6/16-6/23 TR: It's Hot, Hot, Hot: Update 7/27 Top 10 Lists

[TxRabbit]

I'm jumping in!

Our trips overlap. We were at WL 6/20 to 6/27. We were also in a room that faced the lake, but we were in the south wing!

Ok. Now going back to read...

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Sounds like a fun day I'm glad that you didn't feel so bad that it ruined your day. And your DH is right. FOTLK will be there next time Love your Chef Mickey pictures and stories. The characters really do have fun there. How sad that your last day is coming up. It's always sad to see good TR's coming to an end

We were sad too when it began to end.

What a fun and magical day for your family. Too bad you weren't feeling better. Where is the cool Mickey you took a picture with? I don't remember seeing it.

TK

The pic with the family and Mickey is in the back of the Contemporary on the way to the boat dock. It even has a stand for you put your camera on to do a timed pic. This way DH was in the pic and no one needed to take it for us.

Sorry you weren't feeling the best. Disney is no place to be sick! It sounds like you didn't let it slow you down, though. You'll be back and your DH is right, FOTLK will still be there, waiting for you. You still got lots done.

Love the Mickey and Donald story. How very Disney! And your family looks adorable in your pictures from CM.

Aw, last day, huh? Do you have another trip planned that you could write a ptr for?

I wish we have another trip planned. The family assumes we are going back next summer. However, DD 16 will be between her Junior and Senior year, so we have to think about college visits. Depending on where she wants to visit will decide if we go back to WDW.

So sorry that you didn't feel well. I hope that you recovered quickly. The day that you were at MK was the day that we spent a lot of time at the Wilderness Lodge. It is so nice there! We were outside a lot and it was HOT! We probably didn't enjoy it as much as we would have liked because of the heat, but it was enough for us to want to stay there some day.

So cool that you met someone from the Dis! That would have been a highlight for me too.

We loved the lodge especially that we could stay inside to get everywhere.

I wish I could find that Diser that I saw. I would like to say "Hey!", but I haven't found her on the boards yet. I'll keep searching.

I'm jumping in!

Our trips overlap. We were at WL 6/20 to 6/27. We were also in a room that faced the lake, but we were in the south wing!

Ok. Now going back to read...

They were truly great rooms. I know it was a walk to get to the lobby, but the view was amazing. I thought the horns from the boats would bother me, but they didn't at all.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Yes, that's right. It is our last day. Monday, June 22
I had nothing major planned for today. We decided the day before that we would go to DHS for the EMH then head to EPCOT to check out WS before our dinner at Cape May Cafe.

Here is a pic from the night before at CM that I forgot to post.

It is a little blurry because DH was getting food and had taken the camera, so I used my phone.

Speaking of the camera. I have no pics from DHS this morning. Either he forgot the camera, or we just didn't take any pics. Neither one of us can remember which.

Our morning at DHS was great. We did everything we planned. When we arrived, we got FP for ToT. Then we rode RNRC using the single rider's line. I sat next to a boy who was also riding alone. He had never ridden before. This was a trend with us this trip. I made sure he kept his head back on the start. He loved it, and so did I.

Then we saw TVOTLM and Muppets 3-D. By then our FP for ToT were ready, so we went to ride. Now, I am not a huge fan. I go because it means a lot to DD16. This is her favorite ride. Every other time I rode in the middle next to someone I didn't know. This time I asked to sit next to the wall with DH to my left. I liked this much better. I kept my eyes open, and all went fine. The lady behind us had an extra FP ticket, and she gave it to DH16. We waited while she rode. DD13 and I went on a search for the Baby Eeyore that we couldn't find. This is was all we wanted to do, so we headed to WL for lunch and change of clothes. Did I mention that it was hot??

Then we took the boat to MK, rode the monorail to TTC, and got the EPCOT monorail. DH had the camera and took some pics from the monorail. Here are a few.

We entered FW and rode SE again. Then we decided to head to WS.

OK, now I'm going to make a personal observation. I know a lot of people think that AK is the hottest park. I would like to respectfully disagree. I think WS is by far the hottest. There is little to no shade, and the heat seems to rise from the concrete as well as from above. We kept running from air conditioning to air conditioning.

In one of trips outside, we found frozen lemonade and frozen cokes. They were great. Exactly what we needed.

Here is a pic of my little "ham" in Norway.

