4th Birthday Trip Report - all in one thread. Long w/ pics.

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Cast: Our “mini” family

DH: Steve – my gorgeous tall, dark and handsome husband - a childhood Mickey Mouse fan who would say the Happiest Days of his Life are:
1. Our Wedding Day
2. The Day Our Son was Born
3. The Day we Bought our DVC Membership
Not necessarily in that order, either…

DS: Max 4 – our beautiful only child who was surprised by a trip to Disney World to celebrate his birthday. Thanks to his WDW crazy parents, this is the 6th time he has visited Disney in the 3 years since he turned one. Loves Mickey and Buzz, anything with sugar and boats. Also loves the Beach Club. Knows way too much about WDW for a 4 year old…

DW: Jennifer – a somewhat sarcastic and way too sentimental mom and wife who has somehow developed an intense control streak since getting married 8 years ago…whose role as a mom 4 years ago turned me from a nice person who thought WDW was a lovely place to visit while humoring my husband to a Twice Yearly Planning Quest.

Pre-trip – Max’s birthday surprise

A bit of background – aka “why my family wants me committed”…

It all started with a magnificent trip in May that got me feeling the ol’ planning sickness…the need for another trip to WDW. And even though we had already booked a trip at Thanksgiving, my spoiled self couldn’t wait that long. Steve and I debated going for a long summer weekend…nah. Too hot. Too crowded. Then one day, I was reading a thread about surprise birthday trips for a child out loud and Steve was doing his “humoring my wife” thing by listening…suddenly I stopped reading and our eyes met. Max’s 4th birthday was in late September. Not as hot. Not as crowded. We could do this.

I plotted and planned. It would be a surprise. Max has been down to his favorite place on Earth 5 times already in his short life so when we sprung the surprise, he’d be thrilled. We thought about all the places to go and the things to do. Steve was on board but not excited. He actually is the original Mickeyhead in the family. He sucked me in on our honeymoon and third anniversary trip. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until we had DS that the true magic hit me. Sometimes though, he lets real life interfere with Disney planning and doesn’t get into the planning details like I do. Can you IMAGINE???. I proposed a 4 night trip – Wednesday through Sunday. That would work, right? And then I had the perfect thought: Disneyland, Neither of us had ever been…and it would be during the 50th. How perfect! I hopped online…they were running a special. Something about 3 nights, one night free (two nights free? I forget). I looked at prices and availability for the Grand Californian. We’d seen Samantha Brown doing her thing there on the Travel Channel and it was gorgeous. Steve was excited. It was perfect. We were going.

And then I had qualms.

Sure, it was Disneyland. Where it all started. And it would be great. But the comfort and familiarity level was zero. MCO? Sure! Know it well. MK? Love it. Orlando? No problems. Where to eat? What to do? But LAX? Anaheim? Blue Bayou and Brennan’s? Hmmmm…there just wasn’t that “home” factor in California. And for Max’s birthday…I wanted somewhere I knew I could figure out for the special plans. I began idly searching prices and availability at WDW. Steve knew I was waffling, but for him the choice was clear. We’d never been to Disneyland and we would be back to WDW in November. Duh.

And then? He gave in. He does that. I don’t know why, I don’t know how…but he does. And every day I thank the Powers That Be that he has that lovely personality trait. It may have something to do with the fact that I’m relentless, but I digress… So I called and booked us with the AP discount in a wood view at Wilderness Lodge – our favorite resort. And I settled back to plan the trip.

Until…Free Dining.

Dining plans intrigue us. We love the idea of having it all paid for in advance. When DVC (please!!!) finally offers it, we’ll be first in line. Steve was keen on the dining plan at DL. But…free? We had AP’s. Didn’t need the package. Rack rate? Again with the AP’s. But then I discovered we could do 1 day passes. WOO HOO! I called back to change us from 4 nights at WL on AP, to 4 nights Free Dining. And idly requested info on availability at the Polynesian. Which they had. I waffled and told the fantastic CM I would call back. He told me he could hold it if I wanted to book it – I could pay later. So…I did.

Let’s review a sec, shall we?

No trip
DL Grand Californian trip
4 nights WL AP discount (woods view)
4 nights Poly with dining package

We were all set. Until I did some research at nwa.com and realized that we could fly in Tuesday night and not only have one more day of the dining (extra credits? Yeah!!) but we’d have all day Wednesday to play. But adding a night to the Poly? Expensive. I called again…and switched to 5 nights in a standard view at WL. Sent in the deposit and sat back to make ADR’s. Life was good.

And then the 45 day mark loomed. A large final payment. We were prepared to make it, but something else happened. Our monthly DVC payment. Steve and I sat and looked at each other. What were we doing? We were happy DVC members. We had points available. Why on God’s Green Earth were we paying our hard earned cash to eat “free” and pay rack rate for lodging? With a deep sigh (I had made all the ADR’s in anticipation of presenting them with credits, not our DDE card), I called to cancel our WL standard view with dining plan. But first, I called and booked the same 5 nights in a 1 bedroom at VWL. So…we saved all the money we were going to pay and got tons more room, same resort. Sounds good, right?

Two days later I called Member Services and switched over to points at the Poly. Steve was excited, it was something new, it was Max’s birthday…he’d love the monorail…NOW we were set.

Right. I’d review again, but that’ll come later. Of course there is another change.

Circumstances in our lives moved about us and became so that we couldn’t take our Thanksgiving trip. Schedules just weren’t working out. Now, with a heavy heart, I called and cancelled our 12 nights – two at AKL and 10 at VWL. It was okay though – we realized we had plenty of points now to book the three of us on the Magic in February when schedules freed up. And maybe enough points left over to switch to a lagoon view this September?

Hmmmmm…

Then Spoiled DW (that would be me) began to realize that if we weren’t going back less than 2 months later there was no way I could get my WDW “fix” in only 5 nights, So we idly discussed taking two more days off of work (Monday and Tuesday) and beginning the trip on Friday the 16th. We had the points, but they were now earmarked for a cruise. What to do?? Well, we also own a share in a resort in Vail, CO (no – we’re not skiers. Go figure. Steve bought it for the Orlando trade ability, which cost us a lot more than we bargained for when a miracle happened and we traded for a week at OKW…thus prompting us to purchase into DVC). I hopped again online to check out Interval International and faced the prospects available for the week we were there via our timeshare ($129.00 for a week…we’d use it for 4 nights and head over to the Poly…still a bargain!). I hoped for a 1-2 bedroom at Sheraton Vistana. I scanned through the list…and then there it was. A second miracle. A 1 bedroom villa at OKW for the exact dates we wanted.

I think it took less than 2 minutes to book it.

So now we had two bookings: 9/17-24 at OKW, 1 br. 9/20-25 at the Poly. Yikes. We hashed over options. It was tough. But finally, we knew what we had to do. We cancelled the Poly. We still needed a place to stay the last night…and OKW was available. But for fun, we opted to get a 1br at the BCV. We could check out of OKW on Saturday, head over to BCV, and spend the day at SAB – Max’s favorite pool. We called Northwest and changed our flight to late on Friday the 16th (still going with the “full free first day on Saturday” theory) and called MS to book a 1br OKW room for that night – linking the reservations to Interval Internationals. And using all the cancelled points to book the trip in February…but that’s a completely different trip report, right?

