17 Days of Wishes Come to Life- A Sept. 08 WDW and DCL Adventure 3/27 new link posted

[Candice30]

thanks for the reply. i found your previous trip report as soon as i posted the message to you and i am about half way thru it now. of course i am loving every minute of it. your kids are too adorable but i have to say it is weird reading the previous report after reading this one as the little prince was still in the womb. i keep looking at photos saying, where did they stash him before i remembered .

as for my mom, you have inspired me to have a surprise waiting for her for everyday. we are going to be there only 6 days (she won't leave my dad longer than that as he is helpless without her) but i want the days to be memorable. So far i have surprises for day 1 (the fact that we are staying concierge and a limo meeting us at the airport); day 3 (cirque du soleil); day 5 (sunrise safari). so that leaves the even numbered days. i definitely thought about having IPO setup that zebra cake as it looked amazing and purchase a couple of AKL shirts for us for day 2 as a "welcome to AKL" surprise. that leaves day 4 and our last day, day 6.

 

[MovienutNiffer]

Your family is just too adorable! Isn't it great how older brothers love the younger ones? My b-i-l has a son from his first marriage, Boba Fett, and he just adores his little brother! He couldn't wait to hold him! Even though there is 10 years difference between them they just adore each other and Boba loves playing and coloring with Kitty.

I love love love the WCC!!! The first time we ate there they were close to closing so the CM's who play around were getting pretty crazy! They had a bunch of guys sing Happy Birthday WAYYYY out of key to this little girl in a Cinderella costume. They kept calling her Cindy. Too cute! And for some reason a couple of the guys decided to recreate the end of Dirty Dancing when they do the lift. We were dying we were laughing so hard! We didn't even think to bring a camera that night.

As for the DVC my and my older sister, Nooshkin, live near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois and they have a Disney Doorway to Dreams store where they have the models for the new villas. She went crazy when they opened that up. It's actually pretty cool seeing the Animal Kingdom villas and the people are very no-pressure sales people. If you are ever in the Chicago area it's a cool place to check out - and the mall is pretty great too! (Oprah loves it or so I've heard!)

Can't wait to hear about the Wave! I've heard good things about it and I want to check it out when we go back in June for my birthday and a Star Wars weekend.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I don't blame you one bit for being angry about the DVC sales pitch. They should have informed you up front that they were backlogged. You are such a positive person though not letting the annoyance ruin the rest of your day.

 

[jaycns]

Day 7...An afternoon of nothing but fun!

Watery pool fun that is! We figured it would be better to just skip trying to fit in a round of golf before dinner. Instead, we thought a longer dip in the pool might be in order.

I love the next three pictures. The first one is of Aladdin coming down the slide. He looks laid back, like he is just enjoying the slide for what it is.

The next picture is of Goofy coming down the slide. He looks very cautious, ready for water to go up his nose...making sure he will 'land' safely.

And then you have Stitch, he was yelling out to me "I wish it was faster!" as he splashed down. How different can three kids get?!

I love this underwater shot. You can see the air bubbles coming out of his nose! Ha ha ha.

Today's pool activity was water basketball. Aladdin was all over it. He shoots...he scores!

Goofy put the ball through the hoop as well. Dh was very proud. No, seriously though, he was. I was laughing at him so hard for being so stoked that his boys were making almost every basket they shot. He played basketball in college and is a HUGE fan of the game. Dh is hoping that at least one of our boys will follow in his high topped footsteps, so far, he's out of luck. They all put on soccer cleats and don't seem to have any inkling of changing out of them.

And another one of his boys makes a shot! Stitch later said he would play more basketball if he could always play it in the pool.

The boys took turns shooting hoops for about 30 minutes. Every few minutes someone else would swim up and the boys would give them a turn but it was mostly just our boys who played. The pool was pretty empty and everyone seemed to be interested in doing other things.

Goofy, Aladdin and Stitch with the WL in the background.

Goofy gave our afternoon at the pool, two thumbs up!

Aladdin seemed to really be enjoying himself as well. He loves posing for underwater pictures. Actually, they all do.

Their littlest brother, our LP was actually awake during our time in the pool on this day and he was loving it too!