We meandered through WS and saw The American Adventure. We love the Voices of Liberty. I could listen to them all day.
We continued our meandering to Beach Club. Truth be told I had an ulterior motive for booking this meal at Cape May Cafe. Yes, we love seafood and buffets. But I really wanted to see inside the Beach Club. I also wanted DH to see it, so maybe he would say, "Hey, we should stay here." It worked great 2 years earlier when I took him to WCC and he saw WL. (That's why we stayed here.)

We cleaned up a little in the restroom. It is so cool that they had actual washclothes. I am so weird!! We checked in and sat down to wait. A CM was standing there chatting. DD13 went over to glance at her lanyard, and guess what, she had the eeyore that we were looking for. DD13 waited patiently until she was done talking, and then asked to trade. By then, I had wandered over. As they were making the trade, I told her how hard it was to find. She was great. Her name was Trina.

We were then escorted into the Cafe. We really liked this meal. The food was good. This was DD16's favorite meal. My only complaint was the lines waiting for the food. It was the longer by a lot then CM. It wasn't horrible though. Everyone was very polite. I didn't see any cutters. Here is a pic of DH's dessert plate. YYYUUUMMM!!!!

After dinner, we decided to take a look around. DH13 was most interested in checking our SAB. This is very cool. And my plan worked. DH said, "Hey I could stay here someday." What a great idea. I was totally nonchalant, no reaction. But inside I was jumping up and down.

We went to the bus stop. We decide to get on the first bus to come. It was the AK bus. We hopped on. Then headed back to WL. We took a load of luggage to the car. If you remember from check-in, we were not paying anyone to help us.

The next day was our departure day. We were awakened at 5:30ish to a massive thunderstorm. We lounged for awhile, got up, packed up, and headed back to PA. It was very sad, but we were excited not to have to put on sunscreen for the first time in 8 days.

Overall, it was a wonderful trip. Will we go back? ABSOLUTELY!!!!!

I am not quite done with my trip report. I have 2 more posts to share. The next one will be about the photo scavenger hunt that DH made prior to going. If you read my PTR, you might remember this. If not, I'll fill you in.

Thanks to all!!!

 

[cjackearl]

The last day. BUT it sounds like you made the most of it! You are a much braver mommy than me. ToT scares me to tears.

I agree that WS is very hot! I prefer it to AK in the heat though because there's a lot more AC to escape to.

Glad you made it over to the BC! We'd already checked out by the time you had your dinner ressie. I thought the bathroom with the washcloths instead of paper towels was special, too.

Did you have one of the first CMC dinner reservations? We did and the lines were crazy for awhile, and confusing because of the square buffet, but they seemed to thin out. Mmmm..orea bonbons. So yummy!!

Looking forward to your photo scavenger hunt. I think that idea is genius and so fun.

 

[shannon47142]

I love world showcase, but agree, that it sooo hot!!
Sounds like it was a fantastic last day

 

[topdog]

Bummer...It's the last day already. Time seems travel much faster when you are at Disney. I do like the family picture at the CR very much.

ToT is my favorite ride too. We usually have to go twice in a roll.

I heard about Cape May Cafe. I might have to give that a try on our next trip. DW have been bugging me about when are we going back.

What a wonderful TR! Sounds like you & your family did plenty at the world and had a great time.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

The last day. BUT it sounds like you made the most of it! You are a much braver mommy than me. ToT scares me to tears.

I agree that WS is very hot! I prefer it to AK in the heat though because there's a lot more AC to escape to.

Glad you made it over to the BC! We'd already checked out by the time you had your dinner ressie. I thought the bathroom with the washcloths instead of paper towels was special, too.

Did you have one of the first CMC dinner reservations? We did and the lines were crazy for awhile, and confusing because of the square buffet, but they seemed to thin out. Mmmm..orea bonbons. So yummy!!

Looking forward to your photo scavenger hunt. I think that idea is genius and so fun.

Yes, we were towards the beginning of the dinner ressies at CMC. Everyone was patient, and we were not in a hurry, so it worked out.

I will try to post the scavenger hunt tomorrow.

I love world showcase, but agree, that it sooo hot!!
Sounds like it was a fantastic last day

It was mostly because we didn't have a plan. We saw everything we wanted to do. The BC is beautiful.

Bummer...It's the last day already. Time seems travel much faster when you are at Disney. I do like the family picture at the CR very much.

ToT is my favorite ride too. We usually have to go twice in a roll.

I heard about Cape May Cafe. I might have to give that a try on our next trip. DW have been bugging me about when are we going back.

What a wonderful TR! Sounds like you & your family did plenty at the world and had a great time.

You should definitely try CMC. It is good if you like seafood. It is not as fancy as some of the places that you ate, but there are lots of choices.

