06/06-06/11 Assault on Disney's Beaches: Update 8/13, Swag Pics on last page

[SurfinTX]

We love HM, but the boys were pretty nervous the first time they rode it too.

After we settled down later that night me and Dianna joked a bit about what was going through their minds and what nightmares Disney had dreamed up for them. They were troopers and didn't back out though.

 

[SurfinTX]

Early EMH! Can We Git Er Done?

These are the times that try families' souls. If you remember we had a full day on Monday going to Epcot, swimming at the Poly and then staying out fairly late at Magic Kingdom. Would we have enough left to try for an Early Extra Mickey Hour at Magic Kingdom this morning?

Strangely enough, yes. After falling asleep somewhere around midnight I had set the alarm for 6:45am. For some reason I awoke around 6:30 with no help whatsoever. Even better, Dianna seemed to wake up around the same time and even though the soreness was there the will was even greater. Soon we were starting to make some noise but the kids just were not going to move without more motivation. Not quite kicking them out of bed it looked like the parents were have to enforce a death march this morning.

Still, we were right on schedule and after an ibuprofen we were ready to head to the lounge. Slowly but surely the kids made thier way in as well. Today we found a table right next to the window available and I captured a few pictures.

We loved watching the ducks walk up and down the beach. It seems that they don't like to have much sand on top of thier webbed feet and shake them a lot. It's pretty funny to see.

This morning I had oatmeal with cranberries and blueberries as well as some cinnamon rolls to tide me over. A little after 7:30 we head out of the lounge and make our way down to the pier. As we were heading that way a launch pulled up and almost immedietly we were on our way! There was no one else on with us but the skipper and it felt like we had our own personal ride to the Magic Kingdom.

After going through bag check and the turnstiles we wait in front of the train station for the pre-opening show.

Soon we hear the music start up and we are welcomed by the fire marshall to the Magic Kingdom.

After a few minutes the train pulls in and Mickey and Friends all join in the celebration.

If you notice between Mickey and the Marshall is the Family of the Day who help open the park.

After about ten minutes the rope drops and the rush is on. Those without kids have a huge advantage here. It is quite a long walk all the way to the various rides and children can only move so fast. Strollers are of little help since the first mass of people is so dense and many of them were left behind in the dust. Our older kids did ok and we only had to keep pace as so not to lose sight of Micheal.

If you can remember from our plan that we had decided to go to Space Mountain and then work our way counter clockwise towards Fantasy Land. Sometime this morning Madison and Dianna decide that Dumbo was a priority ride now. Uuummm, OK? Quickly formulating a new plan on the fly we head for the castle. I tell Dianna to take the kids and get in line for Dumbo as I move over to the FP machine at Peter Pan. I get there and punch in all of our cards. As I started to grab the tickets I noticed more was coming out. Checking them it said that I had recieved a bonus FP for Mickey's Philharmagic! Well alrighty then!

Quickly walking back to dumbo I jump in line with Madison and Dianna. It looked like Kyler and Michael were going to sit this one out. This was probably the first ride of the trip that caused a split. The wait wasn't long at all and soon we were loaded up to fly.

I flew alone and admired the view including a bonus look over at the construction of the new Fantasyland. All I saw was a lot of dug up ground and much of Pooh's Playful Place gone. Nothing as far as new structures have been started at all.

Touching down we gather everyone up. Thinking for a moment I decided that we would do the plan in reverse. So next up was the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Again almost no line as of yet and within minutes we are loaded into our honeypots.

I loved the bouncing. I loved the smell of Honey. A huge hit for the little kids and a lot of memories for me and Dianna. Kyler, well, at least he wasn't rolling his eyes and sighing this time.

Next up is the classic ride Mad Tea Party. Again no wait and I was really starting to sense the benefit of having a plan and using an EMH.

With me and the boys together I let the kids do the turning. They get us spinning but not very fast. Michael says he wants me to help. Okie Dokie! I proceeded to take over the wheel and spin us as fast as I could. Michael and Kyler could not rech the wheel anymore as I sent us reeling. You have to understand that I have a lot of resistance to dizziness and you know, they asked for it. Opening the door the kids all but collapsed out of the cup. Eventually we make our way to the exit and recover for a bit.

Continuing our way we enter Tommorowland and jump into line for the Indy Speedway. I knew this would eat up some time but the kids love to drive things and it was a priority. No doubt it was the longest line of the morning at about a 15 minute wait.

I joined Mickey and helped with the gas pedal. He was all business and screamed at anyone he could pass. He isn't competitive or anything.

With that done it was time to head over to what potentialy could be a long wait. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. It had just passed 9:00 am so the standby line wasn't bad at all yet. About a 10 minute wait again on this continual loader. I wanted to get a picture in front of Buzz but I think the kids were tiring of me taking pictures. I think I'll frame this one.

I also captured this ride photo. I think Zurg managed to stun them.

Now I did my homework on the Dis Boards before riding this but it didn't help me much. Even though I knew what to shoot at I missed everything at the end. Dianna beat me by nearly 3x.

The evil Zurg being defeated it was time to move on to more deep space adventures...

To be Continued...

 

[SurfinTX]

Early EMH at Magic Kingdom, cont.

So far things are going great this morning. We are way ahead of schedule and we are bouncing along without having to walk very far between rides.

The roll continues at Stitch's Great Escape.

Having never rode the old version of this ride I came into it pretty mcuh a clean slate. I had heard many complaints about this attraction on the boards but I had not said anything to the rest of the family. So Stitch does his thing, bathroom humor and all, and I have to say there are far worse rides for preteens and teenagers in Magic Kingdom. For Kyler it rated a few smirks which was far better than Finding Nemo and those kind of rides.

