was so excited for Philip. Here’s the car Philip got to ride in:

Philip & Jonathan by the car Philip rode in:

And a pic of both Eric and Philip after both of them were done:

It seemed as though Philip’s car went slower than Eric’s. Still very fast, but not as fast. He was perfectly safe and really enjoyed doing this. But Eric and I agreed this was a one-time thing, for now. It’s not a must-do on every trip, but maybe something for years into the future, like when the boys are college age!
They record the ride-along with a camera that is fixed inside the car, focusing on the passenger and driver, as well as a camera on the outside of the front of the car. You can buy the video, so we bought Philip’s. They give it to you on a flash drive. We also bought the professional photos they took of each of them, and had them put onto a plaque for each one. These are very nice. I forgot how much everything cost, but I remember the prices being very reasonable.

After we were done at the Speedway, I called my father. They were finishing up lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD. We went there and met up with them. They enjoyed their lunch very much, and they had gone to the World of Disney store before lunch to get Mickey ears. Everyone looked very cute! One of my nieces just graduated elementary school, so my sister surprised her and had the back of her Mickey ears embroidered with her name and “Class of 2012”. She was very happy!

We walked around DTD for a little while, went in and out of some stores, and we took the kids into Goofy’s Candy Company to see it. Then we all headed back to our resorts. The rooms were ready at the Dolphin (my sister received a text from them), so they were heading back there to go in the pool, relax and change. We can’t pool hop to the Dolphin, but our concierge told me that they could come visit us at the Boardwalk and use the pool as our guests. So we decided we would do that another day. We set it up so we would meet on the Boardwalk, in front of the Screen Door General Store, at 4:30 so we could all walk to Epcot and go to Garden Grill for our dinner ADR. We went back to BWV to relax for a little bit, and we were a little hungry at this point, so the boys ended up having Uncrustables from the Boardwalk To Go stand, and Eric & I shared a very large sandwich from BW Bakery. We ate in the villa and then we just relaxed.

We met up with everyone at 4:30 on the Boardwalk, and we all walked over to Epcot together. We went to dinner at Garden Grill (soon to be in my dining report, but we liked it!), and then since there was no line, we went on Living with the Land. The kids all enjoyed the ride, and Philip & Jonathan were excited to share it with their cousins, since they enjoyed it so much on our first Epcot day. Everyone (except the 4 of us) was so exhausted from traveling and very little sleep on the train, so we decided to call it a night. We had an early morning ahead of us (no EMH though), so going to bed early was also a good idea for the boys and us. We walked back to the Boardwalk, and the rest of the family took the boat to the Dolphin. We said we would meet at 8:30am at the International Gateway to go to Epcot the following morning. It hadn’t rained for a few days at this point…very unusual for Florida in the summer! Oh wait…we always end up hitting rain at MK and we didn’t on our first day there, so we could only look forward to it when we returned there, right? If you stick around, I will get to it eventually and you will find out!

Anyway, we got back to the villa, and we watched the fireworks from our balcony. We went to bed early so we could get a fresh start the day after for Epcot!

Up next: a full day at Epcot with the whole family! Stay tuned…

 

[scottny]

Great update and pics.

The cruise sounds wonderful. We did one last year but just a regular one and it was amazing seeing the fireworks from the lake.

Wow! Nice he got to ride in the car.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Great update and pics.

The cruise sounds wonderful. We did one last year but just a regular one and it was amazing seeing the fireworks from the lake.

Wow! Nice he got to ride in the car.

Oh yes, we loved the view of the fireworks from the boat. It was beautiful!

Philip was very happy that he got to do the ride-along. He really enjoyed it. The funny thing is, the first DHS day after he went on Rock 'n' Rollercoaster for the first time, he said it was too fast at the beginning and that scared him. But he did love going upside down. After the ride-along, Eric asked him if he would go back on Rock 'n' Rollercoaster when our nieces go with us, and he said yes!!!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

have never read an in depth review of the pirate and pals cruise it looks amazing. wish my two were a little younger and could still appreciate it :

 

[CatNipRules]

Oh!! I love the cruise!! I would love to do that sometime!!