So now…to review:

No trip
DL Grand Californian trip
4 nights WL AP discount (woods view)
4 nights Poly garden view with dining package
5 nights WL with dining package (standard view)
5 nights VWL 1 br, on points
5 nights Poly garden view, on points
Cancel Thanksgiving trip
7 nights OKW 1 br, Interval Intl trade, 1 night Poly on points
8 nights OKW 1 br, 1 night points and 7 nights Interval trade, 1 night BCV 1 br, on points.

And this all took place between June 15 and August 22. Is it any wonder my family thinks I’m crazy?

 

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Friday, September 16

Woke up this morning and sent Steve off to work and Max off to daycare – he had a field trip to the apple orchard and was very excited…I kept thinking “just wait!”

I spent the morning cleaning and finishing up packing – love those space bags! Ran over to get my haircut…I have a shortish bob and last May it had grown out and the whole trip it was impossible to do anything with it. I made sure to get it cut very short bobbed this time. Then I had to run to Walmart (yay) to pick up a child’s digital camera for Max’s birthday. Started home and took the wrong exit – got partway to Chippewa before I could turn around and find my way home. Talked to my dad again and agreed that he would pick Max up and meet us at home. Steve was able to leave around noon so we got to leave earlier than planned.

Steve and Dad loaded up the car while Max played in the back yard. Then we drove up to the Mall of America…went to Dept 56, Barnes and Noble to buy books for the plane, and checked out the Disney Store. Still closed. Had an ice cream at Kemps and then asked Max if he wanted to go to watch airplanes take off. He agreed – was all for it! He was alternatively acting like a spoiled brat and then his normal self so we had to sit down and have a chat – I let him know that Daddy and I had a surprise for him for his birthday and if he wanted it, he’d have to be very good. He agreed and adjusted his attitude.

We drove across the street to the airport and when we pulled up to the dropoff, Steve and I got out and began to get the suitcases out of the trunk. Dad got Max out and Max began asking “why do we have suitcases?” I told him to ask his Grandpa. Dad gave him a big hug and whispered, “Because Mommy and Daddy are taking you to Disney World for your birthday.”

It was very cool.

We ended up having to check two of the suitcases – I was not happy. I had packed all of my clothes and most of Max’s in the carryon and Steve hadn’t bothered to tell me up until that point that I had packed it too full and we’d have to check it.

Thanks Honey. Had I known that, I’d have used the huge suitcase and the large, not the huge and the carryon size.

Lovely.

We went to McDonalds once we made it through security. Had a couple cheeseburgers and fries. I got 3 ketchups and wisely balanced them on top of the soda. You all know what happened, don’t you? It was a mess waiting to happen. Of course one of them fell off, splattering the floor and the bottom of my sweater. Yuck. Being the polite Wisconsin girl that I am, I wiped it all up before eating.

Uck.

We got to the gate – as always one of the last gates – and naturally there was a McDonalds right there. AT our gate.

We sat and watched to make sure the suitcases made their way on the plane. This is one of my Travel List items. I hate traveling. I love being places, I just hate getting there. So therefore, I have my Travel List – as in “one down, six to go.” I relax more and more as each step is accomplished. It is as follows:

1. Get to Airport on Time/Get through security with minimum heartache/Get settled at gate on time
2. Watch to make sure luggage gets on plane, if possible.
3. Get on plane, fly, get to destination
4. Make sure luggage arrived
5. Get rental car
6. Get checked in to hotel
7. Settle down and enjoy trip.

I have this amazing fear of our luggage not making it. For the record, this has never happened to me. But I am still of the “pack all the necessities you need, including jammies and swimsuits and all toiletries in your carryon bag justincase…” school. So since I had just been forced to check one of the bags meant for carryons, well, I was nervous.

Steve swore he saw one of them ready to get on the plane, but then the baggage handlers picked it up and drove off with it. I was sick.

Finally it was time to board and Steve and Max headed on. We had decided to try checking the carseat this trip and so it was a lot smoother. I left the buggy at the entrance to the plane and joined them.

The plane trip…we left 45 minutes late because of a few minor things and some luggage from a connecting flight. The pilot assured us we would still be on time. I didn’t believe him. Through the window, Steve and Max did see the baggage handlers load up our suitcases (bright red with orange and lime green luggage tags – relatively distinctive) – it had not been ours earlier – so I sat back and relaxed, content that we would have clothes.

The flight…well…Max was actually pretty good. He didn’t take a nap until halfway through, but all things being equal he was well behaved. A row across and behind us was an 8 month old – he was not a happy boy. Cried for about 40% of the trip. I’ve had an 8 month old boy and I had no problem with the crying. Hey, it happens. But the mother was driving me crazy!!!

“Nobody loves you…so sad…nobody loves you.”
“Oh you’re so miserable…so miserable….so unhappy.”
“Googy googy goo….****oobooo….ooogy.”

I would have loved to tune her out and ignore her but she made it impossible.

The woman in front of us was of the impression, ‘I paid for these tickets and I WILL get my money’s worth.” Extra blankets, extra sodas, why is this cup left here on the floor, this looks dirty…” And no, we weren’t in first class.

However, it was a nice smooth flight and we actually did make it on time! Since we were in row 45 of 47 it took about 25 minutes to get off the flight, but all was good. There were about 5 NWA flights arriving at the same time so even though it was nearly midnight, the shuttle to the baggage claim was jammed. We waited for the next one. Then all the luggage was deposited at the same place. Lots of people. I waited and got the luggage while the boys took care of the rental car. Intermediate SUVs had been on sale so that is what we got. After a hot and muggy walk to the Alamo cars we discovered that no one seemed to work out in the lot and what the hell is an intermediate SUV? We finally settled on a Saturn Vue (in a shockingly original shade of silver) and got into a line that took us 25 minutes to get through. Would have been longer, but they finally opened another one. By this time we were all so tired and hot and overwhelmed with the humidity that we didn’t care about the line since we had air conditioning.

The ride to OKW was quick and I think it finally popped for me that we were here when we saw the big lifeguard stand with the DVC logo. That was wonderful!

Checkin was smooth – we got to OKW at 2:00 am and Steve ran in to check in with our DVC points. When he got out, we got our non smoking room and linked reservation – we wouldn’t have to check out and move, just check out and check back in. We didn’t get the first floor Steve asked for when we got here (we didn’t really expect that we would), but as soon as we into our room, I didn’t care. We were in room 1624. Very close to the front and the view from the balcony was wonderful. We overlooked the pond and golf course and other buildings. Just beautiful. I took a shower and it was heavenly. I unpacked so all would be done.

 

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Saturday, September 17, 2005

Surprisingly, we got up early today and were cleaned up and out of the room by 10:00. Considering how little sleep we got, I was impressed. We went back and checked out and in and had the sweetest CM! She was new and just wonderful. Max’s name wasn’t on his room key and she was very concerned about getting that taken care of (I didn’t ask). I asked about ordering a cake for his birthday and she made a big fuss about getting the date right and asking about his favorite characters. She was just excellent. We left and looked around the marina (Max wanted to take out a “miniboat”), checked out the new pool slide, and popped in the store., I got an apple for DS and we got in the SUV lite and headed to POFQ to see the resort and have breakfast.