I cannot stop laughing at this picture...so I am including it. Watch out for what lurks beneath the calm waters of the WL pool!

Another shot of our three oldest fish.

Stitch pretending to be on the lookout for the geyser.

Goofy relaxing.

Stitch smiles at all of the fun we were having.

Happy boys sometimes just have to scream out "taaa-daaaa".

A peek from our balcony when we went up to let our raisins turn back into fingers and toes.

It was also time to get ready for Goofy's birthday dinner. What a wonderful night was in store for all of us! This is the night that we had switched our California Grill reservation for one at the Wave (after enjoying a superb lunch earlier in our vacation). It was also the night that we chose to celebrate our little Goof's 9th birthday. Where does time go? I remember his first birthday like it was yesterday. His first birthday was celebrated on the Disney Magic. It was only fitting that Disney played a part in this birthday celebration as well.


TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[mymainmouse]

Sorry you had to wait so long for the DVC rep. I am pretty sure my DH would have walked out the first time the sales rep left.

I am glad to hear that you like WCC. I am considering it for our trip next fall.

The pool pictures of your boys are so neat. I especially like the air bubbles coming from the nose. Too cute!

The pictures of your boys relaxing in the morning are sweet. Down time is something I need to do a better job of incorporating in our vacations. Unfortunately, when on vacation, I tend to push us to go, go, go.
Great pictures and update!

 

[Figment's Friend]

How cool you are thinking of taking Goofy to Victoria and Albert's! I'm sure he would love and appreciate that!

Way to go, Aladdin and his soccer team! That is great news, you must be so proud!

I was going to comment on so many of your pictures, but it's easier to simply say, I love them all! From Aladdin and the Little Prince bonding together with the adorable Dumbo stuffed animal, to all three of your oldest just having a blast in the pool, they are all wonderful! Stitch is too cute with those worms and dirt!

As for all that waiting How awful! Can't wait for Goofy's 9th birthday dinner!

 

[jaycns]

Day 7...Lodge Exploration!

Before we set off for the Contemporary, we made our way up to the club lounge for a little pre dinner bite to eat. Along the way, we took a photo safari of sorts and took pictures of lots of the interesting little things that make the WL special. The teepee design on our door is the first shot.

Our three oldest sons smiling in the hall.

Not a great shot, I will learn how to take this shot before my next vacation!

Roasted pork. Even though we just took a few bites each, it was enough for us to realize that it was very tasty.

Relaxing while walking down the hall on the club floor.

Near the bottom of one of the big totem poles.

I thought this Native American headdress was truly stunning!

My men all "gussied up" and ready to head over to the CR.

Up next...we make our way to one of our favorite resorts....the CR!

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[jaycns]

thanks for the reply. i found your previous trip report as soon as i posted the message to you and i am about half way thru it now. of course i am loving every minute of it. your kids are too adorable but i have to say it is weird reading the previous report after reading this one as the little prince was still in the womb. i keep looking at photos saying, where did they stash him before i remembered .

as for my mom, you have inspired me to have a surprise waiting for her for everyday. we are going to be there only 6 days (she won't leave my dad longer than that as he is helpless without her) but i want the days to be memorable. So far i have surprises for day 1 (the fact that we are staying concierge and a limo meeting us at the airport); day 3 (cirque du soleil); day 5 (sunrise safari). so that leaves the even numbered days. i definitely thought about having IPO setup that zebra cake as it looked amazing and purchase a couple of AKL shirts for us for day 2 as a "welcome to AKL" surprise. that leaves day 4 and our last day, day 6.

Even though you are doing the sunrise safari, look into doing the sunset safari as well...it is such a unique experience and such an amazing evening! If you have time you might consider hiring a driver or taking a cab over and seeing the Blue Man Group at Universal Studios. Another neat thing would be to do nothing in advance but to keep watch over your mom's reactions to things in the gift shop at AKL...then when you see something she loves, secretly purchase it and leave it with the concierge staff to place in your room while you are out for the day. I hope you are enjoying the other TR!

Your family is just too adorable! Isn't it great how older brothers love the younger ones? My b-i-l has a son from his first marriage, Boba Fett, and he just adores his little brother! He couldn't wait to hold him! Even though there is 10 years difference between them they just adore each other and Boba loves playing and coloring with Kitty.

