4 + 1 = happy memories? I hope so! NEW: Final thoughts!

[winkers]

I'm glad you had a good time at LeCellier and the candlelight processional!

 

[Liz]

What a wonderful report Liz! I really enjoyed that

So glad to hear how much you enjoyed Le Cellier! I'm really excited for our dinner there.

I love that close up of Spaceship Earth! So cool! Although, it looks really weird to me without Mickey's arm!

Hi Carissa! I know you will enjoy LeCellier! The creme brulee was wonderful! I noticed you are also eating at Wolfgang Puck Express. We ate there too - there are a ton of choices on the menu so maybe look at it online ahead of time so you aren't as overwhelmed as I was! I had creme brulee for dessert at WPE and it wasn't nearly as good as LeCellier. I bet you are so excited!

Another great report! FYI: You don't have to get your visa picture the same day you have it taken. We went back four days later with our coupon and got it then.

ACK!!! You're kidding?!!! Okay, I know you aren't but darn it!!! I had no idea (obviously)!

I'm glad you had a good time at LeCellier and the candlelight processional!

Hi Cherie! Guess what I'm doing right now? Going through your trip report again page by page looking at the pictures! I've been reading your report at work and they have a block of some sort so pictures don't show up. So I can read the report and only imagine what the pictures look like! I just e-mailed Jeff, Kelsee and Laura the pics of your kids at Club Cool! Thanks for visiting my trippie!!

 

[sunlver]

Just found your trip report and loving it . I expecially love all the photos. Waiting to read more

 

[Liz]

Just found your trip report and loving it . I expecially love all the photos. Waiting to read more

Thanks so much! Glad to have a new reader!!

 

[G8r4evr]

Loving your trippie! I also reeely enjoyed your last one, so Im excited that yall returned to the world to soon =))

Very glad to hear Laura's test results were good!

 

[Liz]

Loving your trippie! I also reeely enjoyed your last one, so Im excited that yall returned to the world to soon =))

Very glad to hear Laura's test results were good!

Hi! Thanks for coming back to follow our WDW adventures again! Glad you enjoyed the last trip report!!

Thanks for the good wishes for Laura! I can't believe we'll soon be coming up on time to do the tests again.

 

[DizzneyDAnn]

subscribin'

 

[Liz]

subscribin'

Welcome!

 

[Liz]

December 18

So far we've had two pretty long (but amazing) days! Could we handle one more without collapsing?!

Today was our one and only MGM day so we had to get an early start! Up at 7:00 again and out the door on time! Yea! While it was still chilly out, we could immediately tell it was warmer than yesterday. We decided to drive again and have our warmies in the trunk just in case we needed them in the evening.

On the way to the park I commented how I still had not ever seen the Dream Team in this or our last trip during the Year of a Million Dreams. Oh well, maybe sometime before we go home we'll get lucky! We parked in the AAA Diamond lot so we were pretty close to the entrance. I'd read a suggestion on the DIS where someone said they call and leave a message on their phone with the location of their vehicle so at the end of the day they can listen to their messages and know where to find their car. I called Paul's phone from mine and left a message so finding our car at the end of the day would be easy.

We made it in the park before it fully opened.

We looked around the stores and then headed for our first stop, Rock N Rollercoaster!

Everyone went on the ride and I looked around in the store that has nothing at all to really hold my interest.

They were off their limo ride fairly quickly and Wah-la!! They all were sporting dream fast passes!!! They met the dream team inside the queue for RnR!!! COOL!!!! I still hadn't seen the dream team but I was just as happy that they had! Kelsee said most of the people acted like they didn't realize what was happening or that they had won a dream!

Next stop - Tower of Terror!

I again waited for them but I like this waiting area because there is a place to sit down and in the summer its dark and cool. And its fun watching everybody coming off the ride and seeing their reactions.

With the two biggies out of the way we went to see if we could get into Little Mermaid. A show had just started so it was awhile before the next one. Wanting to keep moving we tried the Great Movie Ride. It was having technical difficulties and not operating. Sheesh!

In retrospect we should have just waited for Little Mermaid or gone to the Animation Building (which I really wish we had done because we never got back there). Instead we moved on and headed for the Backlot Tour. On the way we stopped so Kelsee could take a peek at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground.

Walking down the street we ran into these guys driving down the road! So cool!