Afterwards we looked at the pool and then drove to Walmart (it was closer than SuperTarget  ) for groceries and pull-ups, etc. Then back to the room to relax and unpack groceries. Normally, we aren’t even checked in to the hotel until 2-3:00 on the day of arrival, so we felt quite accomplished for the day.

Spent quite a bit of time back at OKW after unpacking groceries just trying to talk/coerce/bribe/threaten Max into a nap. Finally, after he rested for a whole 10 minutes, we gave up and drove over to DTD marketplace. We were going to take the OKW boat, but we had ADR’s at Boma for 6:10 and it was already close to 2:30 or so and we didn’t want to play with cutting it close, not knowing how long the boat took. We got a great parking spot and as we were getting Max into his buggy, a security truck pulled up and handed us a junior security guard badge sticker. It was really cool.

We had a small lunch at EOS, sharing:

Original sandwich
Cobb salad
Fruit cup
Two bottles pop.

It was excellent. Afterwards we looked at the Art of Disney, Disney Days of Christmas (where Max got more Mickey stickers), Goofy’s Candy Co., and the Toy Store. Briefly went into World of Disney and bought DS a pair of Buzz sunglasses. We headed back to the SUV lite and within 30 seconds or so, Max was out like a light. We took advantage of the opportunity to dash over to SuperTarget to pick up a few things we had forgotten at Walmart earlier. I ran in, and Max slept on. Back to OKW, unpacked the groceries/items and then got ready for ADR’s at Boma.

We got to AKL just in time for our 6:10 ADR and were seated within 5 minutes. As the hostess led us to our table (just on the other side of the prime rib carving station), she dropped off a birthday card for Max – it had birthday wishes written in South African, Botswana, and other languages. Our server was outstanding! She was great with suggestions (I hate carrots and I hate ginger, but I tried the carrot ginger soup on her recommendation and was floored by how good it was!) We had eaten here almost a year ago and were underwhelmed at the time, but I wanted to try it again…I am so glad we did!

Our server had noticed Max’s card and told us she would have something special for him. Once he had finished his 5th piece of watermelon, she brought out the coolest dessert. Max was thrilled! We took a few photos and he ate the whole Mickey cake himself.

After dinner we went down by the pool and ducked into the Mara to see what was there. Afterwards we went in the car and on the way back to OKW, we decided to swing by Pop on a whim. We’d never seen it before and we were so impressed!! The huge shadow boxes were hilarious and fun to look at and the shop was great. Treated Max to a Goofy sour candy stick and Steve bought me a Princess CD. The food court is amazing – very neat and clean, very upscale type food. I thought I saw someone with what looked like a TV tray with mashed potatoes and gravy, fried chicken, etc…very cool! I wanted to get some Twinkie tiramisu to go, but alas…they were out.

Back to the car and then back to OKW. DS got ready for bed and curled up with Bedtime Stories and Steve hit the internet. Bedtime was around 10:30.

 

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Sunday, September 18, 2005

Got up early this morning when Max decided he was done sleeping. Steve put Playhouse Disney on and we got about 90 minutes more sleep.

After we got up, had breakfast and dressed, we headed out to Animal Kingdom. We finally got there at about 10:15 and headed over to exchange our AP vouchers for AP’s. After that it was over to Guest Services where we got a birthday button for Max and one for Steve (His birthday was 9-9). We went over to Dinoland, as is our tradition. On the way over there Max and Steve were both wished “Happy Birthday” several times and were even stopped to hear that Goofy had been looking for them and they should call him back. Max was absolutely tickled to hear Goofy sing him Happy Birthday and Steve got quite a kick out of it, too.

The three of us went on Dinosaur and I wasn’t crazy about it. Very, very cool ride but I could see how it would be just terrifying for a child. Max had been on it before and had enjoyed it so I was a little surprised a bit by how he crouched down next to me. Our photo was funny – Steve and I staring at something and Max was barely visible – just a little of his shirt.

After Dinosaur, Max and Steve went on Triceratops Spin and then Max and I waited while Steve went on Primeval Whirl. Afterwards we headed over to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch. This is a trip tradition for us – I don’t know why. We have a few: AK is always the first park and FTBBQ is always lunch.

DH: beef sandwich and corn
Me: BBQ chicken salad
DS: baked chicken wings kids meal.

Love that they take the DDE card here – we saved almost the amount of Max’s meal.

After lunch – which was very good – we went over to do the Safari. Even with the Fastpass line, it took about 15 minutes to get through. Max was a little snot in the line and Steve and I both forgot to take the backpack out of the stroller so he had to go back for it. So the line lasted even longer. The safari itself was great. We had ostriches so close to the truck that Steve could have reached out and plucked a feather. The rhinos were extremely close, as well as some other animals. Max had a ball picking out the pictures of animals on the truck and matching them up to the real things.

After the safari we decided to leave since it was so blasted hot. We headed back to OKW to have a nap and then go swimming, but Max decided he’s rather do anything else than rest. This created several meltdowns on all our parts until Steve pretended to call the babysitter so he and I could go swimming without Max. Some crying ensued and then a nap was finally had. Sortof.

We decided to head over to Fort Wilderness – we had 6:30 ADR’s at Trail’s End and thought we’d either let Max run and explore for a while or get in early. Luck was with us and we got in early. The buffet was small but had lots of items on it…the food was mostly good and service was very nice. Max had a ball coloring a picture of Chip and then hanging it on the wall. When we finished eating, Max and I went over to the play area outside while Steve paid the bill. When he came out, he had a Mickey rice Krispie bar with a candle in it and a birthday card signed by the Trail’s End Staff. Max loved it. Steve took him over to the Petting Zoo despite my protests (I hate petting zoo’s. They always seem like goats and pigs and not much else. Plus we have them at home) and then we got on the bus to go back to the Settlement where the car was. When we got back to the Settlement, we headed towards the SUV lite when Steve realized he had left our backpack on the bus. The backpack with Max’s camera, extra film and tapes, wipes and my travel wallet – driver’s license, credit cards, debit card, some cash, AP’s, DVC card and DDE card. Needless to say he ran back to get it and ended up waiting until the bus came back around. No harm done. Except that something was wrong with the steering wheel in the SUVlite and Max and I couldn’t start the engine and have AC. I ended up standing outside his open door, sweating, discussing the plotline of a movie about ghosts and someone named Frankie and a ghost farm with dead “creepy” animals. (author’s note: What the HELL kind of stuff does my son watch???).

Steve returned, fixed the SUVlite in 2 seconds and we were off. Got back “home” to OKW and changed into swimsuits. Grabbed a book and headed to the main pool. Enjoyed a nice cool swim, Steve and Max had a few trips down the slide, and then ended up in the whirlpool while I read. We left about 8:30, stopped at Conch Flats for some doughnuts and Mickey ice cream bar/sandwich and then headed back to the room for an early night.