I love love love the WCC!!! The first time we ate there they were close to closing so the CM's who play around were getting pretty crazy! They had a bunch of guys sing Happy Birthday WAYYYY out of key to this little girl in a Cinderella costume. They kept calling her Cindy. Too cute! And for some reason a couple of the guys decided to recreate the end of Dirty Dancing when they do the lift. We were dying we were laughing so hard! We didn't even think to bring a camera that night.

As for the DVC my and my older sister, Nooshkin, live near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois and they have a Disney Doorway to Dreams store where they have the models for the new villas. She went crazy when they opened that up. It's actually pretty cool seeing the Animal Kingdom villas and the people are very no-pressure sales people. If you are ever in the Chicago area it's a cool place to check out - and the mall is pretty great too! (Oprah loves it or so I've heard!)

Can't wait to hear about the Wave! I've heard good things about it and I want to check it out when we go back in June for my birthday and a Star Wars weekend.

I adored the model of AKV that we saw. If we do buy in, it will be at AKV for sure! The sales were totally no pressure at WDW as well...it's just that wait...UGH. And I am sure that was a fluke. It just happened to happen to us. If that was their standard operating procedure, nobody would ever buy it.

I have actually been to that mall. We like to vacation in Chicago at least once every year or so. The installment with our dinner at the Wave is in the works!

I don't blame you one bit for being angry about the DVC sales pitch. They should have informed you up front that they were backlogged. You are such a positive person though not letting the annoyance ruin the rest of your day.

If I would have let it ruin the rest of my day, they would have wasted even more of my time. I wouldn't say I am positive as much as I am greedy, I wanted every drop of happiness I could squeeze out of that day. Nothing was going to stand in my way.

Sorry you had to wait so long for the DVC rep. I am pretty sure my DH would have walked out the first time the sales rep left.

I am glad to hear that you like WCC. I am considering it for our trip next fall.

The pool pictures of your boys are so neat. I especially like the air bubbles coming from the nose. Too cute!

The pictures of your boys relaxing in the morning are sweet. Down time is something I need to do a better job of incorporating in our vacations. Unfortunately, when on vacation, I tend to push us to go, go, go.
Great pictures and update!

I think my dh might have walked out then too...other then he was hoping to hear something horrible about it in order to stop me from ever asking him about purchasing it again. No, seriously, I think he was hoping that by sitting there, I would "cool" toward Disney and not want to go back for a few years.

I love taking pool pictures with our water proof camera...it's one of my favorite ways to capture the fun of any vacation.

Down time is something I didn't even know I was missing before it was forced upon me last year. After finding out just how much fun down time really is...I am now hooked! Try it just one afternoon and you won't have to look to squeeze it in again...you will come to love it!

How cool you are thinking of taking Goofy to Victoria and Albert's! I'm sure he would love and appreciate that!

Way to go, Aladdin and his soccer team! That is great news, you must be so proud!

I was going to comment on so many of your pictures, but it's easier to simply say, I love them all! From Aladdin and the Little Prince bonding together with the adorable Dumbo stuffed animal, to all three of your oldest just having a blast in the pool, they are all wonderful! Stitch is too cute with those worms and dirt!

As for all that waiting How awful! Can't wait for Goofy's 9th birthday dinner!

I am going to ask him before I invist at dinner at V&A's but I really think he would be totally into that. He is my 'cultured' child.

I am so proud of him and very happy for him. It's so great to see your child work so hard and put so much of themselves into something and then to watch them accomplish their goals...it's a great feeling.

 

[jaycns]

Day 7...An Evening at the Contemporary


Here is Aladdin waiting while the valet brought our van around.

A very few minutes after we hopped in the van, we arrived at the CR. We were greeted by two of Donald's cousins.

What a cool looking area in the lobby!

Another cool seating area in the CR's lobby.

I am including this picture to show that we did indeed need those shorts! Ha ha ha. The infamous shorts from the Short's Search of 2008.

We were headed up to the arcade to let the boys have some electronic fun before our dinner. This was Goofy's choice as a special birthday activity.

