Pipers MAW POST TRIP 4/9-4/15

[BeckySob]

Great job!!

Thank you so much for telling us all about it!

What is the red thing they are on? The three of them? Looks like some sort of roller coaster?

I have heard several MAW families say that Universal treated them quite nicely! Glad to know you guys had a good time!!

Can't wait to hear about Monday.

The "red thing" is a ride at Sea World that is in the lil kiddy section of the park.

Yes, Universal and Islands of Adventure was awesome to us. Way better than Disney was, sadly. They actually call another "employee" and they escort us through the exit and BAM, you're at the top. Disney, on the other hand, just pointed to the fast pass lane usually.

 

[BeckySob]

GREAT pics! Your family is gorgeous!

Thanks! We think our kids are gorgeous too.

 

[sammie girl]

Hi I love your report so far. I am new to this so hope this goes through.

I actually grew up in Ashland, Ne. Not to far from where you are.

We are leaving for our trip on June 15th to GKTW. We are going through the Dream Factory. I can't wait. I am getting so excited to have my daughter treated like a princess. All of these kids are so deserving and it is great that the siblings get to experience it also.

Can't wait to hear how the rest went.

 

[BeckySob]

Ok, so it's Monday and I am so excited to go see the ocean!!! I am the only one excited. My kids were really bummed. Well, TOO BAD, I say, we're going to the ocean!

We decided to go to Melbourne as it seemed to be the easiest one to get to. Just take 192E and bam, you're there! No turns or nothing! It was a pretty busy beach too. The weather couldn't be better, except for the wind. I hate wind. I live in Nebraska.....I don't need more wind. By the way, it was a little over an hour to get there....

Since our kids didn't really want to go, we didn't plan for staying. My husband and I didn't wear our swimming suits, but the kids did, just because we knew they would be messin around in the water. We had to pay for parking in a meter and put just enough in there to give us an hour and a half. Which was ok, because even though we put sunblock on, we all still managed to get a lil burned. Long story short......we had to drag the kids away. They enjoyed it so much. We brought home tons of sea shells, nothing fancy, but hey, they're seashells! Why can't they just listen to me!!! So anyways, we headed out and decided that we would hang out at GKTW that evening for the activities going on in the Safari theater. Bad me, didn't bring my camera for that, didn't think that I was going to need it. I thought it was a show, but it ended up being an interactive one and Piper actually participated in!! I can't think of what it was called, something about DARE? Piper competed in a pie eating contest, only it wasn't a pie, but a plate of whip cream. What'da know, EVERYONE won, and they all got to choose who to pie in the face! I was seriously ducking in my chair. Luckily she picked her brother! Sure wish I had my camera for that moment!
Here are pictures of the ocean.......

Oh we also checked out the Matthews Boundless playground this day and also had Mayor Clayton tuck the kids in. HILARIOUS!! The Mayor had my kids laughing hysterically. I am so glad that I did that. I highly recommend the Mayor tuck in! My son who is almost 14 was so embarrased, but I know he totally loved it!

By this day, Piper was dealing with a sore throat, which I was having to give her tylenol every four hours. She was beginning to be miserable. So Tuesday, our last day, she was miserable with sore throat and the beginning of an ear ache.

 

[BeckySob]

Hi I love your report so far. I am new to this so hope this goes through.

I actually grew up in Ashland, Ne. Not to far from where you are.

We are leaving for our trip on June 15th to GKTW. We are going through the Dream Factory. I can't wait. I am getting so excited to have my daughter treated like a princess. All of these kids are so deserving and it is great that the siblings get to experience it also.

Can't wait to hear how the rest went.

Ah yes, Ashland. Been there a couple of times for baseball tournaments. It's a little drive from here.
I am so happy to hear that your daughter gets her wish! You guys will have so much fun. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask, as it's still fresh in my mind since we just got back last week!

