9 Days of Princess Hair - a June 2010 trip report - update 9/24 the drive home

[lexmas]

I went on a trip and now I'm catching up...so you'll see, I was reading along and I'm just commenting as I read!

Looks like you got a great room! Great location and the room is so pretty!

The gift baskets look like they turned out great! What a wonderful surprise!

I love that you're keeping track of what food cost and what you paid for the dining plan. I can't wait to see how you make out!

I love the first haircut pictures, but I cringe at losing the curls! Did you tip for the haircut? Do you mind if I ask how much? We might do this for DS, but I've never had my hair cut at an actual “place” before (is that sad?) so I have no idea how much you tip for this sort of thing. Tips make me nervous!

Cute pictures of your DS playing in the fountains. I love it!

Holy cow, I can't believe that meal would have cost you $132! It looks delicious, but still!

I've never seen the opening show at AK, but hopefully next trip. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Cute idea to have Daisy sign the stuffed Daisy! I would have totally panicked when it was missing. So adorable that they accessorized her though! That's some disney magic!

You got great pictures of the safari! Beautiful!

I love all the pictures going down main street. You can tell how happy everyone is!

How beautiful the girls look at their visit to BBB! And it sounds like everyone else was very patient waiting!

What sweet pictures of your little snow white and the “real” snow white at CRT! I think it's funny that she was afraid of your DS with the sword! That sounds like a princess who has been stabbed by a toddler before.

I don't think you can take a bad picture on the carrousel!

Great character pictures at Epcot! I know some of them were at Akershus, but still, that's a lot of characters for one day!

Your photopass pictures are amazing! The ones from BBB are so so so beautiful. Worth the cost of the CD just for those pictures! I love how Cinderella is holding your DD's hand in the picture at CRT. It makes me so happy...it's those little things that make it so special!

The dresses you made your DD's are so cute! You did a great job!

I could spend all day in World of Disney too. Not even shopping, just browsing!

Alright, all caught up, finally!

 

[ksl5f123]

After lunch, we just missed the boat back to POR and had to wait 15 minutes at the dock.
MIL needed to stay at POR to wait for DC and her kids who were arriving this afternoon. The nephews wanted to stay and play with the new Legos they had just purchased and DS1 was ready for a nap. So, just DH, DD6, DD4 and I went back to AK. I am not sure why, but we took the bus. We arrived at AK at about 2:30 PM and went straight to Kali only to discover they were out of fastpasses. So, we did the Maharajah Jungle trek. I love this and could spend hours watching the animals.

The girls comparing their hand sizes to a tiger paw print:

DD6 was our guide in the bird area again:

Next, we got a spot for the parade. We had never seen the parade in this park before and it is the main reason that we returned to AK on this day. Even though it was incredibly hot this day and we did not manage to find much shade, the parade was awesome!!! We were close enough to the front got get a really great view.
DD4 and I waiting:

My favorite parade photo! Doesn't she look like she enjoys her job?

I didn't notice this until I was editing these pictures, but the front of the truck IS Donald! (I mean the bumper looks like his beak, the headlights his eyes, and his hat is on the hood - Minnie's truck is the same way!)

Up next, more Animal Kingdom and 1900 Park Fare!

 

[ksl5f123]

I went on a trip and now I'm catching up...so you'll see, I was reading along and I'm just commenting as I read!

Looks like you got a great room! Great location and the room is so pretty!

Wow! You read a lot! The room really was incredible. I would like to be there now....

The gift baskets look like they turned out great! What a wonderful surprise!

I love that you're keeping track of what food cost and what you paid for the dining plan. I can't wait to see how you make out!

The girls were just thrilled with the surprises although they were so overwhelmed by the whole week of stuff that I probably could have just given them the plush characters and they would have been thrilled.

You know me and my spreadsheets!!! I had to analyze everything!