It looks like the boys all had fun doing the RPE.... It would be interesting to see my guys do it also.

I love how your family is so close knit.

 

[bangzoom6877]

have never read an in depth review of the pirate and pals cruise it looks amazing. wish my two were a little younger and could still appreciate it :

It was a lot of fun! How old are your kids? They might still enjoy it, and the view of the fireworks is incredible!

Oh!! I love the cruise!! I would love to do that sometime!!

It looks like the boys all had fun doing the RPE.... It would be interesting to see my guys do it also.

I love how your family is so close knit.

The fireworks cruise was a lot of fun...very entertaining, and all the adults seemed to be enjoying it just as much as the kids.

We are very lucky to have such a close knit family. We are raising our boys with the same values, and no matter where they end up living when they grow up, I hope to be as close with them and I am now with my parents and sister. I think one major thing my parents did was that they were always supportive of our endeavors, even if they didn't necessarily agree with them, like when I wanted to be an actress and went into college as a theatre major. I know that didn't make them too happy, but they were fully supportive of me and that meant a lot. Same thing earlier in high school, when I was considering going to beauty school to become a cosmetologist. They looked at schools with me, we went through all the literature together, and they told me how proud they were of me. I think that is the key. I always tell the boys that no matter where they go in life, they should be happy and do something that makes them happy, because enjoying your career is priceless and a very important thing. It's the same way my sister and I grew up.

 

[bangzoom6877]

For our second full day at Epcot, it was not an EMH morning. So the park opening time was 9am. We woke up at 7am, had breakfast in the villa, and relaxed before heading out. We met up with the rest of the family at the Int’l Gateway. We walked over, and they all took the boat from the Dolphin. We arrived about 2 minutes before they did! They all said they had a great night’s sleep and they really loved the Dolphin. They were very happy to get some much needed rest, after getting very little sleep on the auto train.

The plan was to enter the park, I would collect everyone’s tickets and get Fastpasses for Soarin’. This time, they allowed us to enter at 8:50, 10 minutes before official park opening time. But, no rope drop show, at least not for us. I don’t know if they still do a rope drop show at Epcot at normal opening time, but if they do then I missed it. I remember in 2010, we also entered the park a little before official opening, but we got to see the rope drop show. However, on the walk, I got this lovely picture!

By the time I walked over to Soarin’, there was a pretty significant standby line. Everyone was trying to run in front of each other, and of course the huge crowd went right to the escalator to go down once inside the Land pavilion, but I walked to the right instead and walked down a nearly empty staircase. Even though it was on the opposite side of the pavilion than Soarin’ was, I still got there before a lot of people that were crowding onto the escalator.

Most people were going right for the standby line, but I went to the fastpass machine. There are several machines, but there was a line at the first 2 so I went to an empty machine at the end. Our fastpass return time was 9:40am-10:40am, perfect!

I had told everyone else to meet me at Spaceship Earth so we could ride it, and then we were heading to The Seas pavilion. We had no line for Spaceship Earth, and we emailed ourselves the outcome of the ride. We had a lot of fun with all the kids in the Project Tomorrow area after getting off the ride. Spaceship Earth continues to be a family favorite!

Afterwards, we headed to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. There was no line to get on the ride, but you have to go through the “maze” indoors to get to the ride…it is fixed there so it’s not like other roped lines where CMs can move the ropes depending on how long the line is. No problem, we walked through and made our way to the front, with no line in front of us. We went on the ride, in our clamshells! I rode with my niece Sarah (11 years old) and my son Jonathan. Each clamshell seats up to 3 people so we had plenty of room. The ride was a lot of fun, as always. I find this ride to be very cute.