What did we learn today? Watch the backpack. Watch the backpack. WATCH THE BACKPACK!!! Also…gummy bears, when left in an SUVlite in 200 degree weather, melt. And when melted and opened and fingered by an intrepid almost 4 year old, they make gummy webs between your fingers. And then end up in a trip to the bathroom. Ick.

 

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Monday, September 19

This morning we got up again and decided to start the day at the Magic Kingdom. We parked at the TTC and took the ferry over to the MK. It was hot out, but still a great day. We headed over to get the birthday buttons at Guest Services and then over to the barbershop. To my amazement, there was an immediate opening and Max got in to get his hair cut. He ended up with a red Mickey on the back of his head and lots of Pixie dust all over.

After this we went over to Main Street and had a lovely late breakfast outside the Bakery while Cinderellabration was going on onstage. After eating we went over to Tomorrowland and hopped on the TTA. After this we all went on Buzz. I absolutely stink at this. I got (embarrassingly enough) 2000 points to DH’s tens of thousands – I want to say about 146,000 but I think it was more. Max and Steve then went on the Tomorrowland Speedway while I shopped and then the three of us shared a raspberry lemonade slush from the Enchanted Grove.

Max wanted to go over to Toon Town to ride on Goofy’s Barnstormer and after that we took the train over to Frontierland. Amazingly, this is Max’s sixth trip to WDW and his first ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad…! When we got off at Frontierland, we all went to Splash Mountain which was a lot of fun. From there we did the Dole Whip thing and then headed out to the front of the park to leave. We had been there for several hours and were very hot and tired. Max fell asleep, so we took advantage of his insta-nap and ran over to Sonic for some cherry limeades. Then over to the outlet stores where we woke him up and hit the Disney outlet. A few purchases later, we went back to OKW and had a snack/late lunch.

Rested for a while and then over to Epcot. We had 6:30 ADR’s at Rose and Crown and thought we could get a quick Test Track and Soarin’ in first. Test Track was no problem, but we had to choose between R&C and Soarin’. The Birthday Boy was itching to get on Soarin’ and didn’t really care about eating so we decided to check Garden Grill and see if they had openings. Nope. We made the decision to scrap ADR’s and rode Soarin’. As always, it was amazing!

After this, we decided to leave Epcot. It was about 10 to 7 and since the front was closing we decided to go get some dinner. After discussing a few minutes, we decided on Chevy’s Fresh Tex Mex over at the Crossroads. We were seated immediately and the food was very good. Much, much cheaper than R&C too…

After dinner, we drove through SSR to see it at night. As usual, we were overwhelmed by the size but impressed by the beauty. We love VWL and BCV so much, and OKW is a true homey favorite for us and we know we are going to need to feel the same about SSR, our home resort. I remember it last December though – just beautifully decorated. I can say this…we WILL have a rental car when we stay there!

After this drive through, we went back to OKW and relaxed as we settled in. Another boring family night, but pleasant. Someday when Max is older…someday…

 

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Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Today we got up and cleaned up and decided to head out to get breakfast at the Caribbean Beach resort. Although we walked to the car in a typical Florida rainstorm, we were dry by the time we reached the resort. It was great – we had never seen it before and managed to get to Port Royale with no problem. The resort was huge but just beautiful! We each picked out what we wanted from the various areas in the food court and then enjoyed our breakfast next to the pool. It was windy so the hot sun was pleasant more than just hot.

After we ate, we peeked at the shops and were accosted by a friendly CM who loves to talk. A lot. About anything. Except anything interesting. I managed to extricate myself and we left to go back to OKW.

We decided it was time for a down day, so we put on our suits and went to the pool. We spent a few hours lounging and swimming and hitting the slide. I went down once. Yikes. I have no idea how many corkscrews there were but it felt like somewhere between 5 and 800.

We decided to get out of the pool when the black clouds gathered again, but it was too late. Max and I walked back to the room while Steve got the SUVlite. However, once Max and I got back to the room, we discovered my key no longer worked. We were just about to go back and check when Steve got back. His key? Didn’t work. He ran back to the front desk for new ones. Didn’t work. Max and I were starting to get ticked…we were soaked and cold and stuck sitting outside waiting. Eventually they had to let us in with a key and then have someone come up to replace the batteries in the lock. Amazingly, once inside the whole thing became funny instead of annoying. And Max is convinced that we were directly in a hurricane. Well…sorta I guess. It was rain due to Rita…

Showers and late lunch in the room followed and then Steve and Max took naps while I finished my book – a murder mystery I was thisclose to finishing so it was driving me crazy.

After a nice rest, we got cleaned up and drove over to Wilderness Lodge to do a little browsing in the shop and to take the boat over to the Contemporary. I love WL…it is one of my favorite places on earth, but I’m okay staying elsewhere as long as it’s outside the Christmas season…for Christmas? No better place than the Lodge.

On our way down to the boat dock we had a nice chat with the DVC guide…got lots of “off the record” rumors of upcoming DVC resorts. Exciting stuff!! Contemporary, AKL, Hawaii, California, etc. I could see adding on at AKL if it comes to be…that’s another resort we enjoy before heading over to the different villas for more room, so a villa accommodation there? Definitely an add on idea! Maybe when Max is in kindergarten and we just have two tuition payments vs. twice monthly daycare Ah…Disney dreams…

The boat trip over was great – we’ve never seen this side of the Contemporary before and although the resort was lovely, I don’t think we’ll be chomping at the proverbial bit to be using our reservation points there. Although I could see maybe taking advantage of it if it had DVC villas, I suppose (another rumor told to us by Bob the DVC Guy). Somehow the boat trip is just such a Disney experience for me…I don’t know why. I love using it for VWL to MK and back.

We checked in to Chef Mickeys and got the family photo taken. There was a 20 minute wait for our ADR’s and we shopped. Max was dancing with excitement. He loves this restaurant. When we were seated, we saw Chip immediately. Max was beside himself. We got the autographs and photos and then went to get our food.

You know – many people have said “you don’t go there for the food” and I always have thought, “Well that’s true, but the food is pretty good.”

Nah. Not really.

Tonight was just not great. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but it wasn’t outstanding either. Max barely ate anything, but with the DDE card 20% off it was like he was free – or so we tell ourselves… However, the character interaction was excellent! Max just melted my heart when he stood on his chair, put his arms around Mickey Mouse and laid his cheek against him in a huge hug. (Max loves Mickey). He was so excited to see the characters. It was also really nice to have the placemat and birthday cupcake delivered with Donald Duck. And Max loved dancing around during the celebrate sequences.

All in all though, our service was fantastic but the food was mediocre and everything seemed to take a long time. However, Max loved it and was happy and truly that was worth every penny.

After dinner we went back to WL on the boat and Max and I hit the Mercantile again while Steve pretended to look at the pins over by Artist Point. When Max and I emerged, Steve was nowhere to be found, so we settled back into the leather chairs to wait. In a few minutes, he popped up with an Artist Point Berry Cobbler to go…my all time favorite!!

We were going to go to the Poly to watch Wishes, but as all of us were tired and red little sunburned lobsters we opted to go back to OKW to relax and watch the last 45 minutes of House (LOVE that show!!! Had the DVR set to tape it at home…) before settling in to bed, coated with layers of Aloe.

