2 kids, 2 dogs, 1200 miles: 2 weeks and 2 birthdays in Florida - COMPLETED!

All you have to do to see how hot it was is to check the condensation in the windows behind the Pinnochio picture...that's hot and humid..100% I take it!!

Love the pictures!!!:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

Great update...your nicer than my dad...he would've let me get soaked:lmao::lmao:

I'll let mine get soaked.....maybe:lmao::lmao:
 
Thanks. Writing a TR is harder than I thought. I'm going solely off of memory, picture time stamps, my Facebook history and my online credit card statement. I guess taking notes would have helped.
Same with my PTR. its hard to make it entertaining and up to date. Most of my planning has involved heading to walmart, the forgetting to pick up anything for the trip. somehow i dont think people are interested in this! :rotfl:
 
Wow, I missed a lot and just got caught up. Great job so far, the kids look like they were having a great time. Dad looks like he dosent mind it much either.;)

Great pictures as well, they really add to the TR. This is really starting to get me excited about our upcoming trip. It must be nice to have family so close to the parks, to be able to hang out and use the pool is awesome. (of course visit as well):lmao:

I look forward to the next instalment.:thumbsup2
 
great update freezin!!! nice pics! that would have taken me 3 weeks to put that update together! good job.:thumbsup2
 


I'm caught up.... finally! :rotfl2: Enjoying everything so far.

Love the pictures of the kids and characters. That's always one of the big highlights for us too. It's like they're old friends who haven't seen each other in 20 years.... ya know?

Did you do anything to prep your kids for the 'big kids' rides? I'm hoping to get my oldest (11 when we go) on SM and BTMR next year. My youngest (4 now) is a thrill ride junkie already. :lmao: I'm betting she'll want to ride everything she can. I just hope she's not too short.... otherwise me or DW will be standing in line to ride Dumbo a lot.

Keep the updates coming... :surfweb:
 
I'll let mine get soaked.....maybe:lmao::lmao:

She got a pass on the first one. Next time, I'm using her as an umbrella! :rotfl2:

Same with my PTR. its hard to make it entertaining and up to date. Most of my planning has involved heading to walmart, the forgetting to pick up anything for the trip. somehow i dont think people are interested in this! :rotfl:
I don't know - maybe it's kind of like the Dis Boards. When people can't get to Disney World, they like to read about people who do. When people can't get to Walmart, they like to read about people who do! :rotfl:


Dad looks like he dosent mind it much either.;)
No comment. :rolleyes1

great update freezin!!! nice pics! that would have taken me 3 weeks to put that update together! good job.:thumbsup2
Well, it give me something to do at work. :lmao:

Did you do anything to prep your kids for the 'big kids' rides? I'm hoping to get my oldest (11 when we go) on SM and BTMR next year. My youngest (4 now) is a thrill ride junkie already. :lmao: I'm betting she'll want to ride everything she can. I just hope she's not too short.... otherwise me or DW will be standing in line to ride Dumbo a lot.

Keep the updates coming... :surfweb:

I don't think we did anything with Madison - she's a thrill junkie herself and was excited to go on them. We basically just kept her excited and never mentioned anything about it possibly being scary. Just keep a positive attitude about it. Remember - 40" is the key. Then they can ride everything except Rock N Roller Coaster, which I think is 48".
 
Good news! The PhotoPass CD came yesterday. 350 more pictures to go through and add to the TR. The next update should be coming later today.
 


Today would be another record hot day for the Orlando area at 92°. I've heard Animal Kingdom described as "Africa Hot", but I don't think it felt that bad. It helps that the crowds were low so we weren't packed in like cattle.
The plan for today was to go to Animal Kingdom until mid afternoon or so, then hop over to Hollywood Studios for a few hours and finish up the day with Fantasmic.
We got everyone loaded up and left Grandma & Grandpa's house right about on schedule. We arrived at AK just after rope drop and headed for our usual first stop - the Discovery Island boat landing character spot.

Pooh looks like he's been cutting down on the honey and doing a few more toe-touches
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We left there and started heading back towards Kilimanjaro Safari when we ran into Terk.

