7 Days at Disney & the MANY Lessons We Learned Along the Way! My Jan 2010 TR

[Monny2AE]

DAY TWO: Part 2...

I was really starting to like this relaxed where ever the wind takes you approach to vacation…until we saw the first of these…

We ran into plenty of the tour groups from Brazil last January and while most were fine, some were very loud and obnoxious. Last year they started chanting SUPER loudly in the queue to TSM, the stairs part where you are squished and it’s all enclosed and everything echoes loudly. They scared Em terribly. I was hoping we weren’t in for the same thing this year.

We walked past them and headed for a spin on the carousel.

From there Jason and Andrew requested Haunted Mansion. Last year I thought Andrew would be too scared for this one but it’s on his list of favorites. He loves it!

We looked for this creepy lady’s eyes to open while we waited in the short line.

The ride got stuck for about 5 minutes right at this part.

Em was doing fine up until the stop. At that point she buried her head in Jason’s armpit. Good thing he was wearing deodorant!

The trouble? Some of the Brazilian Tour Groups were “not doing a very good job listening” as Andrew put it. They weren’t staying seated in their doom buggies and were screaming bloody murder. A CM had to walk up with a flashlight twice and ask them to remain seated and calm before we could start again.

After HM we went to this ride for Em!

About ¾ of the way through, this attraction got stuck too! Never figured out why but we took the time to snap some pics while we sat. Em didn’t mind being stuck on this one.

We had had enough of getting stuck on things and decided to use the first of our snack credits. Our first ice cream in Disney. I didn’t get one. I was holding out for my Dole Whip.

Very attractive huh?

We washed off the ice cream here. Just kidding we washed in the restroom first and then played here.

Took a ride on Dumbo!

Decided to leave MK (it was a bit crowded) and head back to CBR and splash in the pools a bit. We admired the castle and some balloons on the way out.

Continued in next post...

 

[Monny2AE]

Day 2 continued...

Jason found this waiting for him when we got back to our room.

We donned our swim suits and hit the CBR pools!
Andrew dove right in and was in heaven!

Em was a little hesitant…it was a little too chilly for her. She got her ankles wet.

It was a magical first day at Disney and we were all tuckered out by the end of it…some more than others.

Lessons from Day Two-

• Pixie dust will fall when you least expect it like getting a great location at CBR without requesting it and Mickey waffles that your son insists magically made his tummy better.
• Nothing is more magical than taking that first step down Main Street and getting that first look at Cinderella’s Castle. I was so swept up in the sheer enjoyment of the moment that I didn’t even snap a picture!
• Dumbo is awesome, whether you’re under the age of 5 or over the age of 30.
• And if you see any Brazilian Tour Groups…head in the other direction.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

What a great day!
That picture of your kids in bed is TOO PRECIOUS!!!! I would put that on my desk at work or my computer desktop. I love it!
Can't wait to see when you get your Dole Whip!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great update Kim!

Love the picture of Andrew with the chocolate all over his face. Must be a boy thing, mine still do that!

Sorry about the Brazilian Tour groups. MK sure looks crowded. I hope you were able to avoid the tour groups and crowds the rest of the week!

The CBR pool looks like a blast as always!

 

[Monny2AE]

What a great day!
That picture of your kids in bed is TOO PRECIOUS!!!! I would put that on my desk at work or my computer desktop. I love it!
Can't wait to see when you get your Dole Whip!

I'm sure they will both be embarrassed by it in the future but I thought it was precious!

Great update Kim!

Love the picture of Andrew with the chocolate all over his face. Must be a boy thing, mine still do that!

Sorry about the Brazilian Tour groups. MK sure looks crowded. I hope you were able to avoid the tour groups and crowds the rest of the week!

The CBR pool looks like a blast as always!

Notice Em all neat and tidy eating hers. Definitely a boy thing!
MK was terribly crowded. It was listed as a day to avoid MK but we always go there on our first day.
Andrew talks daily about the CBR pools. He learned to hold his nose and put his face in the water while we were there and he was brave enough to try the open slide for the first time. I'll always remember that his first waterslide was at CBR.
As for those Brazilian tour groups...unfortunately it wasn't the last we were to see of them.

 

[elle bell]

I'm enjoying your trip report so far! It looks like the weather was nice for you.

Do you happen to remember what day of the week you were at MK on that first day? We will be going to WDW around the same time next year and I'm really hoping for low crowds.