Escaping ourselves we are just a hop skip and a jump over to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. The line looked a bit long but we arrived just as a show let out and the next loading went pretty quickly. Mike gives us his introduction to what the Laugh Floor is all about and within minutes we find ourselves seated in what appears to be a late 50's comedy show with table lamps in front of us.

The show starts and various people are picked on for jokes. For a moment during the show I thought one of us had been picked when a light shined on us. In fact it was an elderly lady right behind Dianna. This is where the show took a strange turn. She obviously could not hear a thing and when the monster asked questions or commented about her all she could say was "What?" The crowd was kinda laughing along with her not trying to be mean but we couldn't help ourselves. I think it was more due to seeing the "Monster" trying to keep running up to a joke but failing miserably. Finaly the "Monster" gives up says "Man I'm getting shown up by her?" and we all bust out laughing.

By the way, "That Guy." was sitting on the second row near the right side this time for those who try to be him.

With that we had completed our tour of Tommorowland. Space Mountain was on the original plan but we hadn't reached the time to get fastpasses yet. It wouldn't have mattered anyway since the window was entering early afternoon already and standby was 40 minutes. Skipping that we backtrack a bit to see Mickey's Toontown Fair.

As many of you know this attraction is being shut down to make room for the new Fantasyland expansion. It became a priority to see it after that announcement was made last year. I didn't visit it on my '07 trip as well so I was looking forward to getting a look.

First stop was Minnie's Country House.

At this point I think we lost the boys as far as interest goes.

Next up was Mickey's Country House.

Madison, Dianna and I are loving it. Michael and Kyler...not so much as can be seen here.

All thoughts of going into the Judges Tent were dashed when we viewed the 75 minute long line. That was just fine for the boys since next on the list to do is.

It was announced that Goofy's Barnstormer will remain but will be re-themed to match the circus atmosphere around a relocated Double Dumbo. The line was less than 15 minutes and we were off.

It's a very short coaster and great for beginners or those that are nervous around big rides. Kyler was like "That was it?!"

Having toured Mickey's Toontown Fair for most likely the last time it's now time to use the fastpasses for Peter Pan's Flight. Standby was only about 20 minutes but the fastpass line was an immediate load onto our ships. I tried to get some pictures but again the low lighting defeated me. After we had finished me and Dianna could tell that the Fantasyland type ride was wearing a bit thin on the kids.

Now, with the bonus fastpasses in hand we head over to Mickey's Philharmagic. This is another show I missed on my '07 trip so I was looking forward to this. Entering we noticed that there was no need for a fastpass yet. There was only one show before ours.

The effects surprised everyone and we all enjoyed the pie smell. It was a great show that helped us end our morning in the Magic Kingdom with a really good feeling. It was now time to leave and make our way to Lunch...

but the magic wasn't done yet.

Dianna had brought with her a 1989 Rose O'Niells Kewpie Doll of Snow White with her on the trip. Heading over to the castle we found our way blocked by a showing of Dream Along with Mickey. Heading around to the left we see walking out of a side door Snow White! It didn't take us long to get in the right spot and soon we were up to meet her.

Madison had Snow White sign the Kewpie for us and the morning just couldn't seem to get much better and we still haven't even scratched the surface of our plans for the day!

On our way out we did catch a bit of the Dream Along with Mickey show in front of the castle but didn't hang around long. The Florida heat was starting to make its presence felt and we were looking to take a short break before moving on to our next destination.

Next Up: More Princesses Than You Can Shake a Stick At!

 

[SurfinTX]

Day 3 Cont.

According to our plan after finishing with Magic Kingdom we were to head directly to EPCOT to have lunch and see the World Showcase. We were doing really well on time this morning so we made a quick trip around the Resort Loop of the Monorail to freshen up at the Poly. While there we visited the lounge for a few drinks and some cookies as well since our ADR was just after 1:00 pm. With that out of the way we walk back to the TTC and jump on the monorail to EPCOT.

From the unloading area we follow the plan and check out the fast pass situation over at Mission Space. 3:45, not bad! We grab them and then finally arrive at Showcase Plaza. Taking a left turn we head towards Mexico. Currently there is still a lot of construction due to the new restaraunt that is going up there. We bypass Mexico quickly and continue into Norway for our ADR at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.

As you can see there was quite a crowd milling about waiting for seating. It gave us a chance to do a bit of browsing in the shop across the alley. We discovered a Kidcot station inside and while I was hanging out waiting for our name to be called the kids decided to start making thier "face". It starts out as a blank cardboard face that each child can color. After that the CM at that station might talk with them a bit about the country they are in and then stamp it showing that they visited.

After about a 15 minute wait we are called to the booth and get into another line. Kyler commented on this and I told them Disney is all about controlling crowds. This next line wasn't very long and we were led to an alcove to get a picture with a princess before we were seated. Today it was Belle.

Soon we were seated within a few steps of the buffet. Oh well. At least the boys can start digging in almost immediatly. At the buffet there were several choices of cheese including goat cheese, salads and assorted crackers and bread. There really wasn't much to appeal to small children however. I ordered the Salmon on multigrain Bread. Dianna had the Braised Lamb and Kyler had the Traditional Kjottkake. We all found the food to be acceptable if not great. While we were eating one by one we saw the princesses come by our table.

First up was Aurora. Madison was excited to see her. Aurora didn't talk with us much if I remember correctly.

Madison gives her approval.