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Just as they finished the picture with Terk, Baloo and Louie came walking by, heading out for a quick break.
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Flik was across the path, so we went to say hi while we waited for the bear and the orangutan to come back.
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As we walked up the path the Baloo & Louie's hut, Madison decided to start striking poses. Always the model.
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Remember how I said Evan lost his fear of characters? (deja vu, huh?). Well, as Baloo & Louie were coming back up the path, Evan sees them and decides the bear needs a hug. For such a small boy, he sure has developed a knack for full speed projectile hugging. He gets up a running start, slams into you, and gives you a big hug. I'm not sure Baloo saw it coming, and I'm pretty sure I heard an "oooff" when Evan hit.
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Of course, a good bye kiss
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In all of our previous trips, we have never met Pocahontas. Can you believe that? :confused3 We got to taking with one of the other character handlers and he said that if she was around today, she would be at Rafiki's Planet Watch at 10:30. We've never been back there either, so after getting KS Fast Passes, we headed over to the train station. After a short wait, we jumped on the next train and took off. For all of the great theming that
Disney does, I wonder how a power outlet was left on the back of the car in front of us? And a computer outlet at that.
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We get off the train and start walking back to the nature center, and who do we come across? This guy: :thumbsup2
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We're a bit early, so the kids got pet a king snake. Madison just loved it, and kept coming back to pet it again.
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Evan finds a really cool gorilla
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10:30 rolls around and who do we see come out? Not Pocahontas. :sad1:

That's OK, though. Another quick conversation with a cast member, and we find that she will be out at 10:45.

Jiminy Cricket
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And his kiss goodbye
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Awesomeness
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We kill a little time at the petting zoo outside and the kids take the opportunity to brush a sheep.
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And finally, after 5 years of searching (3 for Evan), we find Pocahontas
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We head back to the train station for the ride back to the rest of the park. I usually don't go looking for Hidden Mickeys, but I glanced up at the roof supports and thought "those cable attachment designs can't be coincidental"
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By the time we get back to the safari, it's getting pretty close to lunch time. Or at least it was getting close to time to eat. The family headed over to Pizzafari while I ran to Asia to get Fast Passes for Kali River Rapids.

We met back up for pizza and decided to stop at Camp Minnie-Mickey since we were already over here. But first, Lilo & Stitch were just outside.
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Well, I've come to a nice breaking point in the day. I need to do just a bit of video editing for the next post. See ya real soon!
 
After leaving Lilo & Stitch, we headed off to The Festival of the Lion King show. I really like this show, despite the glaring omission of a certain wise old baboon. :mad:
Anyway, I was messing with the camera settings, and got some really nice shots. Which isn't easy in such a big, dark room. It probably helped that we were in the front row, though. :thumbsup2

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I don't know how much this guy gets paid, but it can't possibly be enough.
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Madison dancing around the stage. Evan was feeling a bit shy, so he stayed behind.
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During the "Can you Feel the Love Tonight" segment, I kept noticing Madison glancing over her left should and smiling. I looked back and saw one of the "zebra" performers lounging on a set piece back there, maybe 10 feet from where we were sitting. Whenever Madison would turn around, she would give Madison a wink and a little wave. Madison was just eating this up.

After the show, we headed over to the greeting trails. And by "headed over" I mean we walk out of the theater and there they are. :lmao: That was our next destination anyway, because Thumper and Miss Bunny had debuted at the park a few days before. And, hello?, my wife's name is Bambi. Yeah, we weren't going to miss these two.

While we were waiting for them to come back from a carrot break, I notice grandpa talking to Guitar Dan. Guitar Dan strolls around the greeting trails, entertaining people in line by making up songs about them. I grabbed the camera, and then thought "Why would I want a picture of this?". I put that away and grabbed the video camera. I can't embed video on this site, so if you want to see the video you'll have to click this link.

http://www.vimeo.com/7552210

The aforementioned bunnies
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As we were walking out of Camp Minnie-Mickey, who do we see? Yup, Pocahontas. Never for 5 years, then twice in one day. :confused3

By this time Grandma had to go. She needed to run into work for an hour or so, and as long as she was over there, she'd let the dogs out. It would be a pretty late night getting back after Fantasmic. She would take the van home, then meet us over at DHS. The rest of us go use our Fast Passes for Kilimanjaro Safari. There were a lot of rhinos out, but no lions.