 

[kdzbear]

I love the beach photos. I am so glad they enjoyed the beach so much. The tuck-in also looked like fun. It sounds as if you all had a fabulous trip!

 

[BeckySob]

Why did I worry about having hair dryers in the room? The humidity down there was awful! I am unlucky as it is, as I have the finest straight hair in the world. When I say finest, I don't mean the "finest" I mean the THINNEST. I think that I had a bad hair day, EVERY day there. So for those of you heading down......give up on the hair. Don't even bother!

Monday night, we packed most stuff as we knew we wouldn't have time to pack Tuesday and we had to be at airport by 9am on Wednesday. We had 3 extra bags. That's right, you will get LOTS of stuff from GKTW, so beware. I really would have preferred leaving most of it there, as we didn't need most of it?? I didn't want to leave it there as it would have seemed un-appreciated, as we did appreciate it. I have decided to donate some of the things to the Childrens Hospital here in Omaha, NE. Anyways, prepare for extra baggage, which they do give you a very large duffel bag. Those people are truly amazing. I am thinking about what I can make for kids for them to give away...has anyone done something like that?

Also, for those who have been there before April 12, they started a new meal program. We were given tickets to present when getting lunch or dinner. Apparently, I'm guessing, there were some people there who were abusing the privilege. So if you ate there for lunch, or dinner, you had to present a ticket with that date on it. I would imagine there were some people that just hung out and ate Rotisserie chicken all day?? We only had dinner there on the first night we were there, and had lunch there once. Which by the way, Katies Kitchen was very tasty! I loved the mac n cheese. Oh and we ordered pizza one night.

Also while we were there, the train/tram was broken down. So we had to walk everywhere. We stayed in villa 105 which was at the very beginning, and the playground was clear on the other side!! And they asked that you not use your car in the village unless you're entering or exiting.

It was very nice to have the washer/dryer in the room. Turns out, we didn't need to pack so many clothes, which we packed 4-5 outfits. We did laundry almost nightly. So I would suggest packing lighter. Maybe 2-3 outfits? Nobody cares if you wore the same outfit 2 days before! You'll need to wash your towels anyways, as they do not deliver more for you.

What else.......while it's fresh in my mind.....

 

[maroo]

Oh, I just love your beach pics!! I am so glad your family enjoyed your time at the beach!!

I love that playground!!!!!!

Why did I worry about having hair dryers in the room? The humidity down there was awful! I am unlucky as it is, as I have the finest straight hair in the world. When I say finest, I don't mean the "finest" I mean the THINNEST. I think that I had a bad hair day, EVERY day there. So for those of you heading down......give up on the hair. Don't even bother!

Monday night, we packed most stuff as we knew we wouldn't have time to pack Tuesday and we had to be at airport by 9am on Wednesday. We had 3 extra bags. That's right, you will get LOTS of stuff from GKTW, so beware. I really would have preferred leaving most of it there, as we didn't need most of it?? I didn't want to leave it there as it would have seemed un-appreciated, as we did appreciate it. I have decided to donate some of the things to the Childrens Hospital here in Omaha, NE. Anyways, prepare for extra baggage, which they do give you a very large duffel bag. Those people are truly amazing. I am thinking about what I can make for kids for them to give away...has anyone done something like that?

Also, for those who have been there before April 12, they started a new meal program. We were given tickets to present when getting lunch or dinner. Apparently, I'm guessing, there were some people there who were abusing the privilege. So if you ate there for lunch, or dinner, you had to present a ticket with that date on it. I would imagine there were some people that just hung out and ate Rotisserie chicken all day?? We only had dinner there on the first night we were there, and had lunch there once. Which by the way, Katies Kitchen was very tasty! I loved the mac n cheese. Oh and we ordered pizza one night.

Also while we were there, the train/tram was broken down. So we had to walk everywhere. We stayed in villa 105 which was at the very beginning, and the playground was clear on the other side!! And they asked that you not use your car in the village unless you're entering or exiting.