Next by was Snow White. Again the conversation was brief and she was much friendlier at the castle.

Cinderella joined us next and this was a very nice princess. She engaged both of the children in conversations.

So much so that Michael got up to get in the picture as well.

Last on the rotation was Ariel.

She also was very nice and perky and talked with the children about thier doo-hickies and thingamabobs.

Finally our desert came out which was served family style. The kids attacked the Chocolate Mousse. Dianna had most of the Lingonberry Cheescake. I sampled a bit of everything. Being a fan of tapioca I found the rice cream OK but not really an appealing desert with the other two choices right next to it.

So ends our dining experience with most of us satisfied and the children ecstatic. Yet the day is barely half over!

To Be Continued...

 

[jake&samsmom]

Those were some pretty princesses! I went to Akershus 2 years ago, and at that time, they had Princess Jasmine there too. I thought the food was so-so, but the character interaction was great. At that time, we had no girls in the family, so I went solo....now we have 2 (my daughter, and my niece, both still in diapers). How did your teenager like this meal? Madison and Mom looked like they enjoyed this tremendously.

 

[SurfinTX]

Those were some pretty princesses! I went to Akershus 2 years ago, and at that time, they had Princess Jasmine there too. I thought the food was so-so, but the character interaction was great. At that time, we had no girls in the family, so I went solo....now we have 2 (my daughter, and my niece, both still in diapers). How did your teenager like this meal? Madison and Mom looked like they enjoyed this tremendously.

According to Dianna, Kyler was weathering it well. He was keeping a low profile and I wan't going to pressure him into joining in any of the pictures.

 

[SurfinTX]

Shopping Around the World

Filled and refreshed it was time again to continue our tour of World Showcase. First thing, however, was our FP window had opened so I ran over to the Maelstrom to get those. With that out of the way it was time to visit China.

Asian culture being a favorite of both me and Dianna we spent a lot of time browsing the shops.

The kids really liked checking out the selection of toys here as well. The spinning plastic plates kept a whole crowd of children circulating around this little shop. Kyler checked out the Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan memorabilia in the main shop. If you notice in the background the umbrella stand Dianna makes what is probably our best purchase of the trip.

The CM signed this for us in Chinese "Tom and Dianna Married 2010". Not only a great keepsake it really came in handy during the remaining hot days as well as an easy eye-catcher if we needed to find each other.
Update from Madison - When I took this picture she had a pretty upset tummy. As a warning to others drinking nothing but soft drinks and standing in the heat will do this to you.

While shopping the live entertainment Dragon Legond Acrobats set up.

The show is on two parts with a tumbling/dancing routine and then several young boys present a cooking skit with spinning plates and acrobatics while pretending to prepare various items. While this was happening Dianna notices another character showing up just as we were passing as well. Mulan!

So, that makes it seven princess encounters in one day for Madison. She was thrilled but as you can see from both of their faces it is now becoming a punishingly hot afternoon. Character rotations were now under 10 minutes outside. Checking a paper the next morning I noticed an hour by hour history of today. At 3:00 pm it was 97 degrees with a relative humidity of 77%. That equates to a heat index of 139 degrees!

Finishing our visit to China we move on to the African Outpost. The kids couldn't help themselves and decided to have a go on the drums.

We didn't spend much time here though as there wasn't a whole lot to see. Next up was Germany.

Our Warrior Princess.

We found the Kidcot station and exchanged a few words in German with a very tired looking CM.

I have to say I did love the theming around the square but you could tell there just wasn't much to do here but shop and eat at Biergarten. A lot of the entertainment is inside the restaraunt so making a note for next time we decide it's time for a break from shopping.

In Germany there is a boat launch back to Future World and so far my planning is working to a T today. After a short time we are unloaded and head over to Mission: Space and give it another whirl.

Standby was about 40 minutes but our FP got us in in 10. This time it was all of the boys working together and I had to handle both the Commander and Engineer positions again.

This time upon exiting us parents needed a rest from all of the walking we had done earlier and so we stopped in the gaming center. Sitting down we share a Coke as the kids try out the simulators. It's dark and cool and just what we needed. Feeling better we moved out back to the world showcase and Norway again to use our other Fastpass on the Maelstrom.

What can you say? It was dark and cool with an encounter with a troll or two. What was interesting, however, was that the ride unloaded not in a Gift Shop but in a nightime version of a small Norwegian town.

After a bit of a wait a set of doors opens revealing a theater where a short fiim was presented. Overall, if you have a lot of interst in Norway, a decent ride. The kids had had enough though. Another set of doors opened up and -you guessed it- a lovely gift shop was revealed. Having seen most of this earlier we headed quickly for the door.

It was approaching the late afternoon and the temperatures still hadn't let up yet. Can we finish our tour? Will our tired legs let us go on?

Tune in Next Time to find out!

 

[jmskinner]

Joining in. Just read most of your TR, kinda skipped the PTR portion.

Great report so far. We were at DHS the same day, but looks like we were at different sides of the park all day. Sorry you didn't get to ride TSMM or ToT. And future reference on those passes let behind, they will normally issue you a new one. We've had to get new AP's left in the car before and while we were doing that, noticed several people getting their key cards replaced that they had left in their resort. But it all worked out in the end.

Love the pictures of the resort, we haven't stayed there, yet. One day.

I loved your description of the kids and Haunted Mansion, too funny. Mine got a little scared during the preshow also. He now rides by himself all the time.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR. Oh, and since everyone from TX keeps popping in here and you have been through their town, had to check to see if you have been to my home town, San Angelo, TX.