Next stop - Asia, and Evan's first "big kid" ride, Kali River Rapids. It's also the first time Bambi, Madison and I have been on it. Being in the 90s, I was expecting it to feel pretty nice!

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Not really sure what is going on here, but it's funny.
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Don't worry, she's a thrill junkie. She loved it.
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The water did feel nice, but Grandpa forgot to put his feet up on the foot rest bar and got his shoes wet. Slosh, slosh. :lmao: Luckily, he had some dry flip flops along to put on.

After KRR, we walked along the Maharajah Jungle Trek. The tigers seem especially active today, wandering and jumping around their habitat.

After we left Asia, we wandered over to Dinoland to ride the Triceratops Spin. For those of you keeping score at home, this ride is nothing like Dumbo. Dumbo is Elephants, this ride is Dinosaurs. :rotfl2:

After the ride, we see Goofy and Pluto, so we stop by to say hi.
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Pluto gave Evan a big lick, which Evan enjoyed
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By now, we're hot and tired. A nice air conditioned bus ride to Hollywood Studios seemed like a good idea. But just as is our luck, we ran right into the parade on our way out. I like most Disney Parades, but this one is just "OK" in my book. Nice to see the first time, but nothing I plan a day around again. Luckily, it was the tail end of the parade and we were able to sneak out through a store to avoid a good chunk of the crowd.

Since I'm running up on the limit on pictures per post, I'll have to finish this day in another. Hold on, there's a character storm brewing over at DHS. :scared1:
 
The bus from Animal Kingdom to Hollywood Studios was a nice, cool ride. And based on the number of people on the bus, quite popular as well. Evan fell asleep, and Madison was close.
We still had a few hours before Fantasmic was set to start, so we headed over the Magic of Disney Animation because A) It's Air Conditioned and B) there are characters there.
While we were in line for Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible switches places with him. Here's my complaint of the day. She signs her autograph "Mrs. Incredible", yet I don't recall her ever going by that name in the movie. It was always Helen Parr or Elastagirl. Does anyone remember her using the name "Mrs. Incredible?"
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We then got in line for the UP characters. I don't know why, but this line always seems to be the slowest line anywhere on Disney property. Maybe it's because you're behind that wall with nothing to look at or do for entertainment? Anyway, here's Evan messing with Carl's cane. Like any good Dad, I took the picture and then told him to stop. :thumbsup2
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By now the line for Mickey was quite long, so we decided to head out. Just as we walked past, Mr. Incredible returned.
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We were then about to leave - again - when a cast member stopped us and asked if were were leaving. We said yes, and she told us to just wait a few more minutes. She was very vague, but said to watch a set of double doors just to the right of the UP characters. She said there would be a special character appearance that would only last for 20 minutes.

So we waited, and what happened? In the next 20 minutes, we saw:

Pinocchio and Geppetto (Evan was in line for another character)
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Genie and Jafar (Madison doesn't like the evil ones, so she stayed away)
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Minnie and Pluto
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Meeko
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Chip and Dale (Again, Evan was in line for another character)
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Captain Hook and Mr. Smee
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It was madness, I tell you, Madness! They just kept pouring out of that door. I think there were others that we didn't get to, but I can't honestly remember. Madison kept her distance from any of the bad guys, but Evan didn't have a problem with them. After Genie signed Evan's book, he handed it to Jafar. Genie then would not leave him alone to sign it. He kept dancing around him, poking him, teasing him. Evan watched it all with wide-eye amazement.

After they all left, the line for Mickey had dwindled, so we jumped in.