I love the first haircut pictures, but I cringe at losing the curls! Did you tip for the haircut? Do you mind if I ask how much? We might do this for DS, but I've never had my hair cut at an actual “place” before (is that sad?) so I have no idea how much you tip for this sort of thing. Tips make me nervous!

Cute pictures of your DS playing in the fountains. I love it!

It was tough for me to let go of the curls. Luckily, they don't seem to have just been "baby hair" because as it is growing out he is getting them back! We did tip. I think MIL left $4.

Holy cow, I can't believe that meal would have cost you $132! It looks delicious, but still!

I know! Insane isn't it? I will never get over Disney prices. I guess that is one thing that I like about the DDP - I don't have to see the price at each meal.

Cute idea to have Daisy sign the stuffed Daisy! I would have totally panicked when it was missing. So adorable that they accessorized her though! That's some disney magic!

It was actually Daisy's idea to sign the plush. I wouldn't have thought of it, but it made it special. I really was about to panic when she was missing!

I love all the pictures going down main street. You can tell how happy everyone is!

How beautiful the girls look at their visit to BBB! And it sounds like everyone else was very patient waiting!

What sweet pictures of your little snow white and the “real” snow white at CRT! I think it's funny that she was afraid of your DS with the sword! That sounds like a princess who has been stabbed by a toddler before.

Even though it was early, I think we were all really excited for princess day. OK, at least all the females were! DS is a little sword addict! I was kind of surprised by Snow White's reaction, but embarrassed that she felt that way at the same time.

Great character pictures at Epcot! I know some of them were at Akershus, but still, that's a lot of characters for one day!

It was a lot! I wish we could have made it over to England that day, but we were just done!

Your photopass pictures are amazing! The ones from BBB are so so so beautiful. Worth the cost of the CD just for those pictures! I love how Cinderella is holding your DD's hand in the picture at CRT. It makes me so happy...it's those little things that make it so special!

The dresses you made your DD's are so cute! You did a great job!

We have never gotten the CD before, but knowing that we were going to do princess day is what made me want it this time. I had no idea how much I would love all the pictures. They did such an incredible job getting DD4's reaction in BBB!

Thanks for the compliment on the dresses. I followed your instructions and the girls really liked them!

 

[TinksThree]

Great pictures of the parade. I had hoped to see it this trip but DH is not into musicals, plays, fireworks.... so we skipped.

I love the Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse trucks...that is so clever!!

 

[lexmas]

Thanks for the compliment on the dresses. I followed your instructions and the girls really liked them!

I had NO idea that you used my instructions! Well then, I'm even happier that they came out so well!

 

[ksl5f123]

Great pictures of the parade. I had hoped to see it this trip but DH is not into musicals, plays, fireworks.... so we skipped.

I love the Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse trucks...that is so clever!!

Aww. Sorry you missed the parade. It was SO cute. It was certainly one of my favorite parades.

I didn't notice the trucks when we were watching the parade. It just jumped out at me when I was editing the pictures. Those Imagineers think of EVERY detail!

 

[ksl5f123]

I had NO idea that you used my instructions! Well then, I'm even happier that they came out so well!

Yep! You were my inspiration to give dress-making a shot. You made it look so easy. When I made them, DD4 loved the one they wore on princess day so much she wore it for 3 straight days (see a pattern with her?)

 

[ksl5f123]

We picked a parade spot with our backs to the train station for Rafiki. This means we were in Africa for the the beginning of the parade and were probably on the train by about 4:10. We primarily were going looking for characters. Here is who we saw:

OK, the last one wasn't a character, but DD4 wanted to say “hello” anyway.

We then took the train back and headed over to Kali to see the wait time. It was now about 5:15 PM and the posted wait time was 55 minutes , but it was the last thing we really wanted to do, so we got in line. It actually took about 40 minutes and we were off the ride by 6 PM. I got wet, DD4 and DH were damp, and DD6 was soaked! She took it in stride!