 

[SurfinTX]

Joining in. Just read most of your TR, kinda skipped the PTR portion.

Great report so far. We were at DHS the same day, but looks like we were at different sides of the park all day. Sorry you didn't get to ride TSMM or ToT. And future reference on those passes let behind, they will normally issue you a new one. We've had to get new AP's left in the car before and while we were doing that, noticed several people getting their key cards replaced that they had left in their resort. But it all worked out in the end.

Love the pictures of the resort, we haven't stayed there, yet. One day.

I loved your description of the kids and Haunted Mansion, too funny. Mine got a little scared during the preshow also. He now rides by himself all the time.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR. Oh, and since everyone from TX keeps popping in here and you have been through their town, had to check to see if you have been to my home town, San Angelo, TX.

jmskinner! I'm glad you checked out my in progress report.

I have only been to San Angelo once for a high school baseball tournament out there. My parents did take me to see Fort Concho but I don't remember much else other than the hotel pool.

The end of Day 3 should be up sometime tonight.

 

[Tinkermom76]

Loving your updates

We had a day at Epcot last trip where we got to see a ton of princesses as well, some a couple of times. That's a great place to meet them!!!!

Can't wait to hear more

 

[TinksThree]

Early EMH at Magic Kingdom, cont.

but the magic wasn't done yet.

Dianna had brought with her a 1989 Rose O'Niells Kewpie Doll of Snow White with her on the trip. Heading over to the castle we found our way blocked by a showing of Dream Along with Mickey. Heading around to the left we see walking out of a side door Snow White! It didn't take us long to get in the right spot and soon we were up to meet her.

Madison had Snow White sign the Kewpie for us and the morning just couldn't seem to get much better and we still haven't even scratched the surface of our plans for the day!

Next Up: More Princesses Than You Can Shake a Stick At!

I am bouncing around and started with T-Rex and MK EMH since we were there on the same days! We saw this same Snow White and she was so great! Very friendly and personable. It was probably one of the best character interactions I have had!! Your pictures are so good!! Okay, back to bouncing!!

 

[SurfinTX]

Must...Keep...Touring...

Leaving Norway again we retrace our steps and walk all the way to Italy. On the way I started to notice a familiar smell. Was someone smoking? I heard someone half-yell that there was no smoking here. Looking around I noticed a young man with a cigarette in front of us. It didn't take long for someone to flag down a CM and they rushed over to talk to him. He appeared to be a foriegner who seemed to be clueless about non-smoking areas.

Passing them by we turn in to Italy and who did we see?

Sergio! He was in the middle of his show and had picked a pre-teen girl as his assistant. Whaterver you do, if you have a shy kid, do not let them volunteer for that job!

We search a bit and find the Kidcot station further in.

The CM here was very nice and there were a few seats nearby. At this point I was using every place to sit I could find. While waiting for the kids I notice a younger lady and what appears to be her mom stroll by. When I say stroll by I mean act like Kim Kardashian with a photographer following them. I wouldn't have mentioned them but a bit later we saw a fountain that we wanted to take apicture in front of. Well, several other people were waiting as well due to these people I mentioned earlier. It was at least ten minutes after we left the Kidcot station and they were still taking pictures. Eventually they moved on and we stepped up after a bit.

Man my hat is really starting to droop.

Having seen the sights of Italy it was time to move on to the good old USA. We didn't spend much time here but did find the Kidcot station for the children.

Again I found a seat as my feet were really starting to hurt. Soon we were on our way to my favorite country and our ADR for the night, Japan.

As we arrived we noticed a crowd near the entrance to the gift shop. It was Miyuki making some custom rice candy in the shape of animals.

Right as she was finishing up across the way Matsuriza started up on the drums.

The crowd had grown quite large in the area so we escaped into the gift shop. Here is where we spent most of our time due to the Hello Kitty display. Dianna is a huge fan.

Towards the interior of the land we finally found the Kidcot station.

Domo arigatos all around but the CMs here were very busy. This was the only spot that had more than a few minute wait.

Finally it was time to check in for our ADR at Teppan Edo. Walking in I noticed that they had changed the interior layout since my '07 trip. The check-in desk had been combined with Tokyo Dining and there was a large number of people waiting. Recieving our pager we sat down for a bit. I was really worried the wait was going to be long but in less than 5 minutes our pager went off.

For some reason I didn't take any pictures at all of this dining experience. I think it was a combination of handling our children and the speed of service. As a group of 5 we were seated with a young group of three. One of them was very handicapped but very enthusiastic throughout the meal. He was the brother of a late teenage girl with her boyfriend. She seemed very comfortable about the situation but the boyfriend was worried about us and might have been embarrased. Dianna commented that we were all having so much fun and he seemed to relax a bit.

Now I knew that this was going to be a tough sell for Madison due to her finickiness. It turned out there was no need to worry as she was perfectly fine eating the chicken with rice...as long as nothing else was in it.

I asked Kyler today about his meal and he said it was fine but he put too much soy sauce on it.

My filet mignon was excellent and I pretty much wolfed it down. After that I had the chocolate ginger cake. It certainly wasn't bad but it was by far the least tasty dessert of our stay. Dianna had the Green Tea pudding and found it "acceptable". This is where the kids were showing how tired they were. They were served the vanilla ice cream and nearly fell out. Madison and Michael both like chocolate but it was ice cream, right? Well the children were about done but there was more to do. We march out and tell them we will find something nice for them on the snack credit.