I too am sad about the end of the TR. We got a free dining code today for Oct and Nov. There is very little chance that we can go back so soon.

We did have a great time.

More tomorrow.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

Hello all,

A little background first. I do all of the planning for our trips. The family is fine with this. However, this year DH really wanted to be involved in something, so he came up with this little activity. He made a list of 50 items that we would try to photograph. We all have cell phones with cameras. This was not a competition. We were in this together.

Here is our list and results. I will tell you that there are some pics that I won't post because they are of other people, and I don't feel comfortable posting. I will let you know which ones these are. Also if I have already posted the pic, I won't post again. I'll let you know which ones they are.

1. A family member with Mickey Already posted
2. A family member with Minnie Already posted
3. A family member with Donald

I look like a giant next to Donald.

4. A family member with Pluto Already posted
5. A family member with Goofy Already posted
6. Cinderella’s castle at night

7. Main street USA from Cinderella’s castle Nope
8. A Jedi knight

9. A Family member with a man-eating animal Nope
10. A cast member who is not smiling (Not this one, it was hard.)
11. A pirate

12. A talking animal : Nope
13. A horse : Nope
14. Sebastian the Crab

This one is a little blurry, but it is still Sebastian.

15. A juggler: NOPE
16. A family member with Devine

Devine is hard to see, but she is there leaning on the tree.
17. Two wet family members: NOPE
18. Chicken basket with fries

19. DD13 eating something she wouldn’t normally eat: WE had this one, but DH deleted it. She was eating Mashed Potatoes at WCC.
20. The inside of a ferryboat: Nope
21. An Aristocat

22. Pete’s dragon: Nope
23. A Dixieland band: Nope
24. A sea turtle: Nope
25. Fudge

26. Mary Poppins: Already posted
27. DH on a merry-go-round: This one would have been a miracle to get. He hates the carousel.
28. Me shooting a gun

29. DD16 in stocks

I love the smile.
30. Red Crocs: I had this one but now I can't find it.
31. A family member being first into a park upon opening: Nope, we were second but never first.
32. A steak: Nope DD13 ate it too fast. LOL
33. Fire

I have no idea where this was taken.
34. Twins in a stroller: I have this one but won't post it. Take my word for it, they are really cute.
35. A crying child: I have this one but won't post it.
36. Two princesses

Considering how far away we were, this one came out OK.
37. A cast member named Steve

38. Alice: We had this one, but it is too blurry.
39. ME with Tigger Nope
40. A man with a beard: We had this one but won't post it. This one was harder than we thought.
41. Grandparents and grandchildren (no parents): We have this one, but won't post it.
42. DH in a Sorcerer’s apprentice hat

43. Rain : I can't believe I don't have one of this.
44. Golf balls

45. A red balloon

46. A pizza

47. The Mad Hatter: Nope
48. Me with a bird

49. DD13 and DD16 making wishes

50. DH and ME kissing on a ride

That's it. I hoped you liked it. It was a lot of fun to do. I guess we'll have to go back another time to get the rest of the pics.

Up Next: Our Top 10 Lists!!!

 

[cjackearl]

I LOVE this!! Tell DH his trip contribution was awesome, so much fun. You got a lot of those pictures, so yea for your family. Ooh, top 10 lists.

 

[shannon47142]

what a neat and fun idea!!!

 

[dvc at last !]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us !
I just read all 8 pages and I really enjoyed it -
I have never stayed at the WL - maybe someday !
Great family !

 

[topdog]

I must say...that's a cool idea. I like it.

Maybe on my next trip, I will take 50 suggestion from the DISers and see what I can come up with.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

I love this idea! Especially because you have older kids and it has you all doing a project together. Some of those things on the list were tough!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

I LOVE this!! Tell DH his trip contribution was awesome, so much fun. You got a lot of those pictures, so yea for your family. Ooh, top 10 lists.

DH says thanks. It was fun. I made us look at things that we wouldn't have normally noticed.

what a neat and fun idea!!!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us !
I just read all 8 pages and I really enjoyed it -
I have never stayed at the WL - maybe someday !
Great family !

Thank you so much. It always amazes me that people want to read about our trips.

I must say...that's a cool idea. I like it.

Maybe on my next trip, I will take 50 suggestion from the DISers and see what I can come up with.

I'd like to get in on that. With your photographic ability, it could be interesting.

I love this idea! Especially because you have older kids and it has you all doing a project together. Some of those things on the list were tough!