We went to see if we can get into Turtle Talk with Crush right away, but they had just closed the doors when we got there. Everyone decided it would be a great time for a bathroom break. And by now our fastpass time had come up, so we all decided we would go on Soarin’ and then return to the Seas pavilion for Turtle Talk with Crush.

My mom and my sister didn’t want to go on Soarin’, so they waited outside for us. The rest of our group (8 people altogether) went inside the Land pavilion, and we went to the fastpass return area. We waited about 5 minutes until we had our little “pre-show” before getting on the ride. Soarin’ is my favorite ride in all of WDW! I loved it again, as I did a few days before. Philip and Jonathan loved it too, my father loves this ride (except the orange smell, because he can’t stand oranges and their smell…but he sucks it up for this ride because he finds it to be so beautiful!), my nieces love it and enjoyed it once again, Eric loved it again, and it was my sister’s boyfriend’s first time on Soarin’. He is not a roller coaster person, and doesn’t go on big rides, but Soarin’ is very gentle so I explained to him beforehand how the ride works. He was so glad he went…he really enjoyed it!

After Soarin’, we returned to the Seas pavilion. There was a small crowd waiting to go in to see Turtle Talk with Crush, so I knew the wait wouldn’t be too long. Sure enough, after 5 minutes, the doors opened. Even though we had quite a few people ahead of us (so many people pushing and rushing their way in, regardless of who was in front of them…and I’m talking about the adults here), the kids got to sit up front and we got some good seats just a few rows behind where they were sitting on the floor. Turtle Talk was excellent and funny once again. When Crush asked which “little dudes” had questions, Philip got chosen to ask! He asked Crush what he eats. Crush replied that he eats the kelp and seaweed that we saw at the front of the screen. He then asked Philip what he eats, to which Philip replied, “Steak!” Philip received a nice round of applause for his answer…it was so cute!

After Turtle Talk, we headed to the Imagination pavilion. My sister and I still love Figment, no matter how many times we go on the Journey into Imagination ride! We went right onto the ride, no line, and it was a lot of fun as always. Eric said that the song from this ride sticks in his head even more than “It’s a Small World”! We played around for a little bit in the Imagination pavilion, and then we headed into Club Cool. Philip and Jonathan do not drink soda, so they weren’t interested in Club Cool, but my nieces occasionally drink a little soda and they were curious about Coca-Cola products from around the world. They liked trying different ones. I had some of the watermelon soda from China again, which is really great! The only issue we had with Club Cool was that the floor was super sticky, and there was a bad smell in there. So we only stayed long enough to try a couple of things, and then we were on our merry way.

At this point, it was just after 11am, so we decided to take a leisurely stroll from where we were, to the World Showcase. We had a 12pm lunch ADR for San Angel Inn, and we figured we would head to the Mexico pavilion early, shop a little, and see if they can maybe seat us early.

**A bit of a side note here…I forgot to mention in my post from the day before, that after dinner at the Garden Grill we were at the Mexico pavilion for a little bit, and I ended up getting a margarita at La Cava del Tequila. I had wanted to try the avocado margarita for quite some time, so I had one. It was so delicious!!!!! It is frozen, and I always get my margaritas frozen. But this had a little more of a creamy texture from the avocado, plus in addition to the traditional lime in it, there was also a touch of Midori melon liquor. This made it taste very unique, and it was just terrific. Very refreshing too! Eric had gotten a pomegranate margarita and he enjoyed that as well…sorry I don’t have pics of them though.**

OK, now to continue…we did end up getting seated early at San Angel Inn. We checked in there at 11:30 and were seated within 5 minutes. We had a nice lunch here, but no one was in the mood for alcohol so we didn’t drink there…we were looking forward to beer in Germany at dinner though! I will post a review soon in my dining report for SAI lunch!

