Alice28
DIS Veteran<br><font color=blue>I'm Doombah Fricki
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2002
- Messages
- 9,583
Saturday, March 8th. Our last day. L We are going to hit the MK for a few hours and head to the CR to meet Tiffany Town car at 1:45.
Rise and Shine at 7:15. I had packed most of our stuff the afternoon before, so there wasnt too much to do except throw toiletries into a bag. We walked down Main Street and Mom and Dad said they needed to do some last minute shopping and would meet up with us at Pirates. Hmmmm what are they doing? So, Bob and Sam go on Pirates (remember how he didnt want to go on with the bats? On Friday Bob talked him into it by buying him a $3.50 sword if he would go on it. Sam did and loved the ride. And we win parent of the year award for bribery) and I stroll around the shop and get a pressed penny. I love the play sets with the plastic Pirate Mickey and pirate ship, but we have already bought so much and have so many toys at home. Bob and Sam come out, and finally Mom and Dad come down. We all go on Pirates together, one last time. Sam talks Dad into getting him a stuffed pirate Goofy and Donald. Didnt I just say we had too many toys? Oh well, thats what grandparents are for I guess. Bob, Sam and Dad go on Jungle Cruise while Mom and I go on the carpets with Josh and see the Tiki Birds. I had wanted to see this version. It was ok, but I have to admit I love the original. Iagos screeching hurt my ears. I did like the length of it though, and there were a few funny moments. We meet up afterwards and mosey back through Adventureland and Frontierland. We wander around Liberty Square a little bit and its almost 11. We had wanted to see the Hall of Presidents, but it was about time for Mom and Dad to leave to catch their ride back to the airport. We didnt want to say good-bye, but we did. We all agreed it was a wonderful trip- it had far exceeded my parents expectations and I was so glad. I really wanted them to love it and not just go because they felt pressured to by me. They joked about moving to Florida after they retire so Dad could work on the trains one or two days a week.
Bob, the boys and I go to Columbia House to eat lunch. I liked this place a lot. We got two fish and chicken combos, a clam chowder bowl, coleslaw, a milk and two drinks for $26. It was all very good. We got some carrots as one of the sides to try and stick with our semi-healthy routine. After lunch we go back to Splash- we had picked up some FPs earlier. I get to go first this time with Sammy. I wanted to buy the picture, but his face was covered. So then Bob goes on with Sam and their picture turns out awesome! They are in the front row and both have their hands up and are smiling big. We buy it. We slowly head back to Main Street and Im trying not to get emotional. It truly had been the vacation of our dreams. Everything from all our parents there, to the great deals we got, to seeing our kids with the characters, to the great meals & just fun memories we made. I stop in the Emporium and get one last t-shirt for myself, a ball for Sam and a cute magnet for my best friend. Im glad I got the t-shirt, cause we then got a Mickey Bar, which the boys shared. Josh got chocolate all over his hands and before I could clean him up, he gets a perfect handprint right on my right- ahem- breast. Nice! We exit the park and catch the monorail back. Im pouting the entire way. I dont want to go home! We get to the CR and I duck into the bathroom to change. We get some last soda refills and watch cartoons for about 20 minutes. Our Tiffany Town car guy arrives and we load up and head out. We check-in at curb side and have a very nice baggage handler who was asking Bob all sorts of questions about his service in the military. Its nice to know that people are appreciative of what you do for our country. We go through security (a long line) and get a bite at McDonalds. Blah. We have an uneventful flight home- we even all dozed/slept the last hour or so. I have to admit it was nice to be home; even if it was rainy and 58. 58 isnt really too bad I guess, especially compared to other parts of the country. Im already back to the grind of work.
Final Thoughts:
Plan ahead. Lots of planning makes for an easier trip. I was surprised how often my obscure Disney knowledge actually helped us out! And lots of planning helps in cutting costs (getting good airfare) or at least helps in anticipating what you will spend (thousands!!! J)
Be flexible- you have to be if you go with young children. You never know when their devil side will appear and you have to roll with the punches. This isnt always easy for me, but it was either be flexible or everyone will be miserable.
Take lots of pictures- I love going though my pictures and being able to remember what we were doing and what I was thinking about when I took the picture.
Know that you wont be able to do everything. Go through websites and guide books and really pick and choose what you gotta see. If you have time to do other stuff, great. And plan to do those rides early in the day, before lines form. It is shocking how much you can accomplish by getting there when the gates open.
Try and buy your own bottled water. We spent $7 for a case of 24 bottles at Kash and Karry and I only bought 1 bottle of water in the parks. Each bottle at the parks was $2.50. We saved a lot of $ that way, and we saved by bringing cereal and buying a gallon of milk. Thats what we ate almost every morning. It kept us going usually till about 11.
If youre traveling with a larger group, or even if its just 2 of you, dont be afraid to split up for awhile. I was afraid while planning the trip that 10 days was a long time to be together, but by splitting the group up in different ways almost daily, we were able to keep positive family dynamics going throughout the whole trip.
If you made it to the end of this report, congratulations! I like to be as detailed as possible, and have tremendously gained from other peoples reports. I hope you had fun reading of our escapades.