Next up was Morrocco and just our luck Mo'Rockin' was right in the middle of a performance. Dianna just rolled her eyes at the name of the band. The bellydancer sure was talented.

Anyhoo, moving right along we move to the back area of Morrocco and find all kinds of neat architecture.

You can tell the kids are all moping a bit after having only vanilla ice cream. After checking out a few things in the shops it was time to get some refreshment and a perfect place for that is France.

Here we found a refreshment stand serving chocolate ice cream. Also they were serving...the Grey Goose Slushie. I had promised this drink to Dianna months ago and she kept pestering me from time to time when we were going to try it out.

A very tasty pre-mixed drink and was finished fairly quickly. We began to wonder how hard it would to make this at home. We didn't spend much time in france since it was approaching dusk and we wanted to see the United Kingdom and prepare for Illuminations.

Crossing the bridge we could hear some familiar music. It was the British Invasion.

They were playing Hey Jude as we sat down watching. Just to let everyone know we have The Beatles Rock Band and the kids are very familiar with the music. This was a very enjoyable show for everyone. After the show was done we headed into the shops and especially liked all of the Alice memorabilia. Finding our final Kidcot station for the day we added the last stamps and add ons.

Soon it was time to find a good spot to watch Illuminations and we backtracked a bit to the bridge. Here is where my night picture taking failed miserably. A lot of the lamps and surrounding lights remained up during the show so when I had my camera all set up I washed out nearly every shot with background light. Soon I ditched the camera and I just enjoyed the show with Michael on my back.

Now it was time to leave EPCOT...but I had forgotten to tell you something. Dianna reminded me as I was preparing this part of the report.

Earlier in the day between the time we had rode Mission: Space and heading back to the Maelstrom we went into the Coca Cola Cool Zone. While in here we tried the various drinks and found most to be not too tasty. All of the kids had the typical reaction to the Beverly but I didn't have the camera ready. Anyway, Micheal sees this Club Penguin - penguin. Michael plays an online game related to this and fell in love with it. The night before he lost a tooth and said he wanted to use his money to get it. We tried to talk him out of it all day since it really wasn't Disney related but it wasn't going to happen.

So, back to now, as we were getting ready to leave Michael asks can we get the penguin. Collectively sighing we head back to Club Cool ato find it closed. Future World was the late EMH and there was a lot still open. We decide to try Mouse Gears and after a lot of searching we finally find the penguin. While looking for that Madison stumbles across a set of blue mouse ears. Now she wants that since blue is her favorite color. Finally, all gear in hand we head for the gates.

The monorail wait was short tonight and we decided to switch lines instead of walking back to the resort from the TTC. Our legs could not take much more.

One last thing happened on the way into the lounge. Kyler decided to run up the outside stairs and go through the second floor door which requires the card key. Michael decided to run up after him while the rest of us go through the double doors downstairs. I knew at this moment what would happen. Kyler would beat him up there easily and leave Michael behind outside. I was also thinking it would be no problem since we would get to that door in about 30 seconds.

Well, Michael finds the door locked and runs back downstairs as we reach the second floor. Again, Michael's arms fall off in that short period and we round him up. We reminded him that he shouldn't run off without us as we led him to the room and then had to remind Kyler not to leave him behind. The kids were all tired and had hit their limit. It didn't take long to get them settled and my body was screaming for rest.

Lessons Learned: No matter what you are getting done it's not worth having all of the kids fall out by the end of the day. Take the mid-day break.

Next Up: Swimming With the Sharks

 

[SurfinTX]

Loving your updates

We had a day at Epcot last trip where we got to see a ton of princesses as well, some a couple of times. That's a great place to meet them!!!!

Can't wait to hear more

No doubt about it. If you time it right you can meet many characters all around World Showcase.

I am bouncing around and started with T-Rex and MK EMH since we were there on the same days! We saw this same Snow White and she was so great! Very friendly and personable. It was probably one of the best character interactions I have had!! Your pictures are so good!! Okay, back to bouncing!!

I'm bouncing around yours, glennbo123 and mom2mek's reports as well!

Thanks about the pictures. Sometimes I get a good one but I do have a lot of outakes.

 

[Boardwalkin]

Really enjoying your trip report. Pictures are fantastic!

 

[camsmomE]

Hope I'm not too late. I started your PTR (from Dec... and have gotten to April). Reading your story has gotten me even more excited for our trip! Thanks! Great writing!!! Can't wait until I get to the actual TR, but I don't want to miss a thing! -Stace

 

[SurfinTX]

Swimming with the Sharks

This update is going to be long on story and short on pictures just so you are warned.

After our epic tour of both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT we had collapsed into our beds somewhere between 11:30 and midnight once again. Luckily I had planned a completely different kind of day for Wednsday. Sleeping in until 7:45, we began to stir and slowly get our act together. While in the bathroom me and Dianna started to talk about our plans for the day.

First of all it was now actually my birthday! We had set Typhoon Lagoon as our early park and since it wasn't opening until 9:00 we were not in too much of a rush to get there at opening anyway. The question was what were we going to do with our afternoon and evening.

My mind had been working on this the last few days and we were not exactly sure yet what we were going to do. My official plan had 3 alternatives from going to Beaches and Cream and then Downtown Disney and see Disney Quest to leaving the kids at the resort and partying at Jelly Rolls.

Right at that moment a plan crystalized in my brain...and it was like the Ah! Ha! moment had struck. Checking the schedule I saw that Animal Kingdom was the late EMH today. Within seconds a new plan for the next two days was worked out. Since we had missed several rides at DHS on our first day I was having a hard time figuring out if we could back there with our remaining time.

