3 Years in the Making: Our return to WDW...with diapers! SAD NEWS 7/1 page 41

[punkin413]

Cape May looks yummy! I'd definitely like to try it sometime. I had to giggle about Seth and his napping. Babies sure don't follow our "plans", do they? I love the MK in the fall! So, so pretty!!

Yeah, we loved it. No, Seth didn't really give a flip about my plans.... But I'm just thankful he was able to nap well in his stroller.

I know how you feel about the long hallway at the WL. We were on the top floor all the way at the end of the hallway. When I went on our balcony I could see the pool to at the Villas to the right and Bay Lake to the left.

We were in the villas themselves, so I would probably walk right past your room when we'd go to the boat dock. Those hallways are crazy!

Great pics !! I always hear mixed reviews about Sci Fi .. which is a shame because it's such a neat place to eat .. but I'm sort of leery about booking an ADR there because of the negative reviews.

I remember my guys when they were that little sleeping through parades and firework shows ! Oh well .. he'll grow fast enough and will see his share.

Great report, can't wait to read more !

I've actually had good experiences there. I ate there in May 2007 and December 2008 and liked it both times. But I do read mixed reviews. And Anna had eaten there with us in December 2008 and liked it. I guess it was just off that day!

Good job going with the flow.

Last minute change of plans is not a bad thing.

Great pictures.

I will say I love Anna's expressions with stitch.

Like Crush says, "Go with the floooooooooooooooooooooow!" Anna can really ham it up for the camera when she wants to. So can Luke, but he's playing shy these days.

So glad your wallet was found..........I can't even imagine! That's great that you were able to check into the Villas early...did you like your room (other than it being on the far end)? It looks pretty nice. Chris and I stayed at the WL one year and it was our absolute favorite! Good idea on going with the flow...poor Seth looks like he was wiped out after breakfast. Great parade pics...........looking forward to your next update!

Me too! Yeah, we liked it. The decor wasn't really my test but I get the northwest theming. I just love the resort in general though. And having a little kitchenette is so nice, especially with a baby!

 

[punkin413]

I've never seen that parade - it looks like lots of fun!!!! It's good you were so willing to go with the flow for Seth's sake - makes life much easier!

It's very similar to the one we saw in 2007/2008, but of course they've changed the costumes and music and have a few new floats.

Do you not have to fold up strollers on the boat from Wilderness Lodge to MK? I always assumed they'd have to be folded.

Cape May breakfast looks like it was a lot of fun. I'm glad Seth liked the characters. It's always hard when a toddler is scared of them.

Depends on the boat. If it's a smaller boat, the wooden-looking ones that are open-air, they ask you to fold the stroller. If it's a bigger boat, the ones that you can actually go into an enclosed space on, you don't have to - you can roll those right on. We were on a smaller boat that day on the way to MK, but folding it up and stepping down into a boat is SO MUCH easier than doing the same and loading it on a crowded bus. Maybe because it's just more open or something?

Cape May was wonderful! It's on our return list for sure.

Okay, I've tried to quote and post twice and got kicked out, so I'm going to be quick. Seth playing with the wall is so funny! I was thinking, look what you can get him for Christmas - just give him a hunk of drywall and he'll be happy!

WL is so peaceful - love it! I thought it would be too much like home to feel like vacation, but that is what we loved when we visited - it felt like home

The pic of Luke at the Wishing Well is just precious - he was really concentrating!

I hate it when the dis won't cooperate! Seriously....the kid loves the strangest things. I think all kids do! We loved WL, too. I was shocked when Ray said he wanted to stay somewhere else next time, but when I asked why he said just for the experience, but that he LOVED the WL. I can probably guess what Luke was wishing for in that picture and he probably was concentrating VERY hard.

All caught up!

Congrats on the 5K! Way to go!!

I love all your pictures - makes me feel like I'm there!! Less than 40 days now!!

I'll try to do a better job of keeping up!!

Thanks! Cool on your less-than-40-day countdown....so exciting! No worries - we all get busy, including myself!

I think we had the same room as you last October but on the ground floor...that walk, at the end of the day, was killer. The year before that we had the first room on the left..that was nice!!

Tell me about it! I know someone has to get that room and I don't complain b/c I'm thankful I'm healthy enough to do that walk without a problem, but it does stink at the end of the day!

 

[punkin413]

First thing's first.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WALT DISNEY!!!

Thank you for creating a place that I adore and that brings so much happiness to people all over the world.....we owe you!!!

Okay, on to the update....