Robin
Rise and Shine at 7:15. I had packed most of our stuff the afternoon before, so there wasnt too much to do except throw toiletries into a bag. We walked down Main Street and Mom and Dad said they needed to do some last minute shopping and would meet up with us at Pirates. Hmmmm what are they doing? So, Bob and Sam go on Pirates (remember how he didnt want to go on with the bats? On Friday Bob talked him into it by buying him a $3.50 sword if he would go on it. Sam did and loved the ride. And we win parent of the year award for bribery) and I stroll around the shop and get a pressed penny. I love the play sets with the plastic Pirate Mickey and pirate ship, but we have already bought so much and have so many toys at home. Bob and Sam come out, and finally Mom and Dad come down. We all go on Pirates together, one last time. Sam talks Dad into getting him a stuffed pirate Goofy and Donald. Didnt I just say we had too many toys? Oh well, thats what grandparents are for I guess. Bob, Sam and Dad go on Jungle Cruise while Mom and I go on the carpets with Josh and see the Tiki Birds. I had wanted to see this version. It was ok, but I have to admit I love the original. Iagos screeching hurt my ears. I did like the length of it though, and there were a few funny moments. We meet up afterwards and mosey back through Adventureland and Frontierland. We wander around Liberty Square a little bit and its almost 11. We had wanted to see the Hall of Presidents, but it was about time for Mom and Dad to leave to catch their ride back to the airport. We didnt want to say good-bye, but we did. We all agreed it was a wonderful trip- it had far exceeded my parents expectations and I was so glad. I really wanted them to love it and not just go because they felt pressured to by me. They joked about moving to Florida after they retire so Dad could work on the trains one or two days a week.
Bob, the boys and I go to Columbia House to eat lunch. I liked this place a lot. We got two fish and chicken combos, a clam chowder bowl, coleslaw, a milk and two drinks for $26. It was all very good. We got some carrots as one of the sides to try and stick with our semi-healthy routine. After lunch we go back to Splash- we had picked up some FPs earlier. I get to go first this time with Sammy. I wanted to buy the picture, but his face was covered. So then Bob goes on with Sam and their picture turns out awesome! They are in the front row and both have their hands up and are smiling big. We buy it. We slowly head back to Main Street and Im trying not to get emotional. It truly had been the vacation of our dreams. Everything from all our parents there, to the great deals we got, to seeing our kids with the characters, to the great meals & just fun memories we made. I stop in the Emporium and get one last t-shirt for myself, a ball for Sam and a cute magnet for my best friend. Im glad I got the t-shirt, cause we then got a Mickey Bar, which the boys shared. Josh got chocolate all over his hands and before I could clean him up, he gets a perfect handprint right on my right- ahem- breast. Nice! We exit the park and catch the monorail back. Im pouting the entire way. I dont want to go home! We get to the CR and I duck into the bathroom to change. We get some last soda refills and watch cartoons for about 20 minutes. Our Tiffany Town car guy arrives and we load up and head out. We check-in at curb side and have a very nice baggage handler who was asking Bob all sorts of questions about his service in the military. Its nice to know that people are appreciative of what you do for our country. We go through security (a long line) and get a bite at McDonalds. Blah. We have an uneventful flight home- we even all dozed/slept the last hour or so. I have to admit it was nice to be home; even if it was rainy and 58. 58 isnt really too bad I guess, especially compared to other parts of the country. Im already back to the grind of work.
Final Thoughts:
Plan ahead. Lots of planning makes for an easier trip. I was surprised how often my obscure Disney knowledge actually helped us out! And lots of planning helps in cutting costs (getting good airfare) or at least helps in anticipating what you will spend (thousands!!! J)
Be flexible- you have to be if you go with young children. You never know when their devil side will appear and you have to roll with the punches. This isnt always easy for me, but it was either be flexible or everyone will be miserable.
Take lots of pictures- I love going though my pictures and being able to remember what we were doing and what I was thinking about when I took the picture.
Know that you wont be able to do everything. Go through websites and guide books and really pick and choose what you gotta see. If you have time to do other stuff, great. And plan to do those rides early in the day, before lines form. It is shocking how much you can accomplish by getting there when the gates open.
Try and buy your own bottled water. We spent $7 for a case of 24 bottles at Kash and Karry and I only bought 1 bottle of water in the parks. Each bottle at the parks was $2.50. We saved a lot of $ that way, and we saved by bringing cereal and buying a gallon of milk. Thats what we ate almost every morning. It kept us going usually till about 11.
If youre traveling with a larger group, or even if its just 2 of you, dont be afraid to split up for awhile. I was afraid while planning the trip that 10 days was a long time to be together, but by splitting the group up in different ways almost daily, we were able to keep positive family dynamics going throughout the whole trip.
If you made it to the end of this report, congratulations! I like to be as detailed as possible, and have tremendously gained from other peoples reports. I hope you had fun reading of our escapades.
Robin
Treasure those moments and the precious memories with them and your children. Thanks for taking the time to write the report--I know it must've been a lot of work!