It was very nice to have the washer/dryer in the room. Turns out, we didn't need to pack so many clothes, which we packed 4-5 outfits. We did laundry almost nightly. So I would suggest packing lighter. Maybe 2-3 outfits? Nobody cares if you wore the same outfit 2 days before! You'll need to wash your towels anyways, as they do not deliver more for you.

What else.......while it's fresh in my mind.....

Oh gosh...Don't tell Lauren not to worry about her hair! That wasn't going to happen. I am planning a trip back with some friends in December and they actually have a rule...no hair and makeup when going to a Disney park. They also think...why bother! I think it is hilarious!

We did give away some things to the Children's Hospital here. But lots of the stuff we kept for presents, etc for kids. GKTW does a WONDERFUL job giving each family lots of gifts that cross the age range...so your younger children and older kids will have something they enjoy in the "loot"...but your family won't use everything because they give each family the same goodie bag and some things won't be age appropriate. But giving some of it away to a Children's Hospital is a great idea!!

I think the tickets may be to help give them a head count...you can have as many "tickets" as you would like...from what I understand? Maybe someone going there in the next few weeks can elaborate... They even gave me tickets and I am just a returning family person.

I am so glad you guys had a good time...

But that is not all, is it? You still have to tell us about Tuesday!!

*cue scary music!* Bum Bum Da Dum!

 

[WishMom09]

Love the beach pics! Looks like your family had a blast! And the tuck in pics are too cute!!
I get more excited by the minute!!! 16 more days!!!

 

[BeckySob]

I'm going to post pics first, as I know that that is way more exciting than reading my jibber jabber:

Chip and Dale were by far the funniest! They are so silly!
This before it started raining! All the character photos were before it started raining.

Here is us on the tea cup ride with our lovely ponchos on. At least we were still able to smile and have fun but deep down, we are miserable!

 

[BeckySob]

ok, so I've got a picture of the Wish Lounge in Magic Kingdom. My kids really liked this one for the fact that the drawers were filled with games, toys, etc. I personally liked the complimentary bottled water and boxed juice!

Ok, we're off to eat lunch because we're tired of the rain. We're hungry and grumpy. We decided to go to the Crystal Palace, as we were unable to eat at the castle. boohoo, it's ok, I think it's a lil pricey anyways. Piper isn't a HUGE fan of Cinderella anyhow. Crystal Palace has Tigger and Pooh and friends that make their rounds here. Sophia LOVED it! Sadly, Danny, after like his 3rd bite, choked on his food, as it went down the wrong pipe and coughed and coughed and finally just threw up on the floor next to him. I felt so bad for him, as I know he was hungry. I think that all our appetites were ruined at that time. Their food was good, as far as I know. Danny was ok, once he was done throwing up. It felt like forever before someone finally came and cleaned it up. We tried to clean it up with cloth napkins. Um, that doesn't work too well.

 

[kdzbear]

The pictures are great. I really like the one with the kids with Stitch. I like reading the story as much as I like the pictures. So, keep the story going! You are doing a great job!

 

[BeckySob]

Ok, we've accomplished everything that we wanted to here and decided to go to Animal Kingdom before they close and then we could bus back to MK since they were open late. At least we didn't have to worry about being dropped off in no mans land.