Now we could spend a half-day at Typhoon Lagoon and then ease our way out to Animal Kingdom for the late EMH tonight to hit the thrill rides. This would free up tomorrows plan at aK to just see the animal oriented attractions early. Then, hopefully, we can go back to DHS to pick up some of the rides we left off last time in the afternoon.

The drawback to all of this was that I wasn't going to be doing anything birthday oriented today with this plan. Dianna later accused me of doing this on purpose but that was not the case. I swear!

With all of that settled for now it was time to grab another breakfast at the Lounge. With the little extra rest the kids seemed to perk up quickly and before long we hopped on the Typhoon Lagoon/Downtown Disney bus. Arriving at the park we quickly payed for our tickets and made the trek over to the beach right in front of the Surf Pool where 5 and C are marked on the map.

After getting all of our stuff situated and liberal amounts of sunscreen applied we run for the Lagoon. Now, just in case you don't know, this wave pool hosts one of the largest man made waves in existance. I was really looking forward to experiencing this. I had told the kids about it but I can try to describe it to them but I don't think they were really prepared for it in their minds.

After about a minute or so a big flushing woosh sound hapens and a gigantic wave is sent at us.

The kids' mouths all drop as the wave surges at us and we are enveloped in about 5 feet of whitewater. All of them jump up and start yelling for more. Now I move out to where Michael can just touch and we wait. When the pool is set to sending big waves it takes a few minutes to get the tanks refilled. Soon enough another huge wave is sent at us and I body surf a solid 30 feet this time. This early in the morning the crowds were pretty light and there was plenty of room to manuever.

I did go out into the deeper water a few times to really try to catch the wave but I found that it moved so fast you really needed a boogie board or surfboard to catch it. (Which is not allowed during regular park hours.)

After experiencing a few of these big waves we decided to see the rest of the park and catch a few rides. Hopping into Castaway Creek we find some tuves eventually and take a relaxing trip around the park. Looking around I realize how lush everything is. I mean like Amazon Jungle/Tropical Island lush. Along the way they have misters running and it really feels like you have travled near the equator as all of the plants close around you.

Getting close to where the slides were I tell Dianna that the next exit is the one we want. Well Michael does not get the message and keeps on going after all of us get out. At first Dianna thought it was no big deal and we would catch him on the way back. At first I couldn't figure this out since Dianna is usualy very protective of keeping the kids reasonably close to us, especially in water. Then I realized that she thought we had done a complete circuit when we had actually travelled only about 1/3 of the way. Telling her this she immedietly jumped back in to catch up with him. Madison heads back as well. Me and Kyler look at each other and we are like "I want to ride some rides." but this communication was non-verbal.

Thinking back, this was not the most mature decision I had ever made. I should have headed back in and got them all out at the next exit so we could remain all together. Instead we head up to the line for Mayday Falls and then planned to head back to the beach and wait for Dianna to return there.

The wait wasn't long and soon we were on our rafts sliding our way back down. I found the slide to nice but I had experienced some much more thrilling ones at Hurricane Harbor in Dallas. Kyler thought it was great since he slipped backwards halfway down. Walking back we get to our spot to find Dianna was not back yet. Since it had been a bare 10 minutes Me and Kyler walk over to the nearby Shark Reef for an experience I was really looking forward to.

Kyler is not a strong swimmer so I recomend for him the life vest. It was a good decision since the water is pretty cold and they do not want you to splash much as you make your way across the tank. Again, not much of a crowd to be seen and we were not rushed to get in or swim across. I get a really good look at a big school of fish as they diverted around me. After about three minutes we got out the other side and Kyler was all smiles. He had seen several sharks swim right under him.

Making our way back again we still did not see Dianna around our chairs. Getting a little worried I decide to hang around and I send Kyler into the wave pool. After a few minutes Kyler comes back and says "You are in trouble." Well, bracing myself, Dianna comes up and is pretty upset as you can imagine. I'll gloss over the next bit if you don't mind.

Well, for a while things are pretty rough as I tell her where the Shark Reef is. She, umm, heads off in that direction but I make a pointed effort to remain cheerful. Getting in line for gear Kyler decided to go to the observation area this time. Life vests are offered but Dianna is moving quickly through the line and the little ones are following just as fast. I was thinking that they were going to need it but they are already around the corner with just masks. and I mean I litteraly looked up at the sky and sighed.

Getting to the pool area I reminded the kids that it will be cold and salty so don't remove the masks. We all get in and the kids are immediatly showing problems. After about 20 seconds or so they look like they are getting used to the water and start to swim out. Both of them have been to the beach a few times and have snorkled as well but only where they could touch the bottom. After we had swum out I turned around to Michael and gave him a thumbs up. At that moment he seemed fine but after I turned around to see where I was going he started crawling up my arm. Uh. Oh. Me and Dianna moved over to put our arms out between both children but it was too late. The masks had come up and they were struggling. At this point the helpful life guard comes over and puts his floatation device under them and swims them to the end. Dianna and me swim behind and get out.

Later we find out from the kids that the salt water was burning their faces and when they lifted the masks it felt worse.

This was not the Reef experience Dianna was looking for. At this point I wasn't going to say anything else that could make this worse. Getting back to our beach Dianna decides to just lay down for a while. I'm getting a bit hungry and I ask who would like to join me. Michael wants to play in the sand a bit and Kyler wants to do some exploring on his own. Madison joins me and we head over to Typhoon Tilly's.