A nice, relaxing day.

 

[slk537]

Wednesday, September 21

This morning we were up and at ‘em and raring to go. The weather, however, wasn’t so kind. The Weather Channel was predicting thunderstorms and rain thanks to Hurricane Rita and we were almost paralyzed. We are, I must admit, WDW Rainy Day Virgins. You see, we always come down during the two weeks after Thanksgiving or Mother’s Day week in May so rain isn’t really that common. We shrugged and decided to tough it out and drove over to MGM after a delicious and nutritious breakfast of Entemanns doughnuts (A WDW tradition!) in the room.

As we walked up to MGM, the rain was getting more and more steady. Steve did the bag security thing while Max and I ran over and bought some ponchos. I put Max’s on right away, but the rain had tapered off to dealable levels so I left ours in the bag.

We got to the time boards at 9:50 and saw that Playhouse Disney started at 10:00. Max and I ran to get in as Steve hit the Art store. His legs drive him crazy if he sits too long and let’s be honest…Playhouse Disney isn’t exactly riveting for adults.

Max and I loved it. I first took him to this show when he was 1 year old. He couldn’t have cared less…he was more interested in the contraband cherry sucker I had smuggled in for him. I cried though the whole thing. My baby boy “watched” Playhouse Disney at home and I was just so overcome by the realization that this was just the beginning for us. Since then, each time he and I have gone, it’s been better and better. This time was the best. He danced and sang and had a ball. As usual, I wanted to choke most of the characters and one child in particular behind us, but watching Max was a true joy. And again, I cried through almost the whole thing.

We walked out and met up with Steve right away. Heading over towards the Sorcerer’s Hat, we noticed that Voyage of the Little Mermaid was starting in 2 minutes. We dashed in and got seats right before the show started. After this, we walked over to Star Tours and were riding in less than 5 minutes. After this ride (Max held my hand the whole time in case I got scared – my hero!) we walked in to the Muppet Show, again with no wait. After the show, we walked out into tons of rain falling. Max and I put our ponchos back on and Steve decided to tough it out. I’m not sure if it’s the idea of a “poncho” that offends his masculinity, but for some reason he just wasn’t interested in staying dry. Next was Lights, Motors, Action! We’d never seen it and we made it into the bleachers with 15 minutes to spare. Steve liked it. Max and I? We were pretty bored. Some parts were very cool though.

The rain was over when we left and we decided to stop at Pizza Planet for lunch. Max decided the games before eating were more important and after some “discussion” and “attitude” we decided to leave. We talked about lunch and Steve chose Uno Pizzeria. It was okay – pretty expensive for not special food. For $30, I’d rather eat at Disney.

After lunch we were all just exhausted so we went back to OKW and took naps. It was nice to relax and unwind. We seem pretty boring with all the afternoon rests, but we found that we missed the hot humid afternoons and got the energy to have fun in the evenings. Plus, a 4 year old needs the downtime. And then again…we know we’ll be back. We can’t “miss” anything because we can always catch it next time. Love my DVC!!

Dinner was 6:00 at Cape May Café – Beach Club. We really like this restaurant, despite not being seafood fans. Just last May we stayed at the Beach Club Villas, so now walking into the lobby felt like coming home. It took Max all of 30 seconds to make a beeline over to the kids lounge area to watch cartoons while I checked us in to the restaurant. We waited a whole 2 minutes before we were seated and within 3 more minutes we had our drinks served. Dinner was great – I had mentioned it was Max’s birthday week when I made the ADR and they all wished him a happy birthday. As he sat and ate his 4th ear of corn, he grinned and informed us that he was pretty sure that he would get a surprise when he finished eating. Since I honestly didn’t know if CMC did anything, all I did was smile. (I should add that this was said in a very cute way, not a spoiled way. I am not saying my son isn’t spoiled and doesn’t act that way…he is and occasionally does…but in this case it was just a wishful hope). Sure enough, after we ate and paid the bill, our server brought out a mousse cake dessert with a lit candle and got the whole restaurant to sing happy birthday…it was wonderful! My beautiful child was so excited that everyone sang to him that I almost cried again…

My Boys:

After dinner, we went to the BC marketplace to shop and then went down to the beach. After enjoying the atmosphere, we walked over to the Boardwalk by way of the bridge by the Yacht Club. We wandered into the open house that DVC had so we could see what the BW villas look like – we’ve never stayed there and wanted to see how they’re decorated – and had a nice chat with several guides. After this, we wandered down a ways and then Steve and Max decided we needed to rent a surrey bike. We buckled Max in, taught him the bell (yay) and biked off towards the Beach Club. The first hill was doable and we had a blast zipping back and forth listening to Max ring the very loud bell. People are just so nice with those bikes! We had lots of people wave and smile as we passed. The best part of the trip? The second hill over by the Yacht Club. Oh my GOODNESS is that hard when you’re not in shape!!! We got halfway up and then it got harder: a Friendship was approaching the bridge as we were biking up and the captain got on the PA and began heckling us…! We had to push even harder to get past our laughter. He was hilarious! He actually stopped the boat so everyone could watch us and then he did a running commentary for everyone around, encouraging us to keep going, and was just overall funny – all done in a strong southern Cajun type accent. As we approached the top, I could swear I heard applause, and I did hear him say, “I’ll bet you’ll never do that again!!” It was definitely a highlight.

After we dropped the bike back off (oof !!!) we took a Friendship over to Epcot to see Illuminations. We walked through the countries, stopping in Morocco for a few slushies and then finally Germany to let Max watch the trains for a while. By this time it was 10 minutes to 9:00 so we walked back to the torch in the USA and stood there to watch the show. Steve ended up in a conversation with the DVC guy over by the USA and confirmed that they will be offering us the Dining Plan in 2006. We love the DDE, but as you know from the pretrip report, the dining plan intrigues us. Then came Illuminations. It was great! I will always love Wishes the most, but Illuminations was definitely good.

Afterwards we had a looonng walk back to the Beach Club parking lot. The a/c in the SUVlite never felt better…! We rode back to OKW and Max walked over to the couch, covered himself up and said “good night”. Just crashed. Steve had to take his shoes off and we decided to let him sleep in his shorts and T-shirt. Stellar parents, eh?

It was a good day.

 

[slk537]

Thursday, September 22

This morning we got up early because we had ADR’s at 1900 Park Fare. After debating whether or not we wanted to go, we got in the SUVlite and drove over to the Grand Floridian. Walking in we found the restaurant right away and checked in. The breakfast was good and Max just loved seeing Pooh and Tigger. Pooh ran off with Max’s autograph book and then Tigger showed up to play hide and seek. It was wonderful – I love the sound of Max’s giggles…!

