9 days 2 resorts FREE Dining Christmas Lights & a bouncing Tigger who stole my heart

[Practically_Perfect]

Glad you're back and had a good vacation!!

Sorry to hear that you had to cancel a trip. I hope everything is ok. At least it was a surprise for your bro so he won't be disappointed!

Thanks!! I knew people would understand on here! The other adults in my family just don't get it and I can't commiserate with my brother.

So Shelley...just why was DTD so crowded???

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Isn't it tempting to just turn and say, with a big smile, "since you're having such a horrible time, why don't you go ahead of me?" (so I don't have to listen to your crabbing!) or why don't you get the HEL! out of here!!
Sometimes my tongue bleeds I have to bite it so hard.

It sure is!

My tongue never bleeds because I believe in saying what I think.




I serious as a heart attack would have turned around, and innocent as the day is long--taken their picture.
When they asked why, I would have told them that I just HAD to have a picture of the biggest ********* in all of the Magic Kingdom. Then I would've dared them to say anything b/c I would sic Mark all over their weenie asses.
That's how we roll 'round here.




Anyway-- another wonderful update, but dang the rudeness. I think it's a very sad state of affairs when adults are trying to steal the gumball machine prize from kids.



Can't wait to hear about DTD.

Oh my JO!

I'm the crazy lady who throws on her poncho before riding Splash!

I will totally be that crazy lady in a poncho the next time I ride Splash!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'm back! Had a great time on vacation - even though we caught some of the cold snap affecting the southern US.

Got myself all caught up on your TR. LOVED the Tigger story - I can definitely see how he stole your heart.

I do that too! And the CMs always accuse me of cheating. I just remember the one time I didn't, I got the big splash at the start of the ride going UP the hill (when other boats are going down), then was chilly throughout the rest of the ride. And of course I was wearing jeans, so it took FOREVER to dry out.

Welcome back! glad to hear you had a nice trip. I hope you at least had a few warm days!

I sure won't be riding Splash without a poncho again. I hate walking around all wet!

I have a bit of sad news - earlier this week I had to cancel a surprise trip I'd been planning for me and my little brother, who's turning 9 on Feb 1. We were going to stay at ASSports and have some great character meals (which neither of us have done). But I'm determined to take him later this year - maybe in October around Thanksgiving (that's right - I'm Canadian and proud of it!) to catch MNSSHP - I know he'd LOVE dressing up and trick or treating around the park.

I'm so sorry you had to cancel your next trip. Hopefully you will be able to reschedule soon!

Casey's looks like fun. I have never been.. May have to try it in May!!!! Sad to hear your report is coming to a end.. Really enjoyed it!!! I hope if i decide to do one mine can be this good!!!

Thank you! Please let me know if you decide to do a TR!

So Shelley...just why was DTD so crowded???

That is coming up soon!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Saturday November 14th Continued ~


After we got back to OKW DS10 and I changed out of our wet clothes and in no time at all we were ready to head to DTD. First we stopped on the big landing outside our room to take a few pics!

Then we headed to the bus stop. We spotted this golfer on the way and DH & the kids found some more golf balls near the bus stop. That made 8 total in the 2 days we were there. I am surprised OKW doesn't have broken windows all the time!

Not sure what was so funny on the bus, but apparently something was!

Within 4 minutes of leaving OKW we were at DTD. It is very close!

We stopped here at the entrance to the Marketplace for a picture. It didn't really turn out too good. I think we were all getting a little depressed about leaving, we weren't smiling too much.

The further we walked into DTD the more we could see that is was VERY crowded. The place had been nearly empty when we came on Monday. I know the weekends are busier, but this was crazy busy!

We skipped most of the stores in the Marketplace since we had already been to them earlier in the week. We did stop at the $10 and under store. The kids were determined to spend every last cent they had brought with them. DS8 managed to find a cool toy on clearance!

Soon enough we saw art displays, sidewalk chalk displays, children's displays & activities, and lego displays set up all over. Each restaurant had a food booth set up outside in front of the restaurant. People were everywhere! We were like - wow DTD is really hopin' today! When we got home I realized that we happened to be there during the Festival of the Masters ~ http://allears.net/btp/festmast.htm Very neat!