After lunch, we went on the boat ride. There was no line so we walked right onto the ride. The kids found it cool that we rode right past the restaurant! The ride was very cute, and a lot of fun. Afterwards, we looked around the stores in the Mexico pavilion. Then, we decided it was time to try some churros from the CS in Mexico, so we stepped outside and bought some. They were very good!! They come with a caramel sauce for dipping, which was good, but I don’t even think they need it! They were good by themselves. They give you a few small ones, so it was nice to share them with the boys and Eric. Everyone else got some to share too, and we all enjoyed them.

Then, we walked through the WS and decided it would be a good time for an afternoon break. The rest of the family came to the Luna Park pool at Boardwalk, as our guests (I had asked the concierge earlier in the trip if this was all right, and she said DVC members can have guests at the pool). We didn’t need any special bracelet or anything for them, but the concierge had told me that if anyone asked, just show them our resort ID which indicates DVC member, and let them know that they are our guests for the day. No one ended up asking, but we were prepared just in case.

We had a great afternoon at the pool. Philip and my niece Sarah had a lot of fun going on the water slide several times, Jonathan stayed by the steps of the big pool with me (after going in the kiddie pool a little bit), my parents were hanging out at a nearby table with an umbrella watching everyone have fun and enjoying watching their grandchildren enjoy the pool, my niece Amanda didn’t go on the slide but she enjoyed the pool, and the rest of us enjoyed the pool as well. They had some afternoon fun, including Name that Tune…they played a lot of songs from the 1980s and 1990s so I was able to guess a lot of them. There was another family nearby playing too, another large group, and we had fun hanging out with them too. Their kids were adorable and also having a great time!

After hanging out at the pool for a while, we all went back to our rooms to shower and change, and have a little relaxation time. We had a 6pm ADR at Biergarten in Germany for dinner, so we said we would just meet at the restaurant at 5:40pm. Eric and I decided we would only take the boat if it was right there when we came out to the Boardwalk, but it wasn’t there so we walked. And then the clouds rolled in…

We got to the Int’l Gateway and it looked like it was going to start pouring any second. Then we heard the first roar of thunder. Plan of action: I would take Philip’s hand and we would walk quickly but safely to Germany (NOT a short walk from the Int’l Gateway!) and Eric would take Jonathan’s hand and walk quickly too, and even carry him if he had to. Before I knew it, Philip and I were way ahead of Eric and Jonathan but we just kept going. We felt a drop…and then another drop, and a few more. Oh no…we still had a couple of countries to go until Germany! We walked around people, quickly but safely. Philip commented, “Boy, there sure are a lot of slowpokes here!” I replied, “No Philip, some people can’t walk that fast, and others are enjoying the country we are passing!” Then I realized that Eric had all 4 ponchos in his bag, but I couldn’t see him behind us! So Philip and I just kept going. We arrived at Germany just in time, as the rain picked up! Eric and Jonathan were not too far behind us, about 2 minutes later they arrived.

When we got to Biergarten, the rest of the family had just gotten there as well. So we all escaped a huge downpour. I checked us in, and we had to wait just a few minutes. Then it REALLY started coming down, and we felt lucky to have escaped it! Usually we get caught in these afternoon storms a couple of times at least per WDW trip, but we really got lucky this time. And we figured if it lasts a little longer than usual, we could have some more German beer and enjoy the entertainment at Biergarten! I will be reviewing Biergarten in my dining report, but here are a couple of pics:

After we were finished with dinner, it was absolutely beautiful outside. The rain had passed, and it really cooled things down. Now this was a great way to tour the World Showcase!!! So we went in and out of the shops in Germany and Italy, and we just enjoyed walking around without the heat or the rain. My niece Amanda even got to see Snow White in Germany, without a huge line! There were only a few children in front of her in line, and she was very happy to see her!

Soon it started to get dark out. Eric and I decided that we would stay at Epcot, in France, and see the full Illuminations show for the first time with the boys! The rest of the family decided to go back to the Dolphin and call it a night.