The beginning of the Backlot tour was very different that what we've seen before! They said it was too cold to have guests play the roles in their battleship scene so instead they demonstrated the different special effects they can do such as bullet shots in the water, sound effects, fire, etc.

The CM went through each of those things twice and we were quickly on our way to the tram portion of the ride. We had a really funny tour guide which made it especially nice!

From there we high tailed it back to the other side of the park to watch my favorite, Beauty & the Beast. Four for a Dollar were performing as we entered.

MGM - part 2 below!

 

[Liz]

We ate burgers at the little place across the street from B&B and they were okay. Nothing to write home about. We were on dessert overload from being on the dining plan. Sometimes it wasn't bad when the desserts were really yummy but when chocolate and carrot cake were the only choices - bleech! I'm not a big chocolate eater (strange, I know) but I love carrot cake. I even love rich icing like you get on cakes from the supermarket bakery. But neither of these choices were very good. The icing was almost as thick as the cake. I just don't recommend them!

Next we heard a voice that was hard to miss - Rosie the cleaning lady! She's HILARIOUS!!! We watched her for awhile and she had everyone laughing! What a hoot! The streetmosphere performers are one of my favorite things about MGM!

Going down the road we came upon an officer in the middle of the street! A guest was passing him with an orange and white striped shirt. The officer was yelling "Nemo! Nemo! I found Nemo! Oh wait, false alarm, never mind!" It was really funny! We asked if we could have a picture of him with Jeff and got this doozy:

Last year we missed Little Mermaid so we wanted to make sure we saw it this time, even if we had to wait a little bit. Love it! Classic, wonderful Disney production!!!

Indiana Jones was next. Jeff tried to get picked to be an extra but wasn't chosen. Maybe next time he should wear a Hawaiian shirt cuz they always seem to pick some guy wearing one!!

It was about time for the afternoon parade so we found a spot by the famous head statues. We had to have a picture with Andy Griffith because in our house we love the old Andy Griffith shows. When I'm stressed or worried about stuff I pop in a DVD of the old shows and it helps me relax.

We weren't early enough to get a spot right up front so we sat by the circular planter a little farther back.

The kids asked if they could stand on the planter and I said you can and then we'll see how fast they come and tell you to get down. Umm, the answer to that question was about 30 seconds! The CM was really nice about it though and later came back again to suggest we stand behind the people sitting and we'd have a real nice view there.

Took a few photos while waiting for the parade to start:

And some nice photos during the parade!

Our next stop was to see if the Great Movie Ride was operational. It was and the line was long but we decided to wait anyway.

Jeff & Kelsee went to see Lights, Motor, Action! Later they reported the whole stadium as being full. There were only two showings during the day and they went to the second one. When they came out of the show they saw Mulch, Sweat and Tears perform and really enjoyed that a lot. Now Jeff wants an electric drumset after seeing them.

Laura and I have seen LMA twice and don't care to see it again so we shopped and agreed to meet at 5:15 in front of Prime Time Cafe for our dinner reservation. Paul shopped some and watched more Streetmosphere performers.

I've been using pictures from Laura's and my cameras for this trip report and found this pic on Laura's memory card. Obviously Laura was doing some digital "shopping" of her own when I wasn't around!

After our shopping was done we sat on a bench and people watched - always a fun past time! After receiving the dream fast pass Laura was getting into the whole "Year of a Million Dreams" concept. It was about 4:50 PM and I suggested we walk around a bit, maybe visit the restrooms, before meeting in front of Prime Time Cafe at 5:15. Laura said "let's just sit here till 5:00 because maybe the people sitting on this bench at 5:00 will win something!"

MGM - part 3 next!

 

[Liz]

Eventually we all reunited at Prime Time Cafe! We always eat here! So fun!

The last three times we have, just by luck, had Aunt Elaine as our server! We love her!

When we checked in I asked to be seated in her section, if possible. We waited maybe 20 minutes or so when our name was called. Aunt Elaine came out to see who requested one of her tables. She told us it would probably be another 20 minutes before a table for our size was available in her area and we could wait or sit right next to her section and she would come visit us so that's what we did. She's a hoot!

Jeff asked Aunt Elaine her opinion on the college program because that's something he's always been interested in. She said you have to be really mature and responsible because a lot of the CP kids party a lot and its easy to get distracted from what you should be doing. Jeff actually asked several people about the college program while we were on this trip and only one person acted really positive about the experience.

After dinner we went to the Osborne lights! Very pretty! They played some really odd Christmas music when the lights danced.