Pretty soon we could hear music and noticed that there was a DJ & a dance party going on in front of the stage! This was right up DS10's alley!! He loves to dance, sing, and be the center of attention. He joined right in. DS8 on the other hand was not dancing in front of all those people!

We even took a little video ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALvZl0XprUc&feature=related He's a goofball!

As the rest of us were watching him dance we could see that the Characters in Flight hot air balloon was up and running today. It had been closed earlier in the week because of the winds.

As we walked further into Pleasure Island we decided it was time for a snack! We were right by Cooke's of Dublin. We remembered how bad the food was there on our last trip, but the kids reminded us how good their ice cream was. So we got in a long line and waited to get ice cream cones. DS8 and I got chocolate. DS10 got snickers. And DH got strawberry. All very good. Of course we paid OOP because we didn't have the DDP that day, the bill was around $17.

We found a spot and sat and enjoyed our ice cream and people watched. DS10 called my dad and told him how much fun he was having and told him how he should come with us next time! From there we headed on to the West Side.

The West Side was crowded too! We got up by the hot air balloon and the line was HUGE. Those people must have been waiting for hours to ride that thing. We would have liked to ride it, but sure weren't waiting in that line. Maybe next time!

Now here is a picture of the West Side when we were there on Mon Nov 9th~

And this was the West Side on Sat Nov 14th~

We made our way through the crowds and stopped at a couple of stores. DS10 managed to spend the rest of his money on some gadget at the Magnetron store.

After that we headed back towards the Marketplace. We stopped for a little break and the kids checked out their latest purchases.

We eventually made our way into the World of Disney (as if I hadn't spent enough money in there earlier in the week) and I bought the Four Parks One World CD.

Overall a very fun and exciting trip to DTD!

Then we made our way to the bus stop and headed back to OKW for the evening.


Up Next: The last update.

 

[seacrestpromo]

Hey Shelly - that was crazy stupid what happen at Casey's. Splash gave you a soaking? Did you find your "laughing place" after that?

Great pics and report (and video too!) - as always! Sea

 

[lala3291]

That video of DS10 is too cute! Too funny! Oh man, next is your final update! I have had so much fun reading about your trip

 

[JoBird]

Nooooooo- it can't be almost over.

DTD was so very crowded that day!!! WOW! I am so very surprised at the difference of a few days. I guess the Festival of the Masters is a huge deal. Did you look at any of the art displays? I think I would've loved to go to see that.

So sad- those unhappy faces, knowing what the next day brings. I hate that feeling.

Your oldest is soooo funny- he is so outgoing. My kids would never have done any of that. Cute.

The hot air balloon surprised me. I thought the "Bucket" part wouldn't hold that many people-- it looked huge!
I think I'd like to do that as well. Mark- not so much.


Looking forward to the last *sniff* update.

Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Jo

 

[rusafee1183]

Looking forward to the last update Shelly. But, I'm sad it's almost over too.



Time to go back and catch up on day 2 at MK!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Oh wow, DTD was crowded!! The last day is always so sad.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Hey Shelly - that was crazy stupid what happen at Casey's. Splash gave you a soaking? Did you find your "laughing place" after that?

Great pics and report (and video too!) - as always! Sea

No, I wasn't in my laughing place at the time! Although it's kind of funny now!

Glad you liked the pics & video!

That video of DS10 is too cute! Too funny! Oh man, next is your final update! I have had so much fun reading about your trip

Thanks! I'm glad you have enjoyed the report.

Nooooooo- it can't be almost over.

DTD was so very crowded that day!!! WOW! I am so very surprised at the difference of a few days. I guess the Festival of the Masters is a huge deal. Did you look at any of the art displays? I think I would've loved to go to see that.

So sad- those unhappy faces, knowing what the next day brings. I hate that feeling.

Jo

Yep, apparently the festival of the masters is a huge deal and we just happened upon it. We did see a lot of art work. Dang, I should have taken pictures. I couldn't believe all the time and work going into those sidewalk chalk displays only to be ruined the next time it rained.

