4 Parks + 5 Staples in the Baby's Head = 9 Magical Days!! (9/17 The Last Hurrah!)

[SueM in MN]

Very cute and love the video!!

What is the GAC card?

GAC is an abbreviation for Guest Assistance Card.
It's really exactly what it sounds like -
a Card that tells the Cast Members (CMs) what kind of Assistance a disabled Guest needs. The disability can be temporary or permanent.

If you want more information, you can click on the link in my signature to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, and then scroll down to post #6, which is all about GACs.

 

[thecapells]

I just received an email that I'm over my monthly Photobucket limit again.
I apologize if the pics start disappearing.
They should reset next week (on Sept 12).
I'll try use another account for the next posting.

 

[thecapells]

Hey - the pics are back!
And just in time 'cause Mom finally wrote her Minnie Mouse House segment.
Stay tuned!

 

[TheCapellsMom]

After Mickey’s abode, DD was quite excited to compare Minnie’s “girly” house to Mickey’s “Boyish” one!

DD immediately noticed how much PINK (her favorite, of course!) everything had and she was thrilled!
She especially loved the porch (don’t ask me why).

As we approached Minnie’s house, I could see that the line was just out the door so I figured it couldn’t be too bad inside.
I was wrong. It was packed inside. And hot.
DD had been looking forward to exploring a little but there were so many kids in there and so few parents seemed to be controlling them!
The 4 kids sitting on Minnie’s couch refused to get up and let DD have a turn sitting.
I found myself wondering why there is no CM in there to keep people moving (and maybe encourage people to use their manners).
And it really could have used some fans blowing or something!

In no time at all, the atmosphere in there turned DD into a grouch (plus she was probably hungry)!
We couldn’t get most of the pictures that she wanted because of the crowds and when I tried to take some that I wanted, I got the “pissy face!”
Such a huge attitude for such a little girl!!!

It took us at least 10 minutes of baby steps to get through the hallways and into the kitchen.
The shelves full of knick-knacks and memorabilia were sure neat but I don’t know why everybody was moving so slow!

It felt like waiting online at the Motor Vehicle Department!
There were some fun details throughout the house to make it seem a bit more bearable.
Similar to Mickey's house, Minnie had her Christmas decorations out as well starting with the Tree:

And DD was finally able to get a turn on the Minnie Mouse-sized sewing machine

Luckily, once we got to the kitchen, things eased up quite a bit.
I think that when people saw the back door, they were just so relieved that they headed out in a rush.
As a result, DD had some room to explore all the cute little details in there!
We found sound effects on a bunch of the appliances which made DD smile.
The stove sounded like it was cooking treats

And the microwave was heating up some popcorn!

Lastly, a whole refrigerator full of cheese which was too cute!

All in all, I have to say that I will not be rushing back to this particular attraction anytime soon.
It had too much of a “museum” feel to it.
On the other hand, if we ever go on a truly not crowded day, it might be worth another peek.
If Disney ever considers a remodel of Minnie’s house, I sure do have some suggestions for them!!!

 

[thecapells]

After the trek through Minnie’s House, the kids went back to playing in Toon Park and we watched them.
Now keep in mind the park is a gated area with one entrance.
We were standing with the stroller at the entrance.
Shortly, we started getting ready to go but couldn’t find DD.
DS looked everywhere (as did I) but to no avail.
And then the panic set in.
Where could she go? She was right there in front of us and we were standing at the entrance!
I started scanning the area around the park.
We couldn’t believe she’d just wander off so Mom starting thinking the worst - maybe someone just snatched her!
Frantically, Mom ran back to the Country Houses to track down a CM but we were totally at a loss.

I headed over to Donald’s Boat – maybe she wandered back there.
Sure enough, there she was wandering back out of the boat.
I almost lost it but was glad to find her.
Apparently, it didn’t occur her that she was wandering away.
In her mind, the park she was playing in included Donald’s Boat.
The big fence that surrounded the park wasn’t a clear enough indication.
And we still can’t figure out how she got out of the park.
Mom thinks she climbed the fence – I think she must’ve slipped by us with some other kids.
Needless to say, we had a looooong talk about that one.
However, we had our children and heaved a huge sigh of relief.