Alice also showed up and Max was pretty shy…I think he thought she was pretty cute. He was blown away when she spoke to him…he’s not used to face characters. In her cute accent she asked him about his birthday and told him it was her unbirthday. When she left, he was pretty chatty. I do believe his first crush (Lindsey Lohan in Herbie) has been replaced by Alice…

After breakfast we were going to take the monorail over to the MK, but again Max had some listening issues so we opted to head back to OKW with a quick stop at the store for some hair clippies for Sweaty Mom Hair. Back at OKW we all had a nice rest and then decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. As we opened the door at 1:00, it was pouring out. We bundled up into our rain gear (DH broke down and wore one) and we drove over to the Poly. We went upstairs and were thrilled to see that there was no wait at Kona. We were seated right away and ordered some sticky wings…they were okay. After the snack we ordered desserts: Kilauea torte for me, chocolate macadamia nut torte for Steve and the Kiddie Cone – the reason we went there – for Max’s birthday. He loved it!

After our decadent snack, we hopped the monorail over to the MK. This time, finally, my boys got to ride in the front! I wasn’t able to because of the stroller, but that was okay. Steve had dreamed about this since he was a kid and Max was thrilled. They both got their pilot’s licenses and were pretty tickled.

By the time we got to the MK, the rain had lessened and so we lined up for the 3:00 parade. We waited about 10-15 minutes and then watched the parade – Max loved it…we haven’t seen it in years.

Afterwards we headed over to Liberty Square so we could ride the Haunted Mansion. We ducked through the Christmas Shoppe and browsed. I love the way that shop smells! As we were leaving to go to the HM, the downpour began. We dashed over to the Hall of American Presidents and put our ponchos back on before checking in to the HM. Max was all for it until we got into the stretching room and then he began to say he didn’t want to ride. He has been on it about 5 other times so we calmed him down and continued. But as we got closer to the Doom Buggies it became apparent he did not want to go. So he and I stepped out of line and Steve went on. I asked if the CM could show us the Chicken Exit and she all but lectured me on making Max go on the ride. I politely told her that he had been on the ride before, as recently as May, and had no problems so I had no reason to think he would be upset now. Plus…I didn’t force him now, did I?

Max and I waited outside for Steve, with him giggling about taking a “chicken exit” the whole time, and then we all walked towards Adventureland in the rain. We stopped and rode POC as requested by Max and as always it was great. After we finished with this, we went to Caseys and had hot dogs and French fries with cheese sauce. We had heard so much about this that we had to try it. It was okay – the ambiance it definitely what makes it great.

After snack/late lunch we walked to the front of the park and decided to take the boat back to the Poly. It was wonderful – we had a terrific view of the Seven Seas Lagoon and when we arrived at the Poly, the captain gave Max six watercraft Mickey stickers. We wandered around the pool area in the rain and were really able to check things out at the hotel. It was beautiful!

We got our truck from valet and got back to OKW around 6:30. Decided to stay in for a rainy stormy night and popped some pizza rolls/pizza in the oven. It was a nice, downtime kind of night and one we all needed.

 

[slk537]

Friday, September 23, 2005 – Max’s 4th birthday!!!

Max woke up early and wanted to take a bath in the Jacuzzi tub. He enjoyed all the bubbles while Steve and I watched the Weather Channel – Hurricane Rita coverage. We decided to have breakfast with some of the food we still had in the room instead of Chef Mickeys…Max didn’t know we had ADR’s there so nothing lost. We got ready to go and decided on the Magic Kingdom.

Once we got there our Max got in line to have his photo taken with Max, Goofy’s son. After this, we went straight for the Buzz ride – our Max’s all time favorite. We followed this up with the TTA again. After this, we confirmed Max wasn’t tall enough for Space Mountain so Max and I headed over for a snack at Cosmic Rays while Steve rode. Then we all rode Winnie the Pooh and Max took some time to play in the new Pooh play area. Next was Mickey’s Philharmagic…how I love this show!! After this it was time for our lunch ADR’s at Liberty Tree Tavern. We had a pretty good meal and surprised Max with a birthday cake…it was great! When we reached our table, they had sprinkled it with pixie dust and curled ribbon. Our server was great – he brought Max’s meal out right away and then kept our drinks refilled constantly. Max discovered that if he took the plastic sticks out of Steve’s sandwich and stuck them in his corn dog nuggets, he could make them “dance”. Normally we wouldn’t be thrilled with him doing this in a restaurant, but what with it being his birthday, being at the Magic Kingdom, and just the whole atmosphere of the day, we let it go. When we finished eating, our server brought out the cake and a birthday card signed by the characters from the LTT dinner and at least 7 other servers came over to sing after one rang a bell and loudly announced that “Master Max” was celebrating his 4th birthday. Max blew out his candle and told us again that this was his best birthday ever.

Dancing Corndog Nuggets:

Max and his cake:

After lunch Steve and Max rode Big Thunder Mountain together while I shopped a little and then we headed for the front of the park. Max got an Itzakadoozie bar and we sat for a while and relaxed before taking the boat back to the Polynesian. Once back at the Poly, Steve and I surprised Max with a ride in the “miniboat” as he called them (sea racer/mouse boat). Max and Steve took off on Seven Seas Lagoon and I sat at the end of the Poly dock in the shade and waited for them. For a day following such a rainy gloomy day, this one was bright blue skies and sunshine.

After the mini boat ride we got the SUVlite and went back to OKW for some downtime. Waiting for Max was a bouquet of balloons and a signed photo of Woody and Buzz wishing him personally a happy 4th birthday. He was VERY excited! It was really wonderful.

We all relaxed again and had some more quiet time – Max played with the Buzz radio we bought him for his birthday and finally we decided to get cleaned up to go to DTD and then our later dinner ADR at ‘Ohana (7:40). Just as we were about to leave, I looked out the window and saw the downpour. No wind whatsoever, just a tremendous vertical downpour. We all went out and sat on the balcony, completely protected from the rain, just enjoying the view and the sound of the rain on the water. We watched the crazy golfers play through and waved across the lake to others who had popped out onto their decks. As the rain finally ebbed, the ducks and cranes all emerged from under the balconies and Steve went in and brought out a bag of English muffins. We all fed about 20 ducks while our neighbors over one fed about 15 cranes. It was one of those moments that can happen anywhere, but is just truly family magic.

After feeding the ducks, we noticed that the rain had finally stopped. By now it was 7:00 so we decided to go over to the Poly and see if we could get in early enough to be seated to see Wishes. Once we arrived, we checked in and were seated in about 5 minutes. We had a great seat close to all the action (coconut races, etc) and a good view of the castle. Our dinner began and our server was very nice. Max was called up almost right away with the kids and they each picked a grownup (Steve) to do “head shoulders knees and toes” in Hawaiian. He had a ball. We didn’t think he’d eat anything, but instead he ended up eating almost more chicken wings and steak and vegetables than we did. He loved doing the coconut races and getting gummy worms and also enjoyed the hula hoops. When dinner was finally over, our servers came our and sang Happy birthday to him in Hawaiian and gave him a cupcake with a candle. It was wonderful!

Afterwards we did a little shopping and picked up a postcard of the Polynesian to send to my Brother, SIL, and niece/nephew who will be staying Poly Concierge next July. We then got the truck and headed over to DTD Marketplace. By the time we got almost there, Max was asleep. Steve and I put him in his stroller and were able to shop for an hour, enjoying the sights and sounds and no “I wants.” Around 11:00 we went back to OKW and watched a little TV before bed. Our last night at OKW for this trip.