A rare double nose pinch
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Can anyone say "Christmas Card"?
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By this time, we started heading for Fantasmic and stopped to watch some streetmosphere performers along the way. There were 5 of them - 4 performers and an MC. They would the name of an item from someone in crowd, then each would have to make up a joke with it in the form of "A <blank> walked into a bar..." For being off the cuff, those performers were very funny!
Dinner was hot dogs, popcorn and nachos while waiting for Fantasmic. Remember, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can give up on nutrition!
Fantasmic was good as always. Good, but not great. It's never really been my favorite end-of-night show (I like Wishes the best). The kids naturally enjoyed it.
After a long, hot day we made it back to Grandma & Grandpa's house and crashed.
The next day was a day off from the parks, but I'll entertain and amaze you with some truly awesome golf tales! But don't worry, the day after that is Madison's 5th birthday at the Magic Kingdom and 1900 Park Fare. More Magic Awaits!
 
Festival of the Lion King is a Shepard Family favorite. My wife collects "Stitches" so we're going to be looking for him the whole trip. Great TR so far! I'm really enjoying it!

Thank you!
 
Dinner was hot dogs, popcorn and nachos while waiting for Fantasmic. Remember, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can give up on nutrition!

:lmao::lmao::lmao::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Awesome character pictures from the animation building. We're hoping to get caught in a 'character storm' while we're there. Were there any other signs that the storm was approaching? :laughing:

Lots of updates today :thumbsup2 Keep 'em coming. popcorn::
 
Dinner was hot dogs, popcorn and nachos while waiting for Fantasmic. Remember, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you can give up on nutrition!

I don't see a problem with this, all food groups are represented. You are a good Dad.

Grains :thumbsup2 Nachos
Veggies :thumbsup2 Popcorn
Dairy :thumbsup2 Cheese
Meat :thumbsup2 Hotdogs... okay, this one might be a stretch :lmao:


Great update BTW, some of those characters are pretty rare.

Love the picture with Louie, your son on his tip toes kissing his nose is just awesome.:thumbsup2
 
:thumbsup2 great update freezin!!! yes, i see snakes:eek: another busy day at work i see? :lmao:

As far as you (or anyone else for that matter) knows, I did this all on my lunch break.:rotfl2:

Festival of the Lion King is a Shepard Family favorite. My wife collects "Stitches" so we're going to be looking for him the whole trip. Great TR so far! I'm really enjoying it!

Thank you!
Thanks for the kind words. Lilo & Stitch are just about always across the path from Pizzafari in AK. Stitch is also quite common at DHS in front of the hat in the mornings. The Times Guide will say something like "character greets at the sorcerer's hat" I also recall seeing him just over the bridge in adventure land in MK, but that may have been at a party, not a regular park day. Good luck Stitch hunting!

Yay! more great updates!
Unfortunatly, I have to get some work done, so there probably won't be an extensive update today. Well, we'll see how the day goes. :rolleyes1

:lmao::lmao::lmao::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Awesome character pictures from the animation building. We're hoping to get caught in a 'character storm' while we're there. Were there any other signs that the storm was approaching? :laughing:


Lots of updates today :thumbsup2 Keep 'em coming. popcorn::

It was a Tuesday at 5:30. Fantasmic was playing that night. Or it may have been totally random. Good luck. pixiedust:

are the cheese balls still around or did someone eat them?:rotfl2:
Still working on them. Sent each kid to daycare with a baggie of them for a snack. What's your address? I'll mail some to ya!:banana:

Love the picture with Louie, your son on his tip toes kissing his nose is just awesome.:thumbsup2

Thanks. Evan really came into his own on this trip. I'm afraid of his new found independence. :scared:
 
Wow! I missed the Animal Kingdom installments and the Hollywood Studios installment. Lucky you seeing Pocahontas twice in one day. :thumbsup2 Of course, you got some great pictures at Animal Kingdom but my favorite was the one of Madison on Kali River Rapids.

I love the Hollywood Studios character pictures. Sooooo many!
 
Sounds like you had a great day between Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios! You hit the character jackpot at both parks!!! Looking forward to hearing about Madison's birthday.
 
Thanks for the kind words. Lilo & Stitch are just about always across the path from Pizzafari in AK. Stitch is also quite common at DHS in front of the hat in the mornings. The Times Guide will say something like "character greets at the sorcerer's hat" I also recall seeing him just over the bridge in adventure land in MK, but that may have been at a party, not a regular park day. Good luck Stitch hunting!
Thanks for the info! We'll look for him next week!

/me scribbles notes onto "Disney must-do list"...
 

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