So we finally regrouped and headed out for lunch.
On our way, we past Goofy’s Barnstormer and DS surprised me by saying he wanted to ride.
I explained that it was a rollercoaster and he still was ok.
However, it was a 45 minute wait so we said we could do it next time but this may be a future problem.
I know I’m not going on it (I’m such a wimp ) so he may have to do it himself if he really wants to.
We’ll see how he feels next time around.

On the way out, we grabbed a photo at the entrance to Toontown.
It was still pretty sunny so this is the best we could get:

Stay tuned for lunch and our final rides of the trip as our trip finally winds down…

 

[thecapells]

After Toontown, it was time to eat.
We had a 2:15 reservation at the Plaza Restaurant on Main Street so we headed over there.

We checked in and waited a bit before being seated.
Basically, as you walk through the doors, there is a table that is essentially standing in your way.
You need to go around this table to get anywhere else in the restaurant.
That’s where we were sat.

We were kind of annoyed and asked to switch but were told we couldn’t.
Which was frustrating because everytime the door opened, there was commotion people trying to get around us.
But we figured we could survive since we were all very hungry.
10 minutes go by.
I finally asked someone to find our server.
I think everyone thought everyone else would serve us.
In fact, it took over 20 minutes for someone even to come check on us and take a drink order.
I asked for the manager and explained the situation – I was pretty fed up by this point.
We were moved to another location and a new waiter promptly took our order.
We were still kind of mad but the food arrived and it was pretty good.
I had the cheesesteak which I liked, Mom had the chicken strawberry salad, DS had the grilled cheese, and DS had Mickey’s Turkey Sandwich:

Gotta love food shaped like Mickey.
Before dessert, the manager came to check on us once again.
He was very apologetic and had checked on us several times.
But this time he came armed with gifts.
He presented us with THREE passes to any attractions at the Magic Kingdom.
They were basically fastpasses to anything we want to do.
Now that put a smile on our faces as did the wonderful ice cream sundaes which came next.
I had the Plaza Ice Cream Sundae while the kids had Mickeylodeans!

So now we were in much better moods and the rest of day would be a lot more fun.
I had originally planned to hit one last ride after lunch before heading back to the resort for the Magical Express Bus.
Once the fiasco started though, there was no time left so it was to be lunch and then head home.
Which is why I was extremely upset at the whole situation.
But, now we basically had cut-the-line passes for three more attractions.
Without lines, I thought we could do two and possibly three.
So we took votes to see what everyone wanted to do before we headed home.
And the decision was…






















Did you actually think I’d tell you?
But let’s see how well you’ve all been following along.
Can anyone guess what was voted as our final attractions?
I’ll give you some time to think about it…

 

[jmskinner]

First off, what your trip can't be coming to an end because that means your TR is ending. NOOOOOO!

Ok, got that out. I've really enjoyed your TR and have learned a lot about the parks. Entertaining and educational.

Now, what three rides...Peter Pan, Dumbo, and hey, would you ride Barnstormer (if the passes can be used at those last two?)

 

[thecapells]

First off, what your trip can't be coming to an end because that means your TR is ending. NOOOOOO!

Ok, got that out. I've really enjoyed your TR and have learned a lot about the parks. Entertaining and educational.

Now, what three rides...Peter Pan, Dumbo, and hey, would you ride Barnstormer (if the passes can be used at those last two?)

Don't worry, I plan to start our next trip report from Spring Break '09 right afterwards!
I'll post a link here when I start it so everyone who is not bored with me yet can come along for the ride!
As for your guesses, you got one right...
Anyone else?

 

[Disney Spaz]

I am guessing PeterPan, Buzz Lightyear and Winnie The Pooh

 

[thecapells]

I am guessing PeterPan, Buzz Lightyear and Winnie The Pooh

Getting better - you got 2 of 3!
And I just found the pic of the Mickeylodean so I added that to the segment above.
I hope to get the last rides done and posted today/tomorrow.
Until then, any other guesses?