We got a great spot, not crowded at all, by the lake, to the left of Chefs de France when you are facing the restaurant from the outside. We got there at about 8:20 and stayed there so we wouldn’t lose out spot. The barges were set up and soon there was a little bit of a crowd near us, but really not as much as I anticipated. This was very pleasant! The time went by quickly, and before we knew it the fireworks and show were starting. What a beautiful show this is! We have always seen the fireworks from our villa at BWV, but being there in person to really see everything is totally different, and so much nicer! Definitely go if you have the chance and have not yet seen it! The boys loved the fire on the lake, and the globe all lit up. The fireworks just made it even more beautiful. This was a beautiful celebration of cultures from around the world, and just a very nice thing to see. Here are some nice pics I took:

After Illuminations was over, we walked back to the resort. What a pleasure to be able to do this when everyone is leaving the park and not having to worry about waiting for a bus or boat! A lot of people were leaving through the Int’l Gateway and taking the boat to DHS because they had an EMH evening over there. We just walked back to the resort, the same walk as usual from Epcot. But I was so sad to leave, because Epcot is my favorite park and this was our last day there until 2014. I said goodbye to Epcot, until we meet again in 2 years. So did the boys…they also love it there!

Next up: another full day at DHS (no EMH though)…my parents’ and sister’s first times there since 1989 when it first opened as MGM, and my nieces’ first time there ever! Stay tuned…

 

[nessz79]

Subscribing! I love your trip report. DH and I are both high school teachers as well (teach English) and we have 2 boys that are just a tad older than yours, so your family reminds me a lot of my own.

I feel for your phobia- I have some phobias of my own (mostly blood and height phobias, but I can be somewhat claustrophobic as well). They are better than they used to be, but I still have some issues. When I was going through a particularly anxious time, I got a lot of help from cognitive behavioral therapy. The main idea of CBT is exposure therapy...baby steps...and thinking about "what is the worst that can happen?" I don't know exactly how it would work for yours, but for my blood phobia, visualization helped a lot. I'm still not perfect, but I would say much better. A book that is extremely helpful (even more than therapy, I think) is Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. You can find it just about anywhere. Anyway, I totally understand! Like you mentioned, I feel it helped quite a bit to talk about it to people.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Subscribing! I love your trip report. DH and I are both high school teachers as well (teach English) and we have 2 boys that are just a tad older than yours, so your family reminds me a lot of my own.

I feel for your phobia- I have some phobias of my own (mostly blood and height phobias, but I can be somewhat claustrophobic as well). They are better than they used to be, but I still have some issues. When I was going through a particularly anxious time, I got a lot of help from cognitive behavioral therapy. The main idea of CBT is exposure therapy...baby steps...and thinking about "what is the worst that can happen?" I don't know exactly how it would work for yours, but for my blood phobia, visualization helped a lot. I'm still not perfect, but I would say much better. A book that is extremely helpful (even more than therapy, I think) is Anxiety and Phobia Workbook. You can find it just about anywhere. Anyway, I totally understand! Like you mentioned, I feel it helped quite a bit to talk about it to people.

Hi and welcome!

My grandmother couldn't stand the sight of blood, and she fainted if she saw it, so I totally understand. I am definitely better than I was years ago with my phobia...I used to be scared of having kids because of morning sickness in pregnancy and because of taking care of them when they are sick...I thought my phobia would make me a bad mother because I couldn't do everything for them. But Eric assures me that just that one thing, which isn't even an everyday thing, is not that big a deal not to be able to do easily. I did take care of cleaning up Jonathan while Eric took care of the inside of the car. Another time a couple of years ago, Jonathan got sick in the middle of the night and I gave him a bath while Eric cleaned up Jonathan's bed. So, the motherly instincts have kicked in when I am faced with it. Even though part of me wants to run, I never do...I just suck it up and take care of my kids. Of course in my mind, I am in a panic at the time, but the last thing I want is for the boys to fear it too, so I try my best not to show my phobia. It seems like such a silly thing to me, but no one seems to find it strange or nutty if I tell them about it.