i didn't take any pics here? i don't know why. I think that I was just drained at this time. We loved the Bugs Life show! It was alot like the the Shrek 4-d, so we sort of knew what to expect, just didn't know when! The kids loved the Mt. Everest!!! We are cold, tired and finally spent some money on sweatshirt jackets and smoothies and danishes. YUM. Oh and an espresso for me! Finally found the RainForest Cafe. Didn't realize that it was right at the beginning. If we had known that, we would have eaten there as well, but we were just too tired. We wanted to hit the downtown Disney before we left to do some serious shopping, but Piper really wanted to go back to MK, even though she was clearly miserable. We made it back in time for the fireworks show. AWESOME!!! That's a don't miss. We didn't get to see Tinkerbell start it off, as it was too windy. Bummer. We did finally eat at Caseys...something, i don't remember. Hotdogs and crackerjacks. Sophia was OUT, and didn't eat, Piper didn't feel good, so hardly ate anything. We went our final shopping chance at the Disney store there and had to force the kids to pick out something. Piper wanted nothing as she was miserable, so I had to choose stuff for her. The kids had gift cards to use there, and it was our last chance. I had to offer Danny cash for his, as there was nothing that he wanted. I wanted plenty of things, I had no problem spending!

We got to see the parade that night, and that's a don't miss as well, They way it's all lit up, is incredible!

Ok, so I did get a picture of the tree at Animal Kingdom. And I forgot about the parade during the day. The guy on stilts was awesome as he knelt down and shook Pipers hand!

Thats it for photos. I'm sad to end it here.

 

[maroo]

That picture of you on the Tea Cups...wow. THAT is why I can't ride those tea cups!!!! Makes me queasy just looking at the picture of you spinning!

So...how bad was the weather? While you were there the boards here were freaking because there were tornado warnings specifically saying that Disney World was in the path of the storm, etc. Were you aware of the bad weather? Of did Disney just keep on hopping despite the bad weather?

So you guys got to eat at Crystal Palace without a ressie? That is some magic right there! I am particularly worried about getting a ressie there for my Sept trip! That is fantastic! Looks like you certainly made good use of that time by going inside to eat and enjoy the characters!

Animal Kingdom looks like fun, too! How cool that the stilts man shook Piper's hand! Do you think they can see her button from that far away? Or do the CM's alert the characters? I have always wondered that!

And the Spectro Parade!!! I am so glad you guys got to see that!!! It is my favorite! We got to see that in the rain, too...or was it still raining for you guys at that point?

 

[5dwarves]

OOOO....teacups! You are either very brave or very crazy! It doesn't look like anyone is turning green, but you never know.

 

[BeckySob]

Ya know, I don't believe that there ever was a "tornado" anywhere within close proximity. But it sure was windy and cold. I knew there was a tornado "watch" in effect until 2. As we didn't have access to the weather during our time at the park. There was wind damage in another town, I believe it started with a P??? Funny thing is, they said a high of 83, I just didn't realize that it would be 83 in the morning and then drop down to the 60's. At least it felt like 60's compared to the previous beautiful days before.

As I've said before....and I've seen others say it. Take your time, realize that you won't be able to do EVERYTHING. I feel like we missed out on alot by trying to hit the "spots" that the kids had picked out. We probably passed up so many good things. I just thought to myself, we'll never be back here, so lets see it all.... I wish that we had gone to more shows. I wish the first aids weren't so far away. I wish Sophia was 10 pounds and not 38. I wish that Piper wasn't sick. I wish that we did more shopping ahead of time rather than wait till the last day and feel rushed to find things to buy. The kids were given gift cards from MAW. We were told each was $50. Well, not so. They ended up being $150 each. You have any idea how hard it is to spend $150, or I should say $450, in one day at one park when the weather is crappy? We did all manage to each get a sweatshirt jacket, so that's nice.

One good thing, we had brought about $600 of our own money to spend if needed, and pretty much came back with it. Good thing, because our dryer broke yesterday. It tumbles, but no heat. i had to hang the clothes on hangers out on the plant hangers, hoping a bird doesn't go by and poop on em. ha ha Which brings me to this.....how does one dry their clothes on a clothesline? There are birds everywhere!

All of you that have come by and read my story and looked at my pics, thank you, and hope you enjoyed. I'm done here and will now follow other stories, as now I know how to "subscribe"! Thanks for the info. Any questions tho, I'll answer if I know it.