After the parade, we headed to Casey's. If Ray doesn't get a Casey's hot dog within 30 minutes of entering the Magic Kingdom gates he will have a heart attack. Plus it had been about 4 hours since we had breakfast so we were getting hungry.

We split a hot dog meal and ate in the little area inside where they play old cartoons (I don't eat outside at Casey's b/c of the evil birds).....

Ray was disappointed that Casey's had changed to wheat buns instead of white. The boy tries not to eat anything healthy if he can help it. Anyway, I like the wheat buns but he didn't. So we didn't return to Casey's this trip, which is UNHEARD OF!

Seth slept through our late lunch, too.

Since the hot dog was such a disappointment to Ray, we decided to head to Adventureland to get his other favorite snack in MK....a Dole whip float.

On the way we saw Peter and Wendy....

I found a seat in the little stone seating area near the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse while Ray got his Dole Whip float.

He LOVES those things. I think he got 5 of them during this trip but I lost count after 3. Seth woke up while we were sitting there eating it and we tried to give him some, but he wasn't having it. He was still waking up and wasn't interested.

After that we meandered through Adventureland, Frontierland and Liberty Square and ended up in Fantasyland. I knew that I wanted Seth's first ride at MK to be the most frightening ride in all of WDW....It's a Small World. Seriously, the ride scares me....the dolls, the music......... But I love my child so I sacrifice. And I knew he'd LOVE this ride. So in the queue we went.....

Ray and I have actually never ridden this together....believe it or not. I rode it with Erica in 2008 but only after multiple sangrias at HDD and a Lapu Lapu. And then in 2007 I was nice enough to ride it with my friend Erin since it was her first trip. Ray hadn't ridden it since he was like 14!

Seth, of course, loved it, as most babies do. He was mesmerized and kept pointing at things. It was adorable and one of the most memorable things about the trip.

Seth had just clapped before Ray took the picture - it was cute. I told him to clap for the ride and he did so but Ray wasn't quick enough.

Lynda and I had been texting and I knew she was at MK at that point. Ray and I decided to head for Snow White's Scary Adventures (had to ride it since it will probably be gone the next time we are there ) and she said she'd meet us at the exit.

I wish we could've gotten a picture in the dark of Seth's face on Snow White. His little eyes were huge and he looked absolutely shocked....not scared but just kind of baffled!

Continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43406837&postcount=264

 

[punkin413]

When we came out Lynda, Avery and her mom were waiting for us. It was so good to see her! I told her I was so so sorry we had changed our plans and she understood. Seth was still battling his allergies at that point and he wasn't feeling that well, so we didn't visit long. But it was nice to see her....I'm sure we'll see her again next time!

Avery was being bashful....

A quick castle shot (I have more on another day)....

That crane was killing me. They were putting up the castle dream lights for the holidays. But every time I see it I cringe b/c I can just imagine it swinging into the beautiful castle!

We headed over to Tomorrowland and got some frozen slushies, which we shared with Seth. He loved them!

Time for a ride on the People Mover!

I got some cute video on this later in the trip.

Hey, Buzz....we'll see ya later on!

At that point we decided to call it a day. Like I said, we just wanted to visit the park for a couple of hours, and it was about 5:30 at this point. So we headed towards Main Street. As we approached we caught the end of the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade going by....very cute! And Seth actually got to see this one. He just sort of starred at the characters and when he noticed that Mickey was up there he pointed and smiled. It was really cute. For some reason I didn't get a picture - Ray tends to forget to take pictures of "people" and instead gets "things" and he had the camera. But I had been taken pictures with my cell phone when he had the good camera and for whatever reason I didn't then. I probably had my hands full with something else!

We headed back towards the boat dock and I remember that there was a family with two strollers who decided to block the entire queue with their strollers and sit on a bench near the end of the queue. We stood there for a minute.....Seth was giving them the evil eye....

Finally I told Ray to follow me and we somehow got through the queue under the chains or ropes and got ahead of them. I get taking a seat but move your stroller out of the way so people can get by....people lose all common sense at Disney sometimes. Either that or they didn't have any to begin with.

After we got back to WL we just relaxed in the room for awhile. Seth ended up loving these curtains and "hiding" in them all week....

Here's a cute video....



What's funny is my mom has video of me doing the exact same thing when I was around his age....hiding behind sheer curtains!