The favorite game of all three older boys is the Jumping Jackpot game. Here are some pictures of them having fun playing it. Look at how high Aladdin was jumping!

And then up went Stitch.

And last but not least, it was Goofy's turn, the Jumpin' Jackpot master!

A better view of the game so you will know it when you see it (if you are looking to have some hopping fun yourself).

Stitch with his winnings.

And this is how Goofy looked (a bit shocked actually) when he beat the game and won the entire jackpot!

He won the big jackpot of 450 tickets!

His brothers helped him hold up his winnings. Just look at how happy he was!

Goofy and his tickets.

He ended up getting a big stuffed Pluto when he traded in his tickets for a prize. He gave his left over tickets to his brothers and they each picked a bunch of little stuff. All in all, it was a good day at the arcade.

While we were playing in the arcade we were also working up quite an appetite. Which was good since it was now time for us to make our way down to one of new favorite restaurants, The Wave.

Stitch being himself.

And now for the good stuff...what we ate!

Dh started off with the navy bean soup. It was made with smoked ham hock and crackling. He loved it.

Aladdin had the lettuce wraps. They were stuffed with sautéed lamb and bay scallops with soy-rice wine vinegar sauce. OH YUM is all I have to say about the bite I snuck of these!

I went with the lump crab cake. It was pan seared and perfectly crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. It was served with a papaya slaw and drizzled with a balsamic glaze. This dish was delicious!

Both Goofy and Stitch chose the yogurt parfait. Each of them gave it two thumbs up.

Our main courses were excellent as well.

Both dh and I chose to have the grilled beef tenderloin. It was served with oven-dried tomatoes, roasted fingerling potatoes, cabernet sauce and a bed of greens. This dish was PERFECT! The steak just about melted in my mouth! OH SO GOOD!

Aladdin also made a good choice. He went with the grilled pork tenderloin. That came with pineapple rice, wilted greens, and black bean sauce. The pineapple rice was a favorite of all of ours. YUM YUM YUM!

Goofy chose the grilled salmon (very good according to him) with rice pilaf.

Stitch chose to stick with a familiar favorite and picked a hamburger and fries.

Two boys who were very happy with their choices!

And a happy bitty brother as well. He liked trying all of the tidbits we all shared with him.

Dessert was once again...amazing!

Dh went with the Decadent Flavors Tray. That was Blueberry compote with yogurt gelato, lemon cornbread with vanilla panna cotta and chocolate mousse with salted caramel sauce. He was licking his spoon after each bite!

Aladdin asked for and received an adult size version of the kid's vanilla gelato. I tried a spoonful...OH SO GOOD!

Goofy and Stitch both chose the kid's gelato sundae. Goofy's had a birthday candle in it. He thought that was great! He smiled from ear to ear as many servers gathered around and sang to him along with us and some of the other guests who happily joined in. Happy 9th Birthday Goofy!

I went with the Crispy and Crunchy Tray. It had vanilla-braised pineapple spears, almond-pineapple-raisin "Baklava" and zucchini-carrot cake with vanilla panna cotta.

The chef brought us out a dessert to share when he heard that we had canceled our reservations at the California Grill. This was our second chef's visit so far this trip, we certainly were being spoiled!

He had brought us out a fresh house made sorbet sampling which included lemon-basil, pineapple and strawberry sorbets. I thought the lemon-basil was really unique and VERY good! It was one of my favorite flavor discoveries of the trip.

After dinner we made our way back to the WL and up to our room. It was here that one very special surprise awaited our birthday boy!

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[jaycns]

Day 7...A Birthday Surprise!

Here are some topiary geese that I took a picture of as we drove back into the WL.

A picture of Stitch as we walked back into the lodge.

This is what Goofy saw when he opened the door!

We had arranged for the Dale cake only. The rest of it was a total surprise. Another example of the CMs at the WL going above and beyond to create magic for their guests!

Look at the adorable white chocolate Dale that was perched on top of the cake! We all thought he was really cute!

The cake was very tasty. It was a moist marble cake filled with vanilla custard and fresh strawberries. DELISH!

With our stomachs now about to burst, we happily settled down and cuddled up together with the three older boys (our LP was fast asleep in the pack and play) and watched a few shows on the Disney channel.