It really did get the teens involved. They don't get excited about seeing the characters anymore. They also aren't as interested in pressed pennies anymore. We also did a lot of pin trading. We really liked this.

More soon!!!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

On the way back home in the van, DH came up with the idea for everyone to come up with their own Top 10 list. We didn't share ideas. Here is what we came up with.

DD13 (Who is now 14)
10. Spectromagic
9. Pulled pork at WCC
8. Spaceship Earth
7. Expedition Everest
6. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Rock-n-Roller Coaster
4. Chef Mickey's
3. Soarin'
2. Baby Eeyore Pin (I think because it took us so long to find it)
1. Wishes

DD 16
10 Rufus Pin (From Kim Possible fame)
9. Dole Whip
8. Strawberry Stinger (at Coral Reef)
7. Magical Moment on Boat with the pilot Paul
6. Kim Possible Adventure
5. Rock-n-Roller Coaster
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
3. Tower of Tower
2. Wishes
1. Meeting Mary Poppins

DH
10. Boat from WL to MK
9. Wash clothes at the BC
8. Lobby of the GF
7. Columbia Harbor House
6. Pineapple/Orange Smoothie at the Merchant of Venus
5. Rock-n-Roller Coaster
4. Soarin'
3. Tiramisu at Tony's Town Square
2. Wishes
1. Grilled Turkey at O'Hana's

MINE
10. Soarin'
9. Meeting Mary Poppins
8. Lobby of WL
7. Chef Mickey's
6. Mickey's Philharmagic
5. Monorail (from anywhere to anywhere)
4. Pin Trading
3. Lobster Ravioli at Coral Reef
2. Dole Whip
1. Wishes

As you can see there are some similarities. Wishes made all 4 lists in the #1 or #2 spot.

This is it, the end of the trip report. It was a lot of fun writing it. I really enjoyed reliving the memories with you.

Thank you all so much for reading it.

Please feel free to comment. I look forward to seeing all of you on the boards.

 

[mdsouth]

:We continued our meandering to Beach Club. Truth be told I had an ulterior motive for booking this meal at Cape May Cafe. Yes, we love seafood and buffets. But I really wanted to see inside the Beach Club. I also wanted DH to see it, so maybe he would say, "Hey, we should stay here." It worked great 2 years earlier when I took him to WCC and he saw WL. (That's why we stayed here.)

After dinner, we decided to take a look around. DH13 was most interested in checking our SAB. This is very cool. And my plan worked. DH said, "Hey I could stay here someday." What a great idea. I was totally nonchalant, no reaction. But inside I was jumping up and down.

I loved your devious plan to get your DH to think that staying at the Beach Club in the future is his own idea! Glad that the plan worked out so well for you!

I, too, was impressed when I discovered real washcloths in the restroom at the Contemporary. I guess us hicks are easily impressed!

Thanks for the follow-up reports. I like how each member of your family did their top ten lists on his or her own before you shared them with each other. Thanks for your TR -- I have enjoyed reading your family's adventure in WDW.

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

I loved your devious plan to get your DH to think that staying at the Beach Club in the future is his own idea! Glad that the plan worked out so well for you!

I, too, was impressed when I discovered real washcloths in the restroom at the Contemporary. I guess us hicks are easily impressed!

Thanks for the follow-up reports. I like how each member of your family did their top ten lists on his or her own before you shared them with each other. Thanks for your TR -- I have enjoyed reading your family's adventure in WDW.

Thanks so much for reading. Yep, I'm a hick!! I'm going to wait until later to tell DH that SAB has sand. He hates sand.

No trips in the near future and doubtful about next summer.

But I always have the Dis boards to keep me company.

 

[khertz]

What a great TR! I'm sad it's over.

The pictures from the Scavenger Hunt look like y'all had a lot of fun collecting them! I'll have to file that away as an idea whenever DH and I take our kids in the future.

I'm glad y'all had such a successful and fun trip! Here's to planning the next one, right?!

 

[Planning fanatic mom]

What a great TR! I'm sad it's over.

The pictures from the Scavenger Hunt look like y'all had a lot of fun collecting them! I'll have to file that away as an idea whenever DH and I take our kids in the future.

I'm glad y'all had such a successful and fun trip! Here's to planning the next one, right?!

I'm sad too. I would love to start planning another trip, but I don't think it will happen for a long time.

Have a good day.

 

[cjackearl]

I'm so sorry your TR is over. It was so much fun to read and try to see where are trips overlapped. You've got a beautiful family. The top ten lists were a great idea. I'd love to try that with my crew. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.