We took a nighttime stroll sans camera after the sun went down and got dinner at Roaring Forks. I still had 1 CS credit left on the dining plan, as well as multiple snack credits, that were going to expire at midnight that night. So I stocked up on water, sodas and a magic cookie bar for Luke when he got back to the room that night. Ray and I split a couple of flat breads from Roaring Fork for dinner and they were very good. I forgot to take a picture.

Anna ended up taking Luke swimming when they got back from DHS that night...that way I could get Seth good and asleep before they came in the room. They slept on our sofa sleeper that night and everyone was so tired it worked out really well! They were leaving the next evening after MK so this would be the only night we all shared a room, but it wasn't a problem at all.

Next update....breakfast with a fellow Disney travel agent and shopping at DTD!

 

[xoktenox]

It's a Small World seems like the perfect first ride for Seth, even though I'm in your camp...creepy! I can just picture him pointing and being in awe of everything...so cute!!

You guys are doing an awesome job of just going with the flow with Seth and I'm sure that just made all of you 100x happier!

Sounds like a nice relaxing evening. I'm a big fan of Disney flatbreads!

 

[Poolrat]

How nice that you let Seth have his first ride in MK with the creepy dolls.

Great job taking care of the 2 men in your life- one with IASW and the other with food.

 

[MeMom]

That's the magic, right there.

 

[hlrababy]

LOL I love Seth's evil eye look!! He is so cute!!!

Casey's is still one place we have never ate at. I love corndog nuggets so I have no clue why we haven't!

Great update as usual!!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Mmmm... I love Casey's! Sorry they changed the buns and Ray didn't like them. That's a bummer. But, at least the dole whip floats haven't changed!

Seth is precious looking at all the lights and dolls on It's a Small World! Isn't it the best feeling just watching your child take it all in?

The video of him hiding behind the curtains is too cute!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Oh, Casey's, why would you mess with perfection? Sadness.

Love the photos of Seth on Small World! Great job capturing the wonder on his face!

Dole whips, how I love 'em! (Two days, and I'll have one of my very own!)

The evil eye picture had me laughing out loud...he most definitely has personality!

Great update!

 

[Eventer98]

Small World was the first ride for my kids too

 

[brookelizabeth]

I just caught up-all the way from the beginning! Touring with a little one is so different, isn't it??? It's wonderful in a way, watching the magic through their eyes, and exhausting in another! I'm so glad he liked the characters!!! YAY!

And congratulations to you on running your first 5k! You made GREAT time!!!!

 

[mickeyfan71]

The little girl in the background of the picture of Rays dole whip looks like she is ready to dig into it!
I can't wait to go with my nieces on their first trips-seeing it through the eyes of a small one makes my heart melt!

 

[mouseketeer70]

My husband is just like Ray on the wheat buns at Casey's issue. He still goes everytime but now he gets the corn dog nuggets. Because apparently grease is a lot better than a tan colored bun
As for It's a Small World.....I guess I'm the only adult that loves that ride! Seriously I drive my children crazy singing that song!

 

[punkin413]

It's a Small World seems like the perfect first ride for Seth, even though I'm in your camp...creepy! I can just picture him pointing and being in awe of everything...so cute!!

You guys are doing an awesome job of just going with the flow with Seth and I'm sure that just made all of you 100x happier!

Sounds like a nice relaxing evening. I'm a big fan of Disney flatbreads!

My little sister loved IaSW when she was 1 so I knew he would too. Plus I hear about how babies/toddlers love it. So I knew we had to let it be his first ride at MK.

How nice that you let Seth have his first ride in MK with the creepy dolls.

Great job taking care of the 2 men in your life- one with IASW and the other with food.

I know....the sacrifices I make as a mother! I learned on this last trip that when Ray is starting to transform into Grumpy, get him a Dole whip float stat and we'll be okay.

That's the magic, right there.

LOL I love Seth's evil eye look!! He is so cute!!!

Casey's is still one place we have never ate at. I love corndog nuggets so I have no clue why we haven't!

Great update as usual!!

He can give some "look of death" expressions for sure! You guys need to try Casey's - it's good!

Mmmm... I love Casey's! Sorry they changed the buns and Ray didn't like them. That's a bummer. But, at least the dole whip floats haven't changed!

Seth is precious looking at all the lights and dolls on It's a Small World! Isn't it the best feeling just watching your child take it all in?

The video of him hiding behind the curtains is too cute!

I don't love it but he used to - he was really disappointed. He'll live. And yes, seeing Seth on IaSW made the ride worth it....made the entire trip worth it.

Oh, Casey's, why would you mess with perfection? Sadness.