 

[Charlefours]

Great updates!! The pictures of the kiddos sleeping--so precious! Cute ice cream pics too. The weather looks like it was nice--hope it stayed that way the whole week for you!! Looking forward to the next update.

 

[Married_Him_@_Disney]

Great TR! Loving the updates and pics!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

Great update Kimmy-Girl! We also encountered some Tour Groups! Funny, that I didn't notice them last year! They definitely were very loud! CBR looks like a lovely place to stay! I think it might be on our list of places to try in the future!

 

[SOnotLayuh]

Count me in on this ride!

Looking forward to another update

 

[PrncessA]

Subbing! I love your TR so far! Our kids are around the same ages and I love hearing different experiences with similar age groups!

I love the pic of your DS jumping back from the fountain. Aren't jumping fountains great? My kids LOVE them!

 

[seacrestpromo]

Great pictures and report so far Kim! Looks like everyone had a great time in MK that day. - Sea

 

[Monny2AE]

I'm enjoying your trip report so far! It looks like the weather was nice for you.

Do you happen to remember what day of the week you were at MK on that first day? We will be going to WDW around the same time next year and I'm really hoping for low crowds.

Sure do. It was Saturday, Jan 23rd. You know...Saturday...the day they tell you NOT to go to MK. They were right!

Great updates!! The pictures of the kiddos sleeping--so precious! Cute ice cream pics too. The weather looks like it was nice--hope it stayed that way the whole week for you!! Looking forward to the next update.

The weather was wonderful our whole week! Makes it harder to be home with over 2 ft of snow on the ground and still coming down.

Great TR! Loving the updates and pics!

Thanks! Glad I'm giving you something to do while you're probably stuck indoors having a snow day!

Great update Kimmy-Girl! We also encountered some Tour Groups! Funny, that I didn't notice them last year! They definitely were very loud! CBR looks like a lovely place to stay! I think it might be on our list of places to try in the future!

The tour groups were rough this year!

Funny I was saying the same thing after reading your TR- hmmmm POFQ looks like a nice place. Maybe we'll try that one next time.

Count me in on this ride!

Looking forward to another update

Thanks for joining in! Hoping to have an update soon...working on it next!

Subbing! I love your TR so far! Our kids are around the same ages and I love hearing different experiences with similar age groups!

I love the pic of your DS jumping back from the fountain. Aren't jumping fountains great? My kids LOVE them!

So you're familiar with meltdowns and quarreling then? My kdis favorites are always the simplest things- jumping fountains, playgrounds and bubbles. Could have saved lots of money and done those at home.

Great pictures and report so far Kim! Looks like everyone had a great time in MK that day. - Sea

Thanks Sea! Ahhh MK how I miss it already.

 

[Monny2AE]

DAY THREE: Part 1
Sunday, January 24th

A Day for My Little Jedi!!!!!!

Today was listed as one of those days to avoid DHS. We didn’t listen and went anyway. It’s hard to tell a 5 yr. old “Sorry, I know you’re eager to get to DHS but it’s listed by UG as a day to avoid.”

Once we entered, we high tailed it to the Jedi Training Academy stage.

For those that don’t know, during our trip last January we tried 3X to get Andrew into the academy with little success. He jumped and yelled “pick me, pick me!!!“ with all his might. He was devastated, bless his little broken heart. We learned that the rules had changed and that from now on you have to get in line and answer some questions. Much better experience this time around!

We jumped in line and counted the kids in front of us. Looked to be about 10 kids and we were hoping we made the cut off. I ran over to TSM and got some fast passes while we waited. The CM came out and started asking the questions: How old are you? Can you follow directions? Are you afraid to fight the dark side? Etc. He made it with only 2 spots behind him to be filled. Phew!

Here he is proudly showing off his ticket and waiting patiently. (They don’t get to keep these tickets BTW)

Got his robe.

His Jedi training master came out (The hilarious part- now that we are home Andrew puts on his Jedi costume from Halloween and enters our living room in this very same fashion. Cracks me up! )

and showed off some moves.

Andrew headed up to the stage to learn some moves of his own.

Then this fella popped in for a visit. Boy, you should have seen the panic on some of the kids faces and the panic as they ran to the side of the stage. He's much bigger in person!

Andrew took him on like any good Jedi would.

The photo pass guy got some great pics of this and I can’t wait to get the CD!

In the end Darth Vader was no match for the younglings and with a swish of his cape he was gone. Good riddance.