 

[kdzbear]

Becky,

You did a great job on the trip report. I loved the photos and the stories. I can't believe how much you guys fit into the last day. We always end up doing the same thing with shopping and then we think we should have started sooner. Thank you for sharing Piper's Wish with us!

 

[sammie girl]

Thanks for the story. It is so nice getting on here and reading other reports to know what to do and what to avoid. I think when we go in June it will be so hot all of our pics will probably be me with a red face and not from the sun. My littlest one wants me to carry him everywhere also and he weighs 43 pounds. UGGGG!!!!! He won't let his dad carry him it has to be me. Well hopefully he will decide to ride in the stroller for part of the way at least.

Do they put diet soda in the fridge as well? My daughter can't have any sugar liquid at all. I would rather not have to make a trip to Wal-Mart while we are there. I hate that store on grocery day and would rather pass it up on vacation.

My daughter loves the pic of Snow White. Where did you meet her in MK? That is a must for us as that is her fav princess. Maybe they will include that in part of her wish!?!

We meet with our wish volunteer tomorrow so we will see more what to expect.

Thank you for the story. I loved the pics and also the report!!!! Good Job!

 

[that's nice]

One good thing, we had brought about $600 of our own money to spend if needed, and pretty much came back with it. Good thing, because our dryer broke yesterday. It tumbles, but no heat. i had to hang the clothes on hangers out on the plant hangers, hoping a bird doesn't go by and poop on em. ha ha Which brings me to this.....how does one dry their clothes on a clothesline? There are birds everywhere!

This might be a little OT but don't go out and buy a new dryer just yet. It is probably just the heating coil or a thermostat.

Here is a video of what to check first before you plan on trashing your dryer. A new heating coil usually costs around $50 If you have any questions let me know I'll try to help you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1rebeCMVsk

Tim

 

[BeckySob]

Thanks for the story. It is so nice getting on here and reading other reports to know what to do and what to avoid. I think when we go in June it will be so hot all of our pics will probably be me with a red face and not from the sun. My littlest one wants me to carry him everywhere also and he weighs 43 pounds. UGGGG!!!!! He won't let his dad carry him it has to be me. Well hopefully he will decide to ride in the stroller for part of the way at least.

Do they put diet soda in the fridge as well? My daughter can't have any sugar liquid at all. I would rather not have to make a trip to Wal-Mart while we are there. I hate that store on grocery day and would rather pass it up on vacation.

My daughter loves the pic of Snow White. Where did you meet her in MK? That is a must for us as that is her fav princess. Maybe they will include that in part of her wish!?!

We meet with our wish volunteer tomorrow so we will see more what to expect.

Thank you for the story. I loved the pics and also the report!!!! Good Job!

I will be short and quick with answers:

As far as diet sodas in the lounge....i don't recall any pop at all. It was just water and juice boxes.

Snow White was found near the entrance to the right, by where Pinnochio was, who was hard to see as he is a shorty. We got there at opening, so get there early! She was kind of hidden in a hallway at the large building at the right. Not sure what the building was?

Me too, Sophia only wanted me to carry her! One good thing came out of carrying her all that time. I've bot muscles double the size, I swear!

Oh, there is diet soda in the fridgerator at the villa, along with regular pop, a quart of milk, and bottled water, and a package of do-nuts.

The Wal-mart down the street was a joke, but still glad it was there. Better than driving all over town for a last minute need. I hate Wal-mart anyways, never shop there here in my own town. It's a dump. People, for some reason, are so disrespectful in that store. It might have something to do with myself working retail for 20 years. But, yes, the walmart down the road from the village is dumpy.

As far as getting pics of you.....red face or not, at least you plan on having some. I am the picture taker, so there never are really any pictures of me. Thats ok, because everyday was a BAD hair day for me.

Can't wait to hear about your MAW meeting tomorrow! Be ready, for MAW is very generous! Fill us in!!!! We, or I love details!

Where is your pre-trip report? Do you have one?