Have you returned to work yet? Teachers here go back Sept. 4th and the students come back Sept. 6th. We are lucky to have a few days off in September for the Jewish holidays, and then Columbus Day in October. The Fall semester usually goes fast, after the initial 2 weeks of the school year when all the kinks are being ironed out (students' schedules constantly change during that time, and we wait to give out textbooks because many times they are programmed for the wrong class, especially the incoming 9th graders). Once that happens, I feel like things go more smoothly, and then the timne really flies so fast, it's scary...the boys are getting older (Kindergarten and 2nd grade already) and time keeps going faster and faster because the older they get, the busier we are. They both do different activites...Philip does swimming and voice lessons once a week each, and he is starting Hebrew school once a week this year; Jonathan does soccer twice a week and he is starting Breakdancing class once a week this year. So, very busy house, but all good things, which we are very lucky to have. We are always so busy on the weekends too, getting together with family, socializing with friends, or just doing nice things with the boys. Again, all good things! So, when we are at the busiest times, Eric and I remind each other that we are busy with great things, and we are very grateful for that!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi everyone! I’m going back to work on Tuesday, and the kids start school on Thursday so this week we have been getting ready to go back. My hours are going to adjust so much…I have been going to bed between midnight and 1am for weeks now, and waking up between 8 and 9 when the kids wake up! They have been going to bed a little later than school nights, but only about an hour later (going up at 8pm instead of 7pm, and going to sleep at 9pm instead of 8pm). They will have no trouble adjusting to an hour earlier (it was fine last year), but I know Eric and I will spend that first week getting very little sleep…I am dreading it. But after the first week it gets much easier, and after all the kinks of the beginning of the year are worked out, everything goes smoothly. I know, we are very spoiled to have the summers off, but it is difficult going back…the main thing is that we are lucky to spend every day with the boys and now we all have to go back to work and school. It always makes me sad to be spending less time with them.

All right, on to happier things, like our day at DHS with the whole family!
DHS had a regular opening, and the plan was for me to get everyone fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, while Eric was going to take my nieces and Philip on the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster. We were right up front to enter the park (just one family ahead of us), and then the line grew and grew behind us. We were allowed in a few minutes before 9am, but I didn’t see a rope drop show like I did 2 years ago. I collected everyone’s tickets when we went through the gate, and walked right over to Toy Story for FPs. Return time was 9:40-10:40am. This was perfect…Eric would be finished with RnR with the kids and we would be able to go right to TSM. However, I got a text from Eric that RnR was temporarily closed. And we couldn’t grab FPs for it until 9:40 when the TSM time would come up, so that was a bit of a bummer.

We decided instead to go on the Great Movie Ride, which would have been next according to my plan (none of the kids wanted to go on ToT). So, we went on the Great Movie Ride, with no line at all. Everyone enjoyed this ride, taking you through different genres of film and different time periods. It was a lot of fun. The kids especially enjoyed “The Wizard of Oz” part of the ride. It was great for everyone!

After the Great Movie Ride, we tried going back to RnR to see if it was OK to go on…the standby line was already 30 minutes, but FP return time was still well before our lunch ADR, so we grabbed FPs for Eric and the 3 kids who were big enough to go on (Jonathan is still too short, but didn’t want to go on so he was not disappointed!). Return time was 11:15am-12:15pm…we had a 12:40pm lunch ADR at Sci-Fi so this was perfect! We all headed over to TSM because our FP time had already come up. We rode it and enjoyed it as always! This was the first time my parents, my sister, my nieces and my sister’s boyfriend rode TSM and they all really loved it. I got to ride with my dad, and it reminded me of when we used to play Atari and Nintendo when I was a kid!

After TSM, we decided we would go check out the Backlot Tour. On the way there, my parents and my sister were remarking about how certain things are similar at DHS and some have changed, since they were all last there in 1989 shortly after it opened at MGM Studios.