It had been another WDWonderful day!

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[jaycns]

That may set a record for the number of installments I have posted within a 24 hour period! I just wanted to get as much as I could done before we get busy with family over the Thanksgiving holiday. I don't know how much of a chance I will have to hop on and write over the next few days. I promise to update again as soon as I have a chance!

STILL TO COME:
-one more park day

- a special treat for the entire family

-and...A SEVEN DAY CRUISE!

THANKS FOR READING!!

 

[lazydoxy66]

Question:

Are you interested in adopting a 42 year old kid??!!

You really out-did yourself on this trip!

It is wonderful that you can give your children such a very special vacation celebration. They are adorable. This TR has brought a lot of smiles to my face while reading it.

Can't wait to read about the rest of this fantastic adventure!

 

[Tatania]

It was also the night that we chose to celebrate our little Goof's 9th birthday. Where does time go? I remember his first birthday like it was yesterday.

You are sure right on that! My DS is 20, yet I remember so many cute moments as if they were yesterday - ( from mid-teens on, the cuteness factor is in short supply). I'd give just about anything to have just one day of that time back. The memories you're creating now will be ones you'll cherish forever because the younger boys especially won't remember all that much.

My son always enjoyed the water parks - esp. Blizzard Beach yet I see no mention of the Water Parks so far in the TR. Is this not something kids enjoy amymore or do they simply prefer the hotel pools?

 

[29apr00]

Another great installment!!

1- no way would i have waited that long for DVC! Yes i want to have DH see and experience it too, but i'd have walked out right after teh 1st hour of waiting! how rude!!!

2 - love the fun at the pool!!!

3 - Way to go on winning at the arcade!!

4 - Did you arrange the cake with concierge, or the cake hotline? Did you specifically request Dale, or did they offer him as a choice? he's too cute!!

I can't wait to hear about the cruise! And of course, yet another suprise in store!!

 

[disneydusted]

Super update!! You are spoiling us all with your Disney magic you are making! I'm glad your trip has had so many highlights! I love the interaction between your boys, the playing in the pool, the sweet pictures of Aladdin and LP, Goofy's big win, the amazing birthday cake (which looks so yummy!!).... all good!
Do any of your guys at home read your TR?
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

 

[retiredkid]

I just found your TR this morning. Popping in to say Hi! and what a wonderful, family you have. Alll of your boys are very handsome. You luckky lady, you. Going back to read now.

 

[momoftriplets]

So THIS is what happens while I'm busy sleeping!!! Jay is up posting like a crazy woman!

Another Surprise? I don't think we can stand another one (but we'll try).

Ok - I. Would. Have. WALKED OUT!!!!!! on the DVC people. Not a chance in he** I would have waited that long. I don't care HOW busy they were. That was just plain rude. I agree with you. My time, especially my VACATION time, is just too valuable. I am soo angry for you. (rant over)

LOVE the pictures of Aladdin & LP, especially the one with Stitch's (?) head right there, too. sooo sweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOOFY!!! My kids will be 12 next month. Where does the time go, Jay?


HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!

 

[pmama]

Very impressed w/ your boys' skills at the Jumpin Jackpot game. We all tried that at our local arcade recently and we all failed miserably. It's harder than it looks.

 

[CoP Luv]

So many great updates!!!!

 

[DisneyJo]

Hello Jo! YOU WILL BE A DISNEY MOM IN LESS DAYS THAN YOU HAVE FINGERS! How awesome! ENJOY ever nano second of it...and be ready to tell us all about it!

I know and I will try and enjoy every moment and will be writing a TR when I get back

Doesn't he look like the poster child for a relaxing vacation?!

He sure does

**Proud mom moment: Aladdin's select soccer team came in first place in the state at the highest level of competition.

Fantastic, congratulations Aladdin!

We had spent over F-O-U-R hours of our day on something we thought would be done in just under half that time.

OMG that's just silly, I think you should have been given 2 lots of $100 vouchers!

Watery pool fun that is!

Loved the pool photos!

He won the big jackpot of 450 tickets!

Wow that's great



Also your meal sounded lovely and the cake looked delicious!