Grabbing some BBQ and chicken we sit together and talk about things while sitting in the shade. Madison's spirits really lifted when she saw that her meal came with a bucket and shovel. I didn't realize how hungry I was and boy how any old average sandwhich tastes like a feast when your swimming. Both of us feeling better in more ways than one we head back to our spot yet again. Dianna was still blowing off steam and I tell her I would stay and watch the kids for a while. Now Michael and Kyler head off to eat and Madison plays in the sand for a while. This is one of those times that the umbrella we bought yesterday came in really handy.

Relaxing for a bit Dianna comes back and everyone seemed to be in a much better mood. Me and Dianna talked a bit and sent the kids to the pool again. It was getting past noon and we didn't want to have a repeat of yesterday with super tired kids we decide to leave the park.

Now, this was not the park experience we were all hoping for. We didn't get to ride the Crush n Gusher nore a vast majority of the slides. I did get some great one on one time, unintentionaly, with Kyler and Madison and an excellent swim in both the wave pool and in the Reef.

Arriving back at the resort we had big plans to do...laundry! Well, we had a big stack of dirty clothes piling up and it was time to do them if we were going to have anything to wear on the way back home. Let me say that using the machines at the Poly is EXPENSIVE. Nearly everyone coming in there had the same reaction. It's $2 per machine. So $8 to do two loads completely if you remembered to bring detergent. That's a lot of quarters and the machine was out of service. Going to the main desk in the main lobby I ask several CMs for change. Eventually they find enough and commented there seemed to be a rush on them lately. I told them the change machine was out in the laundry and they were like...oh! You can imagine there were were a lot of requests to break 10s and 20s that day.

One nice thing that happened while me and Dianna were doing the laundry is that we discovered all of the kids had collapsed in the beds and had fallen asleep or dozed watching TV! So we did get a bit of a parental break on my birthday as we walked the main lobby and shopped a bit waiting for the laundry to finish.

OK. So this day wasn't working out to be the most romantic or relaxing but it was still a good break from park touring. How will the rest of the day turn out?

 

[jmskinner]

I love the family picture in Moracco, parents look happy, children not so much. I have a lot of pics like that.

My DS took off ahead of us once at POFQ, we got to the room and he wasn't there. Turned out he went to the wrong building, wrong room. And left his key in the door of that wrong room. Kids just never realize what could happen.

We love TL and that wave pool. Sorry you missed Crush N Gusher, but if you have been to Schlitterbahn, it's water coasters are much better.

 

[SurfinTX]

I love the family picture in Moracco, parents look happy, children not so much. I have a lot of pics like that.

My DS took off ahead of us once at POFQ, we got to the room and he wasn't there. Turned out he went to the wrong building, wrong room. And left his key in the door of that wrong room. Kids just never realize what could happen.

We love TL and that wave pool. Sorry you missed Crush N Gusher, but if you have been to Schlitterbahn, it's water coasters are much better.

Amazingly enough I haven't been to Schlitterbahn, Fiesta Texas or Seaworld. I have some plans formulating in my brain for next year possibly.

 

[SurfinTX]

A Late Exploration of Animal Kingdom

Last time I left you as we were riding...The Laundromat!

Finishing up those chores, me and Dianna went back to the room to find both Michael and Madison wanting to go swimming again! Kyler was still out and we left him where he lied. I was willing to take them down while Dianna put everything away and rested. It was now about 4:00 pm and I let them run around a bit on the beach and jump through the waterfall again.

At 5:00 I round them up and we change into our clothes for the night ahead. First we stop off at the lounge for a bit to taste the evening appetizers but soon head over to the Great Ceremonial House and Capt. Cooks. This was the first time we had been in here and it took a few minutes to get used to the online ordering system. After a few false starts we figure it out and get everyones order in.

I had the Adult Grilled Cheese. It had cheese, a tomato and peppers on grilled multi-grain bread. It tasted wonderfull. The Polynesian Chips were just about inedible. They were way overcooked and seemed to have been left out too long after cooking as well. The desert selections from the pastry counter were pretty good and varied. I had the chocolate brownie which was HUGE! Everyone else was pretty much in agreement that the food here is pretty hit or miss. It wasn't too crowded but seating is limited so choose your time to come here carefully, as we would learn later.

Leaving the GCH we head over to the bus and hop on over to the Animal Kingdom. We arrive just before 7:00 pm just as the evening EMH gets started. As we move into the park we notice that nearly all of the animals have been sent off to bed. No matter since seeing animals was not on the agenda tonight. Reaching the Tree of Life I take one of our best family photos of the trip!

Ok. We have Michael about to punch Kyler in the arm which he will react to in about three seconds and Madison just anxious to get on a ride of any kind.

Now in our darkest hour the plan was going to pull us through. First up tonight is Expedition Everest. It's a hike out there but eventually we arrive to find only about a 15 minute standby.

As you can imagine all of the kids wanted to hit the bells on the way through. It's a trade-off with the kids being entertained in a queue and the adults all leaving with ringing in their ears.

Pretty quickly we get to the loading area and soon we are ready for our encounter with the Yeti. I had shown everyone a video of this rollercoaster on Youtube before we had left on the trip to prevent anyone from chickening out. The strategy had worked as everyone looked excited and there were no looks of nervousness at all.

Now having rode this once before with the full Yeti effect at the end I was sadly disapointed this time around. The ride backwards was more intense than I had remembered and it did shake up Dianna a bit. Madison was with her and Michael sat with me and Kyler behind. As we swung around the last bit I kept an eye peeled for the Yeti but there was nothing. Just a dull red glow and no lights flashing to reveal him, moving or not.