When we got to the Backlot Tour, the CM at the entrance said they will be starting in about 10 minutes, and there was still plenty of room. We stopped in the bathroom since this tour takes 30-45 minutes (depending how long you look at the displays when the ride is over), and then we walked right into the tour. It started with volunteers from the audience assisting the staff in presenting how certain special effects are done on movie sets, like fire and storms. It was very funny, and very similar to the way we remember it being back in 1989. Shortly, we moved on to the ride portion of the Backlot Tour. We were showed various special effects on that as well, just how we remember it from 1989 (OK, maybe the effects are better, but the same dramatic twist to it!). Afterwards, we got to go inside and they had displays from different films throughout the decades. It was a lot of fun.

The next attractions everyone wanted to see was the Muppet Vision 3D. However, RnR fastpass time was close to being up, and we figured by the time we walk all the way to the other side of the park, the time would come up. My father has trouble walking, so I asked him if he would rather wait and we would meet him, or if he wanted to come with us. He said he would wait for us, check out the Streets of America (which are very close to Muppet Vision 3D), and then he would meet us at Muppet Vision 3D. The rest of us went to RnR with Eric and the kids, because my sister wanted to buy the picture of them on the ride.
By the time we got to RnR, the fastpass time was already up! Eric and the kids went to the FP return line, and the rest of us went into the gift shop to look around, and because this is where the ride lets out and you can view and purchase the pictures. It took about 15 minutes, and then off the ride they came. My nieces loved RnR! This was their first upside down roller coaster and they really enjoyed it. Philip no longer thought the ride was too fast, after having been in that NASCAR on the ride-along a couple of days before! He enjoyed RnR and he was very happy that he got to go on it a second time on our trip. My sister bought the picture, and we were on our merry way to meet my father.

When we got to Muppet Vision 3D, there wasn’t a line to get in, but the pre-show took a while. The pre-show is in a large room where everyone just stands together in a big crowd and views the pre-show on various TV screens throughout the room. There really is no bad view since there are so many screens you can watch it on. Eric and I noticed that everyone seemed to be fighting their way toward the entrance doors, but we knew that if we let them do that, we would get better seats for the 3D show, in the middle of a row, since the CMs make you move all the way down when you enter the theatre. We told everyone in our group this prior to going in, so others would not hear us. Sneaky, yes, I know, but it made for a much more relaxing experience and a better view.

Once we got into the theatre, sure enough there were many angry guests who just wanted to stop in the middle of the rows they entered “first” but the CMs kept telling everyone to keep moving to the end of their respective rows. We got seats right in the middle! This was great! We didn’t fight the crowds getting in, AND we got the best seats we could. But honestly, I think there is not a bad seat at this show. Maybe for small children if they have someone tall in front of them, but sometimes one of the boys will just sit on one of our laps, that is if they can’t see from their seat…no big deal.

The theatre for Muppet Vision 3D looks exactly like the one from “The Muppet Show” all those years ago. They even have the 2 old guys up top, making funny jokes about what is going on throughout the show! This show is the perfect combination of a 3D short film, and actual muppet characters coming off the stage. We all loved it! This continues to be one of my favorite shows at WDW.

Once Muppet Vision 3D was over, it was a little after 12pm, and Sci-Fi is very close to the theatre. We decided to go to Sci-Fi early for our 12:40pm ADR, and I check us in. The CM said we would probably be seated closer to our actual ADR time, which was fine with all of us, but we were seated early, and we only waited about 10 minutes for our tables! I will review Sci-Fi later on, in my dining report but everyone did enjoy it there!

After a nice leisurely lunch at Sci-Fi, we all decided it would be a good time to take an afternoon break. My nieces wanted to go back into the pool at the Dolphin, and Eric and I just wanted to relax in the villa with the boys. So we made up to meet at the 50s Prime Time Café at 5:15pm, since we had an ADR for 5:40pm.