Your oldest is soooo funny- he is so outgoing. My kids would never have done any of that. Cute.

The hot air balloon surprised me. I thought the "Bucket" part wouldn't hold that many people-- it looked huge!
I think I'd like to do that as well. Mark- not so much.


Looking forward to the last *sniff* update.

Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!

Jo

DS would do that any day of the week for anyone!! He loves life and knows how to enjoy himself and never gets embarrassed! I really need to get that kid out to Hollywood.


I think the hot air balloon can take up to 30 people at a time. I was surprised DH showed interest. He's usually not big on heights, but he thought this looked like fun. So it's on the list for next time!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Looking forward to the last update Shelly. But, I'm sad it's almost over too.



Time to go back and catch up on day 2 at MK!

The last update is coming right up. I'm sad it's over too. What am I going to do now???

Oh wow, DTD was crowded!! The last day is always so sad.

That last day feeling is the absolute worst.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Saturday November 14th Continued ~



After our very fun time at DTD we took the bus back to OKW. We started to get things packed up. There wasn't a whole lot of packing to do because a lot of things we already packed away from when we transferred over from POR. Then we took the bus back to the Hospitality House and let the kids use the arcade card that came with our package. We hadn't got to use it at POR, in-fact we didn't even check out the arcade at POR. The OKW arcade is called the Electric Eel. It is very small. The kids thought it was going to be like the one at CBR, which is very good sized and has lots of Star Wars games. But no Star Wars games here. They still managed to find some games to use up the time on the card though.

I walked outside while they were in the arcade and took some more pictures of the area.

When the kids were done in the arcade we walked over to the gift shop and bought a few more things – post cards, mickey head sprinkles, minnie cookies, and a pb&j uncrustable for DS10. We took the bus back to the room and we had our dinner. DS10 ate his uncrustable and I made DS8 a jelly sandwich. DH and I went out on the balcony and ate the ham sandwiches we had gotten from Good's To Go the night before. They were okay. While we were eating there was a lizard on the ceiling of our balcony looking at us! I'm not sure what it was with the critters & us this trip! After dinner I took a few more balcony pics.

The pins the kids ended up with after A LOT of trading!

We spent the rest of the evening in the room and watched some crazy movie we found on TV – Fin on the Fly. It was about a man that turns into a dog! The kids really enjoyed it. After that we all reluctantly went to sleep because our ME bus was to pick us up at 7:30am.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Sunday November 15th ~



We got up around 6:30 and got ready. While DH and I were packing up the remainder of our stuff the kids decided to lay back down and watch Stacy one last time!

At 7:15 Bell Services came to pick us up in a van. I was so glad they sent a van rather than a golf cart! And we were over to the HH once again and waiting on our bus. It came at about 7:35 and after a stop at SSR we were on our way to the airport.

I wish I could say our flight home was uneventful, but it was far from it! We were flying with SW, so there are 3 seats on each side of the aisle. DS10 and I sat in one row, and DS8 and DH sat right behind us. Pretty soon a man joined DS10 and I in our row. He ended up to be a very good person to have in your row. Very nice and quiet. DH and DS8 weren't so lucky. A very loud woman sat with them. Her DH sat in the row across from her. They had 2 babies with them. One was 9 months and the other 18 or 20 months I think she said. Well, the older one cried and screamed the entire way back to Pittsburgh. WOW! They hadn't purchased a seat for either child, so they were basically 4 people in 2 seats. The older child kicked, screamed, yelled, and fussed very loudly. He just wanted his own seat. He did not want to be held at all. The mother was loud and the flight attendant had to ask her to get off her phone and turn off her phone several times before we even left Orlando. I felt so bad for DH having to sit next to her. And I felt even worse for the man in my row (who was directly in front of her), he had to endure the back of his seat being kicked for 2 hours straight.

Other than that there were no problems with our flight and we were back to Pittsburgh on time. And that was the end of our fifth WDW trip -- exactly 2 months ago today.