Our original plan then had us heading over to watch the 6:15 Nemo. However, we decided to skip Nemo and head straight for the GF for supper. I am a little disappointed that we didn't get to see this show. It moves to the top of my list for next time! However, leaving was a VERY good decision because little did we know, but the bus from AK to the GF first stops at Blizzard Beach then at Wilderness Lodge before finally getting to the Grand Floridian! We arrived at the GF at about 7 PM and then made the mistake of going left as we got off the bus. This put our hot, sweaty, just off of Kali family in the middle of a convention of people in business suits inside the GF! Oops! We quickly realized our mistake and made it to the lobby just in time to meet up with everyone for our 7:25 ADR.

We were pleased that they were able to accommodate the increase in our party size from 9 to 13 people. They did this by giving us one table for 9 and then a table for 4 right next to it. We put DN12, DN10, and DC's two oldest kids (ages 11 and 9) at the table for 4 and everyone else at the big table. It worked out great!

At some point during supper, they started playing some music. Cinderella and Prince Charming were dancing with each other right next to DH and I. DH started taking their pictures when I turned and noticed this:

Drisella was dancing with DN10!
She then grabbed DN12:

After the dance, we noticed this on DN10:

I don't have any pictures of the food at Park Fare. I know that DS1 ate some cheese pizza (one of his favorite foods), DD6 and DD4 had chicken, mashed potatoes, grapes, corn and macaroni and cheese. DD6 LOVED the strawberry soup. I tried it and soupy yogurt was my thought. DH remembers eating the salmon and a cold Asian pasta dish. I ate some salmon, mashed potatoes, and Caesar salad. The desserts were good. MIL and DC really liked the bread pudding. That isn't my kind of thing, but the chocolate chip cookies were just fine. In general, I thought the food here was fine. It wasn't awesome, and it wasn't awful. As everyone says, the characters are great. For me, this place is just too noisy.

After supper, we took the boat to MK and then the bus to POR. MIL, nephews, DC, and her kids stayed at MK for a couple hours. My family was in bed by 9:15. And so ends day 2 with Princess Hair!

4 TS credits used at Park Fare, 8 remaining
Price for this meal if paying oop = $148.11 (there was an error here I will explain later)
1 snack credits used for beignets, 26 remaining
Price if paying oop = $3.18
3 QS credits used at WPE, 22 remaining
Price for this meal if paying oop = $51.44
Total paid for dining plan (8 days) = $975.68
Total cost of meals if paying oop = $776.50
Money spent this day = $21.41 for tip at 1900 Park Fare, $5 tip for mousekeeping, $45.86 for plush Minnies and Mr. Potato Head parts, $9.48 for cups, $21.29 for Legos – the plush, potato head stuff, and cups were the girl's money and the Legos are a birthday gift, so I am not counting them in our money spent.
Money available after 4 days = $676

Up next, how will we do with 13 people touring Epcot?

 

[lexmas]

I love that picture of your DD with the lizard! Too funny.

Dinner sounds delicious, and the characters look like so much fun! I can't believe that Drizella was dancing with your nephew...that is so very cute. I love it, those are the moments that make disney so wonderful! You must have eaten that up!

Sounds like a great end to the day. You're already getting so close to what you payed for the dining plan, and it's early in the trip still. I can't imagine what the difference will be at the end!

 

[smithpack]

I love all the photopass pictures!! I especially love the ones of your DS in the fountain and the ones of the girls at BBB!!

I have never noticed the front of the trucks looking like the characters before. That is so cool. I probably still wouldn't have noticed looking at the pictures until you pointed it out!

I have never done 1900 Park Fare before, but I have wanted too. I just don't know how my boys would feel about it. Did your Nephews like it? I love that Drisella danced with them, and then gave them a kiss on the cheek. That is hilarious.

I always feel like we get so much food with the DDP that I couldn't imagine doing the DxDDP. Of course, we don't do the signature restaurants because of our kids. I guess people that like the signature restaurants do the DxDDP. I just feel like every time I look at dining reviews on the disboards, it is always the DxDDP and signature restaurants. I am glad to see someone else do the regular DDP. Did you feel like it was a lot of food?