At around 4pm, my sister contacted me to let me know that after going into the pool, they were locked out of their room. They had called maintenance, who was already there, but the battery in their door lock was not working. Then they had to get in touch with the engineer. My sister had spoken to the manager who offered first to give them a certain amount of credit per person for dinner that night in any of the S/D restaurants, but my sister insisted that she get the credit off of her room that night instead, since we all had our hearts set on 50s PT, especially my parents. The manager cooperated. Thank goodness my nieces were able to stay in my parents’ room next door while this was all going on. I offered for all of them to come to stay by us while this was going on, but they were all wet from the pool and couldn’t get to their clothes. This had been going on since 3pm, when they had gone back to shower and change before dinner. The manager at the Dolphin also called the 50s PT Café to let them know we would be late for our ADR and she said we will still be able to get in that evening. She told them it would be roughly between 7 and 7:30pm. I told my sister I would double check with the concierge at BWV, to make sure they called 50s PT right in front of me to verify this was done. So I went downstairs and it had been done. They said the restaurant was indeed already aware of the situation, the reservation number, and we could come any time. We just may have a short wait, but we expected that even before this happened.

I was back up on the third floor, walking down the hall to the villa, and my sister texted me that they were in the room and just needed an hour for everyone to be ready. So, we left it that we would all leave in an hour and meet at 50s PT.
Eric, the boys and I walked to DHS, and when we got to 50s PT, the rest of the family was there (they got there a few minutes before us; they took the boat from S/D). I check us in, and within 10 minutes we were at our table. I will be reviewing 50s PT dinner in my dining report, but everyone did enjoy it!

After 50s PT Café, we went to some of the stores. My parents had asked our permission earlier if they could buy a souvenir for each of the kids, and my sister and I both said yes. Philip and Jonathan each ended up with some Star Wars figures, but different ones from each other because they like to play with them together. The girls ended up with some very nice Disney accessories! Eric and I buy something for our wall unit in our living room on each Disney trip, with the year on it. We found an adorable little figurine of Mickey and Minnie that said 2012 on it, so we bought it. It was under $10, but can’t remember exactly how much. And, it has a photo clip which is not visible from the front, so you can put a photo in it or leave it as a figurine. Right now we don’t have a photo in it, but we might put one, not sure yet.

Eric and I had still not seen the Dolphin hotel, and we wanted to see it. So, after we shopped, we all headed back, first to the Boardwalk though. I had promised the girls we would get some cupcakes at some point at Boardwalk Bakery, so we went there first. Eric, Philip and I walked, and Jonathan joined everyone else on the boat. Philip needed the rest room first, and then the 3 of us started walking. We got to the Boat Dock just as they were pulling up…talk about perfect timing! There was a juggler setting up to perform his act on the Boardwalk, so we stuck around. Jonathan got to be his assistant at the beginning!

We watched him for a little while, then I took the girls into the bakery. We ended up with an oreo cupcake, a strawberry shortcake cupcake, and a Mickey cake to share (the girls, my sister, the boys and myself…no one else wanted anything). My sister and I each tried some of the Mickey cake and it was very good. The kids shared the cupcakes and they enjoyed them! We ate these a little later on, while we were at the Dolphin, in the Picabu seating area.

We started to make our way down the Boardwalk so we could go to the Dolphin. On the way, Illuminations was starting at Epcot, and I snapped this pic of the view from the Boardwalk:

We brought our goodies to the Dolphin and checked out the hotel. Here are some pics of the outside areas:

The Dolphin is a very nice hotel. I got to see their rooms also, and they were beautiful. Everyone was happy with their stay there (except the lock issue earlier), and they said they would stay there again.

We had a very fun day at DHS! Everyone enjoyed themselves, and we were all exhausted…a sure sign of a great day! Up next: our last full day at WDW, at Magic Kingdom! Stay tuned…