 

[All7OfUs]

I'm going with Pan, Pooh, and IASW. Don't know why... just a gut feeling. Oh wait, no, I think maybe instead of IASW, it's going to be Philharmagic.

Glad your photos are back up!

 

[3girls4me05]

I'm going for Buzz Lightyear, Pooh and I am thinking DS may have pushed hard for Barnstormer (after all there is now wait now Dad so all excuses are used up)

 

[thecapells]

I'm going for Buzz Lightyear, Pooh and I am thinking DS may have pushed hard for Barnstormer (after all there is now wait now Dad so all excuses are used up)

Nope - got 1 of 3 though...

I'm going with Pan, Pooh, and IASW. Don't know why... just a gut feeling. Oh wait, no, I think maybe instead of IASW, it's going to be Philharmagic.

Glad your photos are back up!

DING DING DING!
Someone's been paying attention.
Almost blew it with Small World though but you caught yourself in time.
The segment is just about done - I'll post it tonite.

 

[All7OfUs]

My elation at having won is over-the-top giddiness!! See, I'm your #1 Fan. I'm still geekin' out about it!

Okay, I know, I know, it's time to go home, Buddy!

Looking forward to the Last? segment!

 

[thecapells]

My elation at having won is over-the-top giddiness!! See, I'm your #1 Fan. I'm still geekin' out about it!

Okay, I know, I know, it's time to go home, Buddy!

Looking forward to the Last? segment!

It's always good to make the audience happy!
Now on with the show!

 

[thecapells]

So, with a princess-heavy trip and a morning of Fairies I let DS to pick our final attractions.
Of course, he asked for his favorites: Peter Pan and Pooh Bear.
For the third attraction, we thought we could hit a fav of Mom and mine – Mickey’s Philharmagic.
So we headed off to Fantasyland
First stop was Peter Pan’s Flight.
And boy were the lines getting long.
Even the Fastpass line (that’s where the CM directed us after using our special pass) was long.
Once on board, I broke the camera out one last time.
Starting with the awesome London street scene:

And then I was able to catch this shot.
It’s a bit grainy since I had to crop and enlarge it but it’s a little detail you never get a good look at:

And then my favorite scene with the Hook v. Pan Battle

Lastly, I tried again for another tough shot – this one always comes out blurry

Everyone had a good time but it was starting to get a little melancholy knowing we were headed home soon.
We headed over to Many Adventures of Pooh and stopped in awe when we saw the Fastpass line.
It was really, really long and our time was running short since Peter Pan took a while.
Mom and I started debating if we had enough time and apparently the CM overheard us.
She asked us what the problem was.
We explained we had to head back to catch Magical Express and probably wouldn’t make it with the Fastpass line being so long.
She saw the kids sad faces and said “hold on.”
She took our 2nd pass and then led us through an alternative entrance and right to the front of the fastpass line.
I couldn’t believe it!
If you knew the connection Mom and DS have with Pooh Bear, you’d know how wonderful this was.
What better way to end our trip than with Pooh Bear!
From his Blustery Day

to Ti-GG-er

To getting stuck in a tree

Pooh Bear is as classic as they come

The finale was even more pefect as little X waved good-bye to not only Pooh Bear, but Walt Disney World.

So ended X’s first trip and what is now known to the kids as DD’s Birthday Trip.
Our last pass was supposed to be for Philharmagic but timing was getting tight so we opted to head down Main Street.
Mom stopped off at the Confectionary to finish up our snack credits by grabbing loads of fudge.
DD went for a lollipop while DS went with the small bag of taffy.
This worked out well since you can fill the bag up for one snack credit.
DS went to work picking all the flavors he wanted and I threw some in for everyone else.
Mom finished up buying her fudge while we watched the Main Street Flag Ceremony outside.
Then it was a restroom stop and off to the buses.

On the way out, we looked for a fun-loving family so we could spread the magic and give away our remaining attraction pass.
Mom found a nice family of four with two twin girls dressed as Snow White.
I think we almost scared them to death when we approached them.
But they were so excited when we handed them the pass.
Hopefully it brought a little extra magic to their trip!