I would like to thank you all so much for reading and for all of your nice comments! And I will leave you with one last video -- Our Vacation Video!! But first I must give credit where credit is due. Much thanks to Seacrest for helping me figure out Windows Movie Maker! And thanks to Jobird for being my video tester. And last but not least much credit goes to DH for picking out the perfect song for the video (I was at a real loss here)!

This was my very first experience with my Windows Movie Maker, so it's not perfect, but I sure hope you enjoy ~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NyH6_4Dchw



I will be back with some final thoughts and future plans!

 

[DisMomAmy]

So sad to see your trip coming to an end...

 

[DisMomAmy]

I just watched your movie - you did a fantastic job!!!

I can't wait to hear your final thought and especially your future plans!

 

[sisaaliyah]

Loved your video! It brought tears to my eyes...I know I'm a dork like that. And yes, It's MAGIC! Kudos to your DH on the song choice.

 

[lala3291]

What a great TR! I absolutely loved the video---the song was perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a TR---I have learned so much from your reports!

 

[drakes]

Love the video - what a way to end a TR ! Love it

I definitely need to use that application - you set the photos perfect to the music!

Excited to hear final thoughts and future plans! And I cannot beleive you have been back 2 months !

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I just watched your movie - you did a fantastic job!!!

I can't wait to hear your final thought and especially your future plans!

Thanks Amy!

Loved your video! It brought tears to my eyes...I know I'm a dork like that. And yes, It's MAGIC! Kudos to your DH on the song choice.

Thank you! That's okay, I'm a dork like that too!

What a great TR! I absolutely loved the video---the song was perfect! Thank you so much for taking the time to write a TR---I have learned so much from your reports!

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you have enjoyed the TR and the video!

Love the video - what a way to end a TR ! Love it

I definitely need to use that application - you set the photos perfect to the music!

Excited to hear final thoughts and future plans! And I cannot beleive you have been back 2 months !

Thanks! It was hard, but I eventually managed to get all the pics where I wanted them with the song. I'm sure it will get easier the more I use it.

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Final Thoughts. . .


Where to begin. . . I guess I will just begin with this -- We LOVED November!! Yes, the beginning of the week was a little strange. We would get a fall cup and a Christmas napkin with our CS meals , but by the end of the week everything was Christmas!

It was a little weird seeing all the Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving and especially when it was 80 degrees out! But we still loved it and considered ourselves very lucky to have been able to see the Castle Lights and the Osborne Lights without the huge crowds that come along with December.

The weather was fantastic, with the exception of the high winds from tropical storm Ida. But I guess that is a chance you take going at the end of hurricane season. Other than the winds, the weather was pretty much perfect. Eight out of our nine days were right around 80 degrees. We did have that one chilly day at Epcot - I think it was around 65 or so that day. About 2 of the days were a little humid, but nothing terrible. We had one evening of rain. Not bad! Much cooler than our May and October trips and much warmer than our January trip.

Another thing we were very happy with was the crowds. Or lack thereof!! Most of our waits were under 20 minutes! Some were over that and we took advantage of fastpasses for those things. The most crowded time we saw (besides DTD because of the Festival of the Masters)was at DHS in the evening at the Osborne Lights, but that was to be expected. And everyone was very cheerful and in a good mood there, so it was still a pleasant time!

We enjoyed both of our resorts. We did like POR more than OKW, but are happy we got to try both.

We had lots of wonderful and FREE meals! Our 2 favorite meals ended up to be Sci-Fi and Olivia's. Very unexpected. Our worst 2 meals were WCC and LeCellier. LeCellier was very unexpected, WCC not so much! We learned, as expected, that although DS10 is considered an adult on the DDP, he still ordered off of the kid's menu all week. Given the choice again, we will probably take a room discount over free dining.


Overall we had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back! We did encounter some rude guests, but I guess you get that anywhere. The CM's were wonderful though. I know that you read about the CM's losing the magic on here all the time, but we did not see that. 99% of the CM's we encountered were very happy, friendly, and magical!!


Up Next: Future plans! When will we go next? And the bigger question -- where will be stay???