We saw another family that had the Mickey stick figures on their shirts! I made Paul chase them down and ask if they were DISers (which they were!) We didn't really stop to talk but said hi and told them we had the similar shirts to wear later in the week. That was fun and they seemed nice! Hope they didn't think we were stalkers!!

The kids wandered around looking at the lights as did Paul and I. I looked at my watch and realized it was getting close to time that we needed to be at the theater for Fantasmic! I called Jeff so they could meet us and we could head over. We found them and made our way quickly through the busy crowds viewing the lights. When we got out of the most crowded area I realized we were missing LAURA! Everyone stopped and waited to see if she was lagging behind and would catch up. When she didn't we had Kelsee stand at the entrance/exit to the lights in case Laura appeared. Paul, Jeff and I went back the way we came looking for her. I didn't know if she realized we weren't together and thought we were behind her so she turned back to look for us. I just had no idea where she was and felt SICK inside. All of us had cell phones but for some reason Laura's hadn't worked from the moment we arrived in Florida. And STUPIDLY we had no meeting place in case we became separated (its never really happened before and I guess we got lazy thinking it never would.) When we still couldn't find her we had Jeff & Kelsee go to Fantasmic to see if she had just gone there. Paul and I looked again up and down the Osborne lights street then went on to the Fantasmic theater ourselves, looking for Laura along the way. We got about half way there and I just felt like I should go back. The mother in me couldn't leave the last area where we had Laura with us and go on without her so Paul went on and I turned back. I wondered what a CM would say if I asked what to do in this situation. No idea. I mean Laura is 18 so its not like losing a child.

Finally Jeff called and said they were at Fantasmic and Laura was there! She knew where we were headed and when she became separated she just continued on by herself. She claims she never was lost, we just didn't show up!!! I told Jeff to hang on to her and give her a big hug, I was on my way!!!! What a relief!!!! Sometimes I feel a bit like Nemo's dad in that I'm overprotective of Laura but its easy to do when she's struggled with health issues all her life. But like Nemo, this situation made me realize Laura is doing quite well and not a little girl anymore. Even with a "tiny fin" I need to let her grow up and try not to worry so much.

We had a great time watching Fantasmic!

My favorite part is the end when the boat comes past with all the characters! Love it! It was kind of scary when it was over because it felt like I got some ash from the fireworks in my eye. It wasn't terrible but I immediately could tell something got in my eye. As we were leaving I looked at the girl to our left and she had her head down and was holding her eye so I think the same thing happened to her, but perhaps even more so. Scary.

We attempted to make our way to the parking lot and find our car. I guess Paul didn't understand my phone message where I had left the location of our car and he erased it! YIKES! Also in the dark with tons of people, other cars and buses around it looked totally different than it did early in the morning when the parking lot was practically empty! It took us a few minutes to find our car but nothing too serious. It was nice to be quickly back at the Lodge and found Mickey & Tigger waiting for us (compliments of Mousekeeping!)

I went down to the beach to watch the Electrical Water pageant. No one wanted to come down with me right then so I went alone and looked at the geyser (didn't see it go off) and then found the beach. There were a lot of people down there! I found a chair and relaxed, reflecting on our day and how blessed we were to be there! I mistakenly thought the water pageant began at 9:45 (actually 9:30). I remember this from early trips with my mom and it was so awesome to see it again! I was just thinking to myself "it seems like there was something to do with flags" and right then they started playing "You're a Grand Ole Flag"! I also saw fireworks from Magic Kingdom (I guess) while I was on the beach. It was a nice way to end the evening. After it was all over I got up to leave and ran into Jeff and Kelsee coming down to the beach to see it. I felt bad that I had been mistaken about the time it started and they missed it.

Jeff, Kelsee and Paul went to the pool and hot tub for awhile before heading to bed. Tomorrow we get to sleep in!

Best part of the day: Finally being able to say some of our group won a dream!

Worst part of the day: Losing Laura at Osborne Lights! (Didn't have to even think about that one!)

 

[sunlver]

Thanks for the great update, looking forward to reading more...

 

[klj27]

Thanks for another great update! Did anyone in your party end up using the dream fast passes?

 

[MARY-IN-OH]

Your report is going great! Lovin' it!!

I want to hear the background story on Laura's digital shopping photo! What a cutie!!