 

[slk537]

Saturday, September 25

Ah…a bittersweet day…the last full day of our magical vacation. We woke up early for us (7:30) and Steve drove over to BCV to check in while Max watched cartoons and “helped” me pack up our things. When Steve came back, he had a Mickey shaped orange balloon inside a clear balloon they had given him at the OKW front desk for Max when he checked us out. Max was delighted! I finished packing while Steve took out the garbage and made sure everything was in the dishwasher. We carried everything out to the SUVlite, started the dishwasher and then Steve ran down to check in Max’s lifevest. We waved goodbye to OKW and headed over to the Beach Club Villas.

Steve had been told our room wouldn’t be ready until 4:00 for sure, maybe sooner. We unloaded our things with Bell Services and then wandered into the lobby so Max could watch cartoons while Steve asked again about when we should check back. Art the Greeter was there – Max was thrilled. He considers Art to be a celebrity since he traded pins with Samantha Brown on Great Hotels (we have the DVR on our Dish and I tend to record the WDW stuff so Max and I watch it a lot…). We waited for Steve to check on the room and saw him talking to two CM’s. It looked like something was up, so I walked over and asked what was wrong after the one official looking CM dashed off. Turns out that they had a 1br handicap room available immediately if we wanted it and the official CM was dashing off to answer the vital question: does it still have a hot tub??

Yes. Yes it does.

So moments later we swapped keys and were on our way to the villas to our 5th floor handicapped 1 br room with a bathtub (I take baths every day, year round. It’s my “me” time….have to have it. And the magnificently huge tubs DVC has make my life when we’re down there!). We were so happy to have a room 6 hours ahead of schedule, we didn’t care about the handicap factor. And when we saw the room…we really didn’t care. I realize there are differences people don’t like with the studios, but we’d stay in a 1br one again in a heartbeat. Particularly when the temperature outside is 90 degrees with 90% humidity and a shower is a necessity.

We unpacked what we needed and walked over to Epcot. We hadn’t really done World Showcase yet (my favorite – Steve and Max think it’s boring) and I insisted. The boys went with decent attitudes. Steve, because I held the hour of my life he stole with Lights, Motors Action! over his head and Max because he was being bribed with Soarin’ and Test Track when we finished.

We had a late breakfast in France at the Boulangerie Patisserie. Max picked a strawberry tart, I had chocolate mousse and Steve had a ridiculous excuse for a turkey sandwich. Wow. Apparently French people don’t like meat on their sandwiches…???

We continued on to the other countries, stopping in the good ol’ US of A to see the American Adventure. I enjoy this program. The song at the end always makes me cry. I am a sentimental patriotic woman, what can I say? When they showed Walt Disney himself I almost bawled. He died before Steve and I were born, yet I feel as though I remember him alive.

Max did not share my sentiment about the show. He fell asleep half way through.

After the AA, we took off to Germany for the trains. I stopped in Italy for tiramisu – quite possibly my favorite dessert in the world, next to cake and bread puddings. Yum!

Max watched the trains and then we went over and rode Test Track, followed by Soarin’. Afterwards we walked back to the villas to relax for a few minutes before hitting Stormalong Bay.

When we got down to the pool, we walked in and had a terrific lunch at Beaches and Cream, followed by a slice of chocolate cake and ice cream split three ways – we told Max it was more birthday cake. Of course, one might think the last thing we needed after our Epcot Sugar Binge was cake. But then, one would be wrong, wouldn’t one? After lunch, on to the pool!

We probably spent three hours at the pool, enjoying the lazy river, beach area and slide. We all split a few non alcoholic strawberry daiquiri/pina colada drinks and then back up to the room to clean up.

Once dressed and dry, Steve and I dropped Max off for his inaugural trip to a Kid’s Club: The Sandcastle Club at the Beach Club. I was a nervous wreck, Max was happy. So was Steve.

Steve and I had originally planned to eat at the Yachtsman Steakhouse while Max was at the SClub, but since we had pushed our times back to spend more time at the pool, we canceled that. Instead, we spent some sunset time down by the beach and then took the boat over to the Boardwalk. We wandered around and finally took the boat back. We decided to grab some sandwiches and salad and treats and go back up to the room to have a nice private dinner. We got our food and headed upstairs where I was surprised with chocolate covered strawberries and a chocolate golden fan…a very sweet and romantic gesture from my sweetie.

At 9:00, Steve went back down to get Max and he came upstairs, full of stories about the club. He had a great time. I left to go get ready for bed and within seconds he was asleep. Another full day for him at WDW.

 

[slk537]

Sunday, September 25

The last day of the trip. It was not a good one. Not bad, but definitely not good. We got up and Steve called to check on the balance left on our account. At first we were told there was almost $1000 left. Lovely, but not possible. Then we were told that miraculously we had managed to charge EXACTLY the amount we placed on there. To the penny. Mmmhmmm… Fortunately before we checked out of OKW Steve had asked for a printout of our account so he went downstairs to check it against the receipts from the day before while I finished packing up. He came back upstairs and let me know they’d credited back the actual balance. We called Bell Services and they came for the luggage and the valet brought around the SUVlite to load up while we went back downstairs. We hadn’t moved the charging privileges from OKW over to BCV (didn’t know we could…now we do!) so they strawberries had been charged to the room. We decided to write a check to pay it and write it a bit over to get some more cash without ATM fees.

So I went up to pay and asked the person behind the counter if I could write the check for over and if so, how much? He didn’t think I could, but didn’t know. He asked the person next to him who came over and (I am not joking) explained to me that there was an ATM in the lobby and that they were not an ATM at the counter. She continued to explain to me clearly in more detail like I was Max’s age how the counter does not operate as an ATM and I can’t write a check for more than the amount. The tone was very patronizing. A simple question asked and I was treated like an idiot. I was not pleased. I started the conversation with a huge smile and a very friendly manner and didn’t deserve that.

I left the counter with my receipt (for the exact amount, of course) and told Steve. He was positive we could write a check at the counter so he asked two gentlemen in suits with CM tags and they confirmed he was right. They walked up to the counter and then came back and told me that no, you can’t write a check for more than the amount because of the way their software system works, but you can cash a check for up to $50. He was very sweet about it. My thought? Why the heck was so hard about her saying “sorry, can’t write the check for more, but if you would like cash I can do that with a separate check.”….???

Argh. I should point out that this was all straightened out while I was at the ATM withdrawing money with the $2 fee. Not a lot, no, but still enough to buy a coke…

We got into the SUVlite and drove away from the BCV and headed for SSR. We have lots of points we have to use by May 31 and after the great trip we had, we’re rethinking the cruise vs onsite. So I wanted to see if they had an extra points chart we could take on the plane. We wandered down to the DVC sales area and asked for a points chart. We were asked who our guide was and then the lady disappeared and came back with a DVC shopping bag with the perks pages and a hard cover DVC book with all the layouts, points charts, photos of the resorts. It is great!