Love the photos of Seth on Small World! Great job capturing the wonder on his face!

Dole whips, how I love 'em! (Two days, and I'll have one of my very own!)

The evil eye picture had me laughing out loud...he most definitely has personality!

Great update!

That's exactly what Ray said! Hope you're enjoying a Dole whip right now!

 

[punkin413]

Small World was the first ride for my kids too

Such an appropriate first ride! I don't like it but the kids, especially the small ones, love it.

I just caught up-all the way from the beginning! Touring with a little one is so different, isn't it??? It's wonderful in a way, watching the magic through their eyes, and exhausting in another! I'm so glad he liked the characters!!! YAY!

And congratulations to you on running your first 5k! You made GREAT time!!!!

Yes! Definitely. But I was expecting a very different trip this time around. He was great with the characters and that was such a relief. I hope he's still okay when we go back. Kids can change their minds about that sort of thing so fast. Thanks!

The little girl in the background of the picture of Rays dole whip looks like she is ready to dig into it!
I can't wait to go with my nieces on their first trips-seeing it through the eyes of a small one makes my heart melt!

I remember looking at her and thinking she was cute!

My husband is just like Ray on the wheat buns at Casey's issue. He still goes everytime but now he gets the corn dog nuggets. Because apparently grease is a lot better than a tan colored bun
As for It's a Small World.....I guess I'm the only adult that loves that ride! Seriously I drive my children crazy singing that song!

I'll have to tell Ray to try the corn dog nuggets next time. He likes grease, too.

 

[punkin413]

So we are now up to Monday morning, October 3rd. The plan today for Ray, Seth and myself was that Seth and I were going to have breakfast at Kona Cafe with my friend Mary-Margaret and let Ray sleep in a little bit, then spend some time at Downtown Disney and maybe dinner at Cape May Cafe that evening. This was our "no park" day. And Luke and Anna were going to head to MK that day and try to fit in DTD at some point before they hit the road.

Anna got up early and took a run around WL and Fort Wilderness. I admire her dedication...I didn't run at all on vacation after my 5k! Everyone slept while she saw this....

I've never been to Fort Wilderness other than to go to HDD, so I only saw that area. I'd love to go there and walk around next trip. Ray and I are playing with the idea of buying a pop-up camper, so maybe we'll stay there!

When she got back to the room Luke, Seth and myself were up and the Disney fairies had struck again....

We all got ready (besides Ray who was snoozing) and Anna and Luke headed down to get breakfast and then to MK while Seth and I drove over to the Poly. I'll go ahead and post some of Anna's pictures from that day since, again, I don't really know what order they did everything.

On the way down to Roaring Forks...

Breakfast out by the pool....

Heading to MK on the boat!

We're here!

This picture cracks me up....

I think Luke was slightly excited to be at Magic Kingdom!

Anna said they rode pretty much everything minus Space Mountain that day. Luke loved Splash Mountain!

Hahhaaaaahhahaha!!!!!

They headed to DTD sometime late that afternoon. I know they went to the Lego store b/c Luke LOVES Legos and he'd been saving some of his spending money to go there!

Continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43461904&postcount=278

 

[punkin413]

Candy time!

More wishes!

After they grabbed dinner at Earl of Sandwich they took the bus back to WL to pack the car. We missed them b/c we were - well, you'll have to wait and see where we were. Then they drove over to the Poly b/c I had told her if they were cutting it close for the fireworks just to watch them from the Poly beach instead of fighting a crowd at MK. So that's what they did.

They were having EMH at MK that night so they headed back into the park after the fireworks. Just weren't quite ready to hit the road yet!

Luke was captured by Zurg....

After a couple more hours of fun there, they said goodbye to Disney World and headed back to Georgia. I think she said she got almost to the state line before they stopped and spent the night in a hotel. I'm so glad they got to come and have a great trip together....Luke had such a blast!

Back to our trip....

Seth and I were on our way to the Poly to have breakfast with Mary-Margaret at Kona Cafe. She and her hubby were having a kids-free, park-free trip and they also did the half marathon (which she said was brutal). She is a fellow agent with the travel agency I work for and has helped me tremendously with the random questions I have, plus she's super sweet!

Did you know that Kona Cafe doesn't have a microwave? I asked them if they'd warm up Seth's oatmeal for me and the server said they didn't have one. At least we know everything's fresh!

Mary-Margaret ordered the Somoan which is poached eggs with Hollandaise served over smoked pulled pork hash. She said it was yummy and it looked good but I'm not a huge fan of poached eggs.