Ya know, I have never been to Beauty & the Beast! DH doesn't like shows at all, and we just haven't made it. I am going to get to it on the next trip!!

keep em comin! love all the pics, great job!
mary

 

[winkers]

What a fun day!
I love your Nemo analogy! Laura is obviously a smart cookie!

 

[pjstevens]

Jeff asked Aunt Elaine her opinion on the college program because that's something he's always been interested in. She said you have to be really mature and responsible because a lot of the CP kids party a lot and its easy to get distracted from what you should be doing. Jeff actually asked several people about the college program while we were on this trip and only one person acted really positive about the experience.

Liz,

My daughter just got back from the college program on January 4th and we can't tell enough good things about it. Yes, she matured, having to be responsible to get where she needed to be when she needed to be there (even having to get to a doctor once) without a car. She survived, she loved it (we loved it too) and she's talking about doing another semester next fall. She's made friends from all over the world. Tell Jeff if it's something he really wants to do, go for it!

 

[Liz]

Thanks for another great update! Did anyone in your party end up using the dream fast passes?

Glad you are enjoying reading! Everyone brought home their dream FP's fully intact! We didn't go on Star Tours, just got in the regular line for Mermaid and Indiana Jones. Also no need for it for LMA. Anyway, it made for a nice souvenir!

Thanks for the great update, looking forward to reading more...

Thanks! Working on the next update and I'll have it ready in a few days!

Your report is going great! Lovin' it!!

I want to hear the background story on Laura's digital shopping photo! What a cutie!!

Ya know, I have never been to Beauty & the Beast! DH doesn't like shows at all, and we just haven't made it. I am going to get to it on the next trip!!

keep em comin! love all the pics, great job!
mary

Hi Mary! I love Beauty & the Beast! It always makes me cry!! We never saw shows when my kids were little because they didn't like to sit through them. I hope you get to see it next time! Its so awesome!!

I asked Laura about . . . .

. . . and here's what she had to say:

It was after the Back Lot Tour and I thought he was cute and I didn't want it to look like I was just taking a picture of him. So I pretended that I was taking a picture of the thing in the background (I have no idea what it is because I am NOT a fan of Star Wars} and I "pretended" that he got in my way.

Too funny! That would be great if someone on the DIS knew who he was!!

What a fun day!
I love your Nemo analogy! Laura is obviously a smart cookie!

She is a smart girl! Glad to have you here!

Liz,

My daughter just got back from the college program on January 4th and we can't tell enough good things about it. Yes, she matured, having to be responsible to get where she needed to be when she needed to be there (even having to get to a doctor once) without a car. She survived, she loved it (we loved it too) and she's talking about doing another semester next fall. She's made friends from all over the world. Tell Jeff if it's something he really wants to do, go for it!

I'm so glad your daughter enjoyed the CP! Jeff would be awesome at it! He's such a people person! Maybe some day he can do it. Right now he has other plans but that's always out there as an option! Thanks for sharing your daughter's experience with the program! Its good to hear something positive!

 

[Liz]

December 19

It had been great getting up early each day and accomplishing a lot, however we were in need of a day to sleep in! Normally I had asked that we be ready to leave the room at 8:00. Today we just had to be ready by 9:30. It wasn't sleeping till noon but still it could be considered "sleeping in" right?

Oddly enough on our sleep in day I was up at 6:45. I hadn't set the alarm, I just woke up. I wanted to do some laundry, which I really don't mind doing at WDW. I don't like having piles of dirty clothes. I got ready for the day and prepared to go downstairs when I realized there was a problem with my plan. Earlier in the week when we were in the car going to Epcot I wondered why my backpack was so heavy. I looked inside and realized I was still carrying around a baggie with approximately $10 in quarters for laundry. I put it in the glove box so I didn't have to tote it around all day. So the quarters were in the car, Paul was asleep and I had no idea where the car was parked the night before. Guess who isn't going to do laundry after all? I absolutely wasn't going back to bed but was excited to have a free morning to myself!

I went downstairs to fill my mug. It was so early the hallways around Roaring Fork were dark and there wasn't another person in sight. Cool.

I went to the gift shop and wandered around, picking up the shirt I had purchased for Laura in Epcot and had delivered to our resort. I looked around for a gift for my friend back home and wished I could call her but it was two hours earlier there so way too early for a phone call. I overheard a conversation where people were complaining they had bought the refillable mugs but they can't fill them anywhere, only at the resort! "But we're never at our resort" they exclaimed! It amazes me that some people obviously have done no research before their trip!