 

[ksl5f123]

I love that picture of your DD with the lizard! Too funny.

She will pet absolutely any animal and seems to particularly like to touch reptiles.

Dinner sounds delicious, and the characters look like so much fun! I can't believe that Drizella was dancing with your nephew...that is so very cute. I love it, those are the moments that make disney so wonderful! You must have eaten that up!

It was really fun for the nephews to have something a little special happen for them. The girls had gotten a lot of attention being princesses and they had been so great about it, they deserved "their moment".

Sounds like a great end to the day. You're already getting so close to what you payed for the dining plan, and it's early in the trip still. I can't imagine what the difference will be at the end!

True, but we have also used almost all of our TS credits. Doing the calculations was really useful for me.

 

[shelbys mommy]

All caught up!!!! I had company so I am behind. That picture of you daughter at the BBB...cried my eyes out! I can't wait for that!!!!

 

[ksl5f123]

I love all the photopass pictures!! I especially love the ones of your DS in the fountain and the ones of the girls at BBB!!

Thanks! I love getting photopass pictures. DS would have played in that fountain the whole trip if we would have let him.

I have never noticed the front of the trucks looking like the characters before. That is so cool. I probably still wouldn't have noticed looking at the pictures until you pointed it out!

I think that is one of the best things about Disney. Everything has so much detail you could never possibly see everything!

I have never done 1900 Park Fare before, but I have wanted too. I just don't know how my boys would feel about it. Did your Nephews like it? I love that Drisella danced with them, and then gave them a kiss on the cheek. That is hilarious.

The boys LOVED it! I think getting to sit with DC kids at their own table and then getting attention from a character really made this meal special for them. DN10 was proud of his lipstick kiss!

I always feel like we get so much food with the DDP that I couldn't imagine doing the DxDDP. Of course, we don't do the signature restaurants because of our kids. I guess people that like the signature restaurants do the DxDDP. I just feel like every time I look at dining reviews on the disboards, it is always the DxDDP and signature restaurants. I am glad to see someone else do the regular DDP. Did you feel like it was a lot of food?

I thought we had plenty of food. Now, that said, we brought our own baked goods that we ate for breakfast the first few mornings. MIL and FIL did not do this and so they ran out of snack credits by day 6 of our 9 day trip. We have done some signature restaraunts on previous trips, but I personally find them stressful because I am worried about the kids finding food and being more quiet. I would rather not have to worry about them having choices they will like, so I prefer the buffet places.

 

[ksl5f123]

All caught up!!!! I had company so I am behind. That picture of you daughter at the BBB...cried my eyes out! I can't wait for that!!!!

I knew that one would get you! It gets me every time!!!! Your DD will make a BEAUTIFUL princess!

 

[shelbys mommy]

I knew that one would get you! It gets me every time!!!! Your DD will make a BEAUTIFUL princess!

Oh it did! I made everyone look at it! And thank you, I think she will too!

 

[ksl5f123]

On Friday, June 11 we went to Epcot. After their late night the night before, DC and her kids decided to sleep in and meet us later. The rest of us drove to Epcot arriving in time to be about 3rd at our turnstile. Now, we had already done rope drop twice this week – at Animal Kingdom and then at Magic Kingdom from inside the castle. We had done great at both of those and really enjoyed our early morning touring. These experiences, however, completely failed to prepare us for the chaos of Epcot rope drop!

When the turnstiles opened, we didn't do a very good job of keeping up with the crowd and found ourselves pretty far back from the rope. There was an opening show and while we could hear it, we couldn't see anything. We were pretty much squished up against a planter surrounded by people. Our plan was for MIL to go get us fastpasses for Soarin' while the rest of us went to the Character Spot, but in this crowd, I couldn't figure out how to get there! Luckily, just before rope drop a nice CM overheard me telling DH I was confused and gave us great directions (it was pretty much straight ahead). It worked out OK as we were about the 5th family in line in the Character Spot and MIL got fastpasses with a 10 AM return time.