We ran through the gift shop and then over to DTD. Lunch was at Earl of Sandwich – my favorite – followed by a trip to Goofy’s Candy Co. for Max’s Disney Dollar spending spree. He picked out one pound of orange taffy (yes…one pound of orange taffy. His favorite) and a mini plastic candy bin full of assorted candy. Next we went to WOD and bought Steve another watch for his birthday (this time a Goofy one), Max picked out a Buzz watch with lots of extra different bands for his birthday gift. We picked out a few other must haves and gifts and paid. We had some time before our flight so while Max fell asleep in the truck, I ran into the outlet store offsite and picked up a book full of photos of the resorts and park for my brother and SIL. After this, we filled the tank and drove to the airport.

Once there, we dropped off the SUVlite (wahh!!) and followed the bell person with our luggage as he sped to the ticket gate. We had just checked in and were waiting for the luggage tags when the woman behind the counter gave us the bad news.

Our flight was delayed by 3 hours. Bad weather in Memphis. We had six and a half hours to wait. And then three hours on a plane. And one in a car.

ARGH!!!

The flight had changed from 5:14 to 8:22. We stopped at Borders and picked up magazines and then wandered around, looking at the airport shops. We had an early dinner at Romano’s Macaroni Grill which was not good for me, but the boys liked theirs. I got pepperoni bread because it looked small and my stomach was bothering me. Good choice. Pick something that is basically grease city when you have tummy problems.

After we ate, we went through security. Security in Orlando sucks. Steve elegantly calls it a “cluster”. Minneapolis/St Paul is great – very efficient and quick. We get spoiled. We got through and went down to our gate. We evaded a very affectionate couple (ick) all over each other at the gate and ended up sitting next to two really nice Minnesota ladies who immediately bonded with Max. They both had several grandchildren around his age and talked with him while he played with this magnetic toy I had bought him (one had purchased the same toy for her 4 year old grandson). Max and Steve met these nice ladies when they all tried to block his view of the affectionate couple saying goodbye at the gate.

We received the news about the flight: The plane had originated in New Orleans and because of the Hurricane Rita, had been delayed and then the route had changed to get it around the hurricane. The good news? Nothing was wrong with the plane and once it was in the air from Memphis, we’d know when we would be taking off. When I had initially heard the plane was delayed in Memphis because of weather, all I could think was…how do they know when it can get out? Will it be 8:22? Or will that change and get worse?

This made me feel better.

The flight left Memphis and the ETA became 7:55 instead of 8:22. Good news! We were given $20 worth of vouchers to exchange for food and since we had already had our dinner, we used them to get sodas, juice, and plenty of candy bars to take home. We kept waiting and changed into warmer clothes. Finally, the plane arrived and they got us all loaded and in the air by 8:20. The flight was extremely turbulent. The seatbelt was only off for about 30 minutes the whole flight. Max slept for the second half and by the time we arrived, he was very crabby and whiny (understandably so). And then? They couldn’t get the door open.

Argh.

After a while they got it open and we walked out. And then waited again for the stroller. Finally it was there and we collected everything and headed for baggage where we met my Dad and his fiancé and from there it was a nice trip home visiting with them.

The cats were thrilled to see us home and we fell asleep.

So now? Time to catch up on work and home and plan our next trip….

 

[slk537]

Notes: shockingly, a week after we got home we received letter from Northwest Airlines apologizing for the delay and inconvenience and compensating us each with 1000 World Perks miles. I should add that this was unprompted by any action on our part. We hadn’t complained at all. It had been inconvenient, but they were obviously doing everything they could to get us home and it wasn’t their fault. But now? We all have enough miles for a free trip to Orlando. Woo hoo!! Steve wants to keep on going to get enough for Hawaii. Shouldn’t take more than one or two more WDW trips.

And the extra points? After much debating and discussion and math (yuck) we finally decided on 1 night Port Orleans French Quarter (a place to stay that uses low reservation points after arriving mid to late Friday evening) 4 nights Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierge (to majorly splurge and use up reservation points) and 7 nights one bedroom at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. This leaves us with only 2 points leftover. As much as we’d love a cruise, we’d rather wait until Max is over 5, and able to go on more excursions. So now we’re set for the end of February and first week of March – a trip that includes my birthday . Yup, it’s peak season. Yup, the points needed are ridiculous. Yup, we’re crazy. But it sounds good to us and escaping the sunshine for a splurgy vacation sounds great. Of course, this could change 1000 times before we leave – see first installment of trip report.

Oh and the Dining Plan? The one DVCers are supposed to be eligible for in 2006? The whole reason we took the September trip in the first place?

Yeah…well…we decided we saved so much money with the DDE and had more flexibility that we don’t really want it.

So really…is it any wonder my family thinks I’m crazy??

 

[heaven2dc]

What a delightful time you all had, especially Max! It seems your family got to enjoy as much as you could at the parks and yet take the downtime needed especially for a 4 year old. We're planning on going March 2-8 next year and staying at BWV renting DVC points (which will be a first at renting points). We stayed there in 97 and loved it (paid rack rates for 3 1-bedroom villas for 12 of us).

Am contemplating the BCV for a couple nights - did you like the BWV when you viewed the rooms? Or did you like BCV better? I think my ds12 he would like SAB better than the pool at BWV (it will be me, my DS28, DD26, DS23, DS18 and DS12 going).

I am keeping a journal of all dining reviews and enjoyed your input and pics especially (Max is so adorable!).

 

[slk537]

Thank you for your comments! We'll be there at the same time you will next March - great minds, eh?

We really liked the BWV's decorations - it was very, very nice! The layout at BCV, BWV, VWL, and SSR is all much the same so the main difference in the rooms will be the decor. At this point we prefer the Beach Club location, as Max is only 4 and it does seem as though it could get louder over the Boardwalk...but as he gets older this won't be an issue.

Yor 12 year old son would LOVE Stormalong Bay! There are several pools all connected to each other (3 acres, I believe), there is a lazy river which I just love...the view is of Crescent Lake and the Boardwalk, there is Beaches and Cream right there for ice cream and treats and Hurricane Hannahs has great frou frou drinks with a lovely young woman who comes to you at your beach chair to take your order. The whole bottom is covered in white sand and you are truly as close to the " beach" feel as you can get.

I honestly don't think you can go wrong either way, but there is a definite advantage for the Beach Club when you consider the pool. Epcot is a closer walk too.

Thank you again! I wrote the trip report more for us to remember our trip but I decided to post it...did the same with our dining reviews. I enjoy reading about everyone else's experiences so much that posting ours has been a kick!

Enjoy your planning! Four more months!!

 

[Cinerama]

Loved the report---thanks for posting!

 

[Cinderella94]

Wow!! You guys had so much fun!!! Thanks for posting!

Cinderella

 

[disneydreamer1970]

Sounds like a wonderful trip!! I can't wait to celebrate my birthday at WDW in January!!!

Trish

 

[kimwim8]

What a great trip report! I really enjoyed it. I love that you could surprise your son. I wish I could, but I can't keep any of the planning process to myself (and DH). Maybe some day...

Happy Birthday to your son. My DS also turned 4 in September & knows TOO MUCH about WDW! He is addicted to the planning DVD & loves to rewatch videos we've taken from his past 2 trips.