Finally, we arrived at the Pop Century bus stop (the furthest one of course) and waited.
And waited.
As were were waiting, DD came up to us and said she has to go potty NOW.
I didn’t know what to do about that – there’s no port-a-potty by the busstops and it was a long trek back.
She started crying and then, yup – you guessed it – peed right there on line.
Mom and I were half chuckling/half furious (since she had skipped the restroom stop 5 minutes earlier).
Mom was prepared though and pulled out a change of clothes and fixed her up.
But we were pretty embarrassed by the sudden puddle on the bus line as the bus pulled up.
We did the best we could to clean up and then hopped on board.
Everyone else had to veer over or around the puddle to get on the bus.
What a way to end the trip!

Stay tuned for the final segment and a link to our Spring Break “D-tour" Trip Report!

 

[3girls4me05]

Maybe DD wanted to leave a bit of herself at Disney? She certainly left her mark (sorry, couldn't help myself)

Ever parent has had a child have a toileting accident in a very public and inconvenient location. All the parents behind you in line completely understood. Anyone else? Ahh.who cares!

 

[thecapells]

Back at Pop Century, we used Airline check-in to check our luggage and get our boarding passes.
This is such an AWESOME service.

At 6:15, Magical Express arrived to take us to Orlando International Airport.
The kids sat comfortably and watched the Disney video

We arrived at the airport with over 2 hours left before our flight.
Unfortunately we had a 9:20 PM flight home so we figured the kids should get their wiggles out now
Hopefully they would sleep on the flight.
We found Disney’s Earport Store and went exploring.
DD ran over to Snow White sitting on a bench

Before she discovered a magical pole which switched princesses.
She posed with Ariel (of course)

Cinderella

And Aurora

It was actually pretty cool.
The same pole “magically” had different princesses depending on which angle you viewed it.

Inside the store, DS discovered some WDW Magic of his own.
I love this picture!
I had to time it right to capture the twinkling of pixie dust as Tink flew by.

And then DS even posed for a shot with the huge Lilo and Stitch mural outside the store

Lastly, we had to stop for a picture at Goofy’s Candy Co
Hold onto those Rice Krispie Mickey Treats Goof!

Then we grabbed a quick bite at McDonald’s – what a let down after all our wonderful Disney meals.

Before continuing, you need some catching up so settle in.
Over the summer, we went to visit the grandparents in New York and hit the beach.
At one point, I had DD in one hand when a huge wave hit.
Given the choice of my prescription sunglasses or my daughter , I chose my daughter of course.

The wave hit and I went under.
But I made sure to hold DD above the water as my glasses disappeared.
I looked for a bit but realized it was useless.
The family joke was that “Nemo stole Daddy’s glasses.”

The joke got even funnier when months later, here we are sitting at McDonald’s in the Orlando Airport, and DS announces “Look!”
He was excited and jumping up and down.
“Nemo really did steal your glasses!”
I looked over and this is what I saw:

The perfect poster to end our trip.
It’s definitely an inside joke but it was so random, it was quite funny.
After the bite and seeing Nemo happily swimming away with my glasses, we headed through Security.

At the gate, we let the kids run around some more.
I could not believe the kids were still awake.
X was wandering around in circles around the poles waving everytime he passed

Finally, we boarded the flight and headed home.
It was sad but we had such a wonderful trip.
Nine days was a blast (although DS had asked to go home in Day 8 since he missed his toys at home).
However, now he can’t wait to go back!!

Luckily we did shortly thereafter.
But that’s a different story.
In fact, that’s the next story I have to write.

So, if you had fun and are sorry to see this report come to an end,
please join us for:
What’s the Sitch? The Great Disney D-Tour”

 

[thecapells]

Maybe DD wanted to leave a bit of herself at Disney? She certainly left her mark (sorry, couldn't help myself)

Ever parent has had a child have a toileting accident in a very public and inconvenient location. All the parents behind you in line completely understood. Anyone else? Ahh.who cares!

I hope so.
It was just the most "unique" way to end a trip though.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Thank you so much for "sharing" your vacation with us. Your trip report was wonderful and the pics were great. You have a beautiful wife and children!