Still, the kids loved it and Kyler kept thinking we had done a loop while traveling backwards. I assured him it was just a helix turn.

With our spirits raised by this ride we backtracked a bit to the Tree of Life to see It's Tough to be a Bug. This 3D movie is set under the Tree and you can get many up close shots of the tree from here.

Getting in line it was a very short wait for the show to begin. While down under the tree we get a few pictures of our glasses.

Not to give out too many spoilers, this was one the most in your face 3D movies in Disney. From all kinds of animitronics to seat effects, they pull out all the stops. The kids talked about this show for a long time afterwards. By now the twilight was fading and the lights had come on all over the park. The change was dramatic as you would walk into and out of brightly lit areas and then stroll through barely lit paths lined with vegetation.

Next up for us was Dinosaur! Again the line was not bad and entirely indoors. Actually it moved a little too fast as the kids wanted to look at all of the exhibits along the way.

We were all loaded up and sent off to our bumpy ride into the past. How did it turn out? Let's see shall we.

Me: I know where this ride photo is.
Michael: OMG! It's loud. I can't look!
Kyler: Cool effects, eh?
Dianna: It's OK Madison. It's just an effect.
Madison: I'm glad mom is between me and it.

Afterwards Michael swears up and down that he wasn't scared.

Unloading we have to brave not one, but two gift shops which we get through unscathed. Back in Dinoland we decide to hit Primeval Whirl. This was the longest line of the night at about 30 minutes. Both sides were loading so it wasn't too bad. As we get to the loading area one of the CMs is joking around with the people in line. He would ask them their favorite Disney movie and proceed to try to get them to sing a song from it. He would join in of course or grab another CM if no one knew any. He was a blast and many of us were laughing and clapping after each group. The kids of course were horrified that they might be picked.

Dianna and Madison went first and the boys followed in our own car.

The kids thought it was pretty fun but it was no Expedition Everest. That was good since we just had enough time to ride it again! Dianna, after her last encounter, was going to sit it out. Michael, which you might have noticed is not smiling, is feeling a bit down and sits out as well. The line looked a bit longer this time around and Dianna didn't want to have to wait too long but I assured her it wouldn't be that long. The sign said 20 minutes but it was barely ten.

This time it was completely dark with just a bit of moonlight to guide us through our trip. Except at the pauses and at the top of the big climb the ride was completely dark. It was an incredible experience after you started to go backwards and the big drop is a complete surprise. Again, I saw the reddish glow but couldn't make out the Yeti. This time Madison sat with me and all I heard after we started going backwards was "This is awesome!" over and over.

Afterwards, though, she did comment that she was really disapointed that there was no actual yeti to see.

Joining back up we make the long walk to the front of the park. First, there was a couple of things I wanted to do. Getting out my mini-tripod I attempt to take a few pictures.

There is an HD version at this link if you want to check it out.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff303/bigbadtm/Disney%2010/Wednesday/Picture015.jpg

My next attempt was nowhere near as good with the Tree of Life.

As we get close to the Oasis area everyone starts to say they wan't something to eat. I agree but tell them we will stop off at Capt. Cooks since nothing in the carts around us looks appealing to me. Everyone agrees but Michael who sees a premium mickey bar with his name on it. Not a bad choice I have to admit. I tell him no problem but this will be it for tonight. He agrees and we get in line. When we get to the front we find out that they are out. Michael, undeterred, picks a frozen pineapple fruit bar. I double check with him since there will be far better things at Capt. Cooks. Michael is not swayed so bracing myself I make the purchase.

We get lucky again on bus timing and one pulls up as we arrive. Again we share with the Contemporary but after not too long we pull up to home.

Edit: I had forgotten something when I typed this up. On the bus back to the Poly another family was sitting across from us. Actually I was standing as well as the mom of their family. We strike up a conversation about how this is not the picture of Disney that is advertised on TV. All over the bus are tired and sweaty families with small children crying including theirs. Me and her shared a knowing look as Dianna is working on keeping our kids from fighting as well.

We go through the main lobby this time and snap a picture.

My luck with getting good family pictures has gone out the window. Ugh! Arriving at Capt. Cooks we find out that it seems many people had the same idea as us. There was a large crowd around the ordering area as well as checkout. Winding our way through we grab our brownies, tarts and other confections and make our way to the line. On cue Michael starts to say he wants something. I was already prepared for this and as gently as I could told him that we all have an equal share of snack credits and we didn't want to use them all up tonight and I had already explained that to him before. Well, we start to have a mini-meltdown.

Michael seemed to be out of sorts all night and we never could figure out what was bothering him. Well, this sets off Kyler. So, here we are getting treats at the end of a very good day and we are now having all the kids fall out.

It was time to wrap this day up. We tell the kids to wolf down what they have on the way and up to the room we go. Me and Dianna had seen this all before and knew how to handle it. We get the kids separated and talk to each one at a time until they get themselves under control. One thing working for us was that they were very tired again after a long day so there wasn't much fight left in them. Soon enough everyone was settled down and it was lights out in a hurry.

Ah! The Joy of Parenting!

Lessons Learned: From now on all Snack Credits will be redeemed at the same time!

 

[jake&samsmom]

Great updates!!!
I especially love this part:
"On the bus back to the Poly another family was sitting across from us. Actually I was standing as well as the mom of their family. We strike up a conversation about how this is not the picture of Disney that is advertised on TV. All over the bus are tired and sweaty families with small children crying including theirs. "
I am laughing hysterically because this is sooo TRUE!! I have sadly experienced this many times firsthand!