I went back upstairs and sat out on the balcony. It was a nice, warm day! Being at Disney always seem to make my emotions more intense. As I sat out on the beautiful balcony that morning I shed a few tears as I thought about our family and how it was changing. Soon after we get home Jeff will be leaving for two years to serve a mission for our church. The paperwork was in and any day we would hear where he would be going. This would be one of the greatest challenges in my life to not see him for two years. I couldn't do it if I didn't believe it was the right thing to do.

I missed my dogs. I missed my friend. But I wasn't at all ready to go home! I loved watching the resort "wake up" and people head for the boats or enjoy their breakfast outside. "Zzub's ducks" were enjoying a morning swim in the pool. It was an amazing way to start the day except I was starting to wish EVERYBODY WOULD WAKE UP!!!!!

Being on the north wing, when the sun came up it shone in our room with bright intensity. It served its purpose when I was ready for people to get moving! I noticed Jeff fell asleep in his clothes last night and I couldn't get him to wake up for anything. Our sliding glass doors were open so we could hear the music playing outside. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" was often repeated and was wafting through the air at the moment which gave Jeff inspiration to make up his own lyrics as he stumbled to the bathroom - "On vacation you are supposed to be able to get sleeeeeeep and rest . . . ". Sing all you want baby, just get ready for the day! We've got breakfast with a mouse!

Laura got ready pretty quickly so we went downstairs and waited for everyone by the pool. We waited and waited hoping to see the geyser go off - it didn't.

It was a beautiful morning and nice to just relax by the pool. I mentally decided that whenever I had to wait I wouldn't look at it as "we need to get going, this is awful" but instead look at it as an opportunity to soak in the atmosphere and enjoy where ever I was at the time. I'm at DISNEY WORLD!!! So very grateful!!!

When we got to the dock we found the boat to the Contemporary ready and waiting. It was a quick and fun ride across the water.

When we exited the boat Jeff asked the skipper what the construction was. He said it was just "an addition to the Contemporary".

We went upstairs to Chef Mickeys, got our pager and were heading to the large plate to get our picture taken. Before we could get to the plate our pager went off so we just turned around and went back - no photo! No temptation to buy! Fine with me!

We went up a few stairs and were seated in a little room not far from the buffet. Immediately Pluto and Goofy came in but left before coming to our table. Paul got his food but the rest of us waited to see if Pluto and Goofy were coming right back. We were able to see Donald and I asked him where Daisy was and he indicated with his arms that she was swimming. Pluto and Goofy came back and later Mickey.

Goofy started doing this weird "Linda Blair" thing with his head in front of Laura! We all just sat there quiet not sure what was happening! It looked like he was going to pop his head off! Maybe he had a migraine!

We got pictures with them then went to get our food. Everything was really good! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day to eat out.

We were getting ready to leave and thought we weren't going to be able to see Minnie but she showed up and we got pictures with her. Paul had gone to the bathroom so he missed Miss Minnie.

Our plans were to spend the rest of the day at Animal Kingdom but we had to get there first! We went outside to the bus pick up area and we waited. And waited. And waited for a bus to Animal Kingdom. After we had been waiting awhile Paul asked the cast member standing outside how much longer it would be. She said 6-7 minutes. Ten minutes passed then fifteen. Still no bus! We noticed the cast member we spoke to before was gone. Finally the Animal Kingdom bus arrived but first we had to stop at the Polynesian. There was a large family group all in matching shirts waiting to board the bus. Their shirts said something like "Thank you Nanny & Papa for our trip to Disney World!" I immediately wondered if Nanny & Papa had paid for all those people (probably 20 or so) to stay at the Polynesian. And wondered if Nanny & Papa would like to adopt me.

From there we stopped at Blizzard Beach. It was at least an hour from the time we arrived at the bus stop till we got to Animal Kingdom. I think that's just crazy. So much for my positive attitude about waiting!

Up next: Animal Kingdom!

 

[klj27]

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your day! About four years ago we gave up on Disney transportation all together. It is so much less stressful for us to drive ourselves.

 

[Liz]

Looking forward to hearing the rest of your day! About four years ago we gave up on Disney transportation all together. It is so much less stressful for us to drive ourselves.

I go back and forth on the whole Disney transportation thing! Sometimes I think its just luck whether it goes fast or slow. It is nice letting someone else do the driving but that hour wait to get to AK was nuts!

Thanks for reading and hope you have a great day!