I, of course, ordered my beloved and calorie-filled Tonga Toast:

And we also must see it once it's split open to reveal the banana hidden inside.....

I love Tonga Toast!!!!

We had a great breakfast and it was so nice to finally get to meet her face to face. Such a sweetie!

After that Seth and I went back to WL. I took my time walking to the room and got some pictures.

This is the main part of WL that's to the right as you're heading towards the Villas....

Walking towards our quiet pool and the Villas....

A closer shot.....

Ray loved the train theme....

The big bird cage in the lobby at the Villas....

Looking up in the lobby....sort of a smaller version of the main lobby at WL....

The elevators....

Hi, Seth!

Continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43461911&postcount=279

 

[punkin413]

Ads on the elevator walls....

Believe it or not, we didn't eat at Whispering Canyon this trip. Just weren't feeling it! We ate there for lunch once in 2008 and it was okay.

Looking down into the lobby...

The epic, LONG hallway I referred to earlier. Our room was the very last one on the right....

Mickey details in the corners of the doorways....

When we got back to the room we let Seth play and then take a short nap while Ray got ready and I took a break. Again with the curtain!

Then we headed to DTD. This was the first time I had seen this in person....

First stop was the Lego store. I love the new Maleficent scene they have out front!

The Lochness-like Lego in the lake....

Of course Ray had to get pictures of the Star Wars vehicles....

I was excited to see the Harry Potter Legos, although I've seen them in stores since then. They are very cool though!

Hogwart's and the Forbidden Forest....

The Knight Bus and the Burrow....

Apparently Ray thought that the red toenails were pretty cool....not sure whose red toenails they are though!

Another very cute scene outside the Lego store....

Looking back at the Marketplace....

Our room at Saratoga Springs from our April/May 2008 trip. Fond memories!

We then headed here to get some grub!

Ray got The Original (fresh roasted beef, cheddar and creamy horseradish sauce).....

And I got the Hawaiian BBQ (roasted ham, grilled chicken, Hawaiian BBQ sauce, Aged Swiss cheese and fresh pineapple)......

We then hit a few stores (World of Disney, Basin, Once Upon a Toy Store, Tren-D) where I failed miserably at taking pictures. Memom and Jill are disappointed in me, I'm sure. I did manage a couple of hat-modeling pictures....

Continued in next post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43461923&postcount=280

 

[punkin413]

At some point (which may have been before we ate b/c it's on the other end of the Marketplace) we went here to check it out since it was new to us.......

We discovered that there's a small bone yard outside the gift shop and I had told Ray how much Seth loved the one at AK, so we let him play there for a little while.

There were some older kids playing, probably about 7 or 8, and at one point one of the little boys got very enthusiastic about finding dinosaur bones and proceeded to plop down about 2 feet in front of Seth and me, scream, "Hey, guys, I found more bones over here!!!!!" and then started slinging those little pebbles STRAIGHT into Seth's face as hard and fast as he could. Seth started screaming and I grabbed him up quickly and checked every orifice in his face to make sure there weren't any pebbles stuck anywhere they shouldn't be. The little boy's dad yelled at him and asked him what he was thinking and made him apologize to Seth and me. I told him I knew he didn't mean to do it. Still, it scared Seth to death and of course that's no fun for me and Ray. We left after that.....bone digging time was over.

We went here to get our customary rice krispie Mickey heads.....

We bought several things and Ray and Seth ended up going to sit under a tree while I waited for my rice krispie (Ray didn't want one ). While I was in line a woman in front of me kept starring at me. At first I was like, "What is this lady's problem???" Then she asked if I was a disser and I told her yes. And she knew I was punkin413. I felt special! And I feel sooooooooooo horrible now b/c I can't remember her name!!!!! So if you're reading this right now, PLEASE post and let me know! I can see your face clearly and remember our conversation about how your daughter had ran the half marathon and that you were at the end of your trip. She even came outside with me to see Seth and Ray because she had read so much about them. Shame on me....I feel so awful! And shame on both of us for not getting a picture. BAD DISSERS!!!!! Anyway, it was so nice to meet you and thank you for saying hello!

Here's the treat I got....dipped in white chocolate, covered in pecans and drizzled with dark chocolate......YUM!!!!

We stopped in the Disney Days of Christmas to look around. We didn't buy anything but I did get an ornament later at MK.

Then we visited some friends before we left DTD that day....

Next up: Our plans for the night go out the window.....again.