Everyone cheered for the young padawans (not sure what that means but that’s what they called them.)

They passed out the official certificates. Andrew‘s is laminated hanging on his bedroom door. I‘m such a proud mama. Now if Darth Vader ever shows up at our doorstep, I know we‘ll be safe.

Up Next…DAY THREE: Part 2

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great update!! I had been waiting for this little update! I knew Darth Vador was no match for Andrew!

I bet he was thrilled beyond words!! I know my boys were when they both got chosen last January. So, they do it differently now? We didn't go over there in November. Do they just take the first however many kids in line rather than picking them out of the crowd?


Can't wait to hear all about the rest of your DHS day!

 

[Monny2AE]

Great update!! I had been waiting for this little update! I knew Darth Vador was no match for Andrew!

I bet he was thrilled beyond words!! I know my boys were when they both got chosen last January. So, they do it differently now? We didn't go over there in November. Do they just take the first however many kids in line rather than picking them out of the crowd?


Can't wait to hear all about the rest of your DHS day!

He was beside himself and literally shaking with excitement. At least he didn't cause a Code V.

The rules are all different now. I read about the change on another thread about a week before we left and boy am I glad I did! Instead of jumping up and down until you pass out, it's first come first serve. The child must be present for the CM to ask him/her questions and they must be at least 4yrs. old. One guy took his son on Star Tours while they were waiting and left the mom to wait in line. She didn't want them to go for fear that they wouldn't be back in time. They didn't make it in time and I think the poor guy was in the doghouse for the rest of the day judging by how he got reamed out upon their return. I think there was an age cut off too but I can't remember. The CM said they take about 12-15 kids each show. If you don't make the cut they allow to wait for the next show, which sometimes can be a long wait!

 

[martinolichfamily]

I'm in! Off to get all caught up!

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

OMG!!! You don't know what a Padawan is????? How can you call your self a true Star Wars mama if you don't know that term! I must educate you! (I am married to a HUGE Star Wars geek and my girls are following in their father's footsteps!)

Definition of a Padawan

I am guessing that you haven't seen Episode 1 yet? In that movie, ObiWan KEnobi is introduced as a Padawan learner of QuiGon Jin! In Episode 2, Anakin Skywalker is ObiWans Padawan!

If you have anymore need to know any more Star Wars info, please let me know! We have oodles of info on the subject!

 

[Monny2AE]

I'm in! Off to get all caught up!

Thanks for joining in!

OMG!!! You don't know what a Padawan is????? How can you call your self a true Star Wars mama if you don't know that term! I must educate you! (I am married to a HUGE Star Wars geek and my girls are following in their father's footsteps!)

Definition of a Padawan

I am guessing that you haven't seen Episode 1 yet? In that movie, ObiWan KEnobi is introduced as a Padawan learner of QuiGon Jin! In Episode 2, Anakin Skywalker is ObiWans Padawan!

If you have anymore need to know any more Star Wars info, please let me know! We have oodles of info on the subject!

Kim, You're too much! It's like learning a completely new language. So a padawan is basically an apprentice? Why not just call him an apprentice then? I can honestly say that I've never sat through an entire Star Wars movie. Nor can I say that I really want to. Don't tell Ken or I'll be banned from your TR.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

He was beside himself and literally shaking with excitement. At least he didn't cause a Code V.

The rules are all different now. I read about the change on another thread about a week before we left and boy am I glad I did! Instead of jumping up and down until you pass out, it's first come first serve. The child must be present for the CM to ask him/her questions and they must be at least 4yrs. old. One guy took his son on Star Tours while they were waiting and left the mom to wait in line. She didn't want them to go for fear that they wouldn't be back in time. They didn't make it in time and I think the poor guy was in the doghouse for the rest of the day judging by how he got reamed out upon their return. I think there was an age cut off too but I can't remember. The CM said they take about 12-15 kids each show. If you don't make the cut they allow to wait for the next show, which sometimes can be a long wait!

I'm sure glad it didn't cause a Code V!


Well that is good to know about the Jedi Training. I thought something looked different over there by the stage in November, but couldn't tell what was going on with the crowd. I was glad the boys didn't feel the need to do it again this time. But they are already talking about maybe doing it next time. But I was wondering if maybe DS10 will be too old. Of course it may not even be open next time, Star Tours is supposed to be under rehab then. They are very excited about the new 3-D version of Star tours opening in 2011!