I know a lot of folks feel really rushed in here, but I thought the experience was good. We did confuse the Photopass people a little because we were doing the girls separately from the nephews. The girls enjoyed showing the characters their new Minnies. Mickey was the only one who really reacted. If you look closely, you can see that DD6's princess Minnie has already lost her veil. Anyway, on with the pictures!

Mickey!

Pluto! This one shows that now on Day 3 of princess hair, DD4's is still pretty much perfect and DD6's is sliding around a little but generally still looks good.

Minnie!

Donald!

Goofy!

After the characters, we met up with MIL and rode Spaceship Earth which is my DD4's “favorite” ride! She thinks it is hilarious that she can choose her language and likes to do it in Spanish (my DH only speaks Spanish to our kids so they are all bilingual). I rode with DS1 and he loved getting to push the buttons. I think we were from San Juan, Puerto Rico that day!

From there, we went to Nemo which was a walk on while MIL got Test Track fastpasses. Coming off of Nemo the CM's were announcing 2 minutes until the next Turtle talk, so we walked right in. The theater was pretty full at this time of day, and we sat in the last row of benches while the kids sat on the floor. Crush was really good and the show was very funny.

By this point, DC and her kids had arrived and had gotten fastpasses for Soarin'. We said we would meet them in the Land. However, as we were walking out of the Seas, DD4 fell and took the skin off of both of her knees. We rinsed them off and put her in the stroller. In my original planning, I was only going to have a stroller for her at Animal Kingdom and for the World Showcase. We had used it on Tuesday, but then left it behind on Wednesday and Thursday. She asked if we could bring it this morning and I didn't think we would need it, but didn't want to argue. I am SO glad we had it!

When we met up with DC, she had Soarin' fastpasses with a return time of 11:30. We traded some so that she and her kids could ride with DH and the nephews while MIL, DD6, DD4, DS1 and I went on the Land (which was a walk-on). I usually like this ride, but DD4 cried through the whole thing because her knees hurt. When we got off the ride, we met up with everyone else and handed off DS1.

MIL went to the little stand near the Soarin' entrance and bought some bandaids. We put those on DD4's knees. It was after 11:30 so we could use the fastpasses DC got for MIL, DD6, DD4, and I to ride Soarin. DH took DS1 on the Land again and I told DD4 that only big girls could ride Soarin' and she couldn't cry in there. She stopped and we had a wonderful time. None of us had ever ridden this before and it was GREAT! DD4 was a little nervous during take-off, but absolutely LOVED it once it got going. She particularly enjoyed the fireworks at the end.

Up next, more Epcot!

 

[Dizmom0923]

OK, sappy mommy friends. This is the one you grab the tissue for!!!!! Makes me tear up everytime I look at it. Are you ready? Got your tissue?.
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Definitely a sappy moment for me..DD is 17 and I wish we could do BBB. No more little girls for me(right now). DS8 wouldn't look so cute with princess hair! Great picture and trip report. We were there the week before you!

 

[shelbys mommy]

We did not feel rushed at all at the Epcot Character Spot. They made sure to get tons of pics & that we were happy with each character!

 

[smithpack]

Loved the character spot photos, and I am so glad you got to do Soarin. Now you have me curious as to just how long this princess hair is going to last.I am glad that your girls like to have their hair up. They must really get a lot of hairspray in there, for it to still look so good. I am sure they felt cooler too with their hair off of their neck!

 

[ksl5f123]

Definitely a sappy moment for me..DD is 17 and I wish we could do BBB. No more little girls for me(right now). DS8 wouldn't look so cute with princess hair! Great picture and trip report. We were there the week before you!

So glad to have you reading along. I think I will be very sad when my girls are too old for BBB. DD6 has already informed me that she is done. Luckily I still have a few more years with DD4.

about getting your DS8 princess hair!

I thought June was a super, although hot, time to be there! We had a great time!