~ A 21 month old, a celebrity sighting, & a whole lotta food~2 week trip~ 2/28 update

[onejellyshelly]

Great TR. Looks like you had a blast.

 

[DreaGirl]

I agree, it is so hard to get a family picture once you have kids. I have so many pix of my DH with the kids and hardly any of me. I always feel like I'm saying "where was I, oh yeah, behind he camera".

AKL is such a beautiful resort! I don't think they missed one detail!

I can't believe someone was texting during that storm! That is nuts!!

 

[sharonW]

I was away for a wk but all caught up with your TR!
Your little guy is a cutie, its so much fun to see the
magic through the eyes of babes. I am dying to take
my two yr old grandaughter one day. I can remember
those florida storms from past trips, they can be horrific
to put it mildly. Can't wait to hear more!!!

 

[bballbabe]

Loved the trip updates. You have such a beautiful family. I love seeing the joy on Dylan's face in all of the pics.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

The picture of your little family is absolutely precious. You're right, those pictures are a challenge to get sometimes, but so worth it. Could you believe that storm?! I was so glad I hadn't purchased a F! dinner package for that night like I'd originally planned, because there was no way that show was going on. Sometimes being forced to bed early works out for the best.

Wow, I can't imagine the people who tried to stick it out for a F! package. I didn't even think about that. All we wanted to do was get back to the room. We sat out on the patio and watched the storm for a long time. It really was very beautiful to watch when you know you are safe.

Great TR. Looks like you had a blast.

Thanks so much. Welcome!

I agree, it is so hard to get a family picture once you have kids. I have so many pix of my DH with the kids and hardly any of me. I always feel like I'm saying "where was I, oh yeah, behind he camera".

AKL is such a beautiful resort! I don't think they missed one detail!

I can't believe someone was texting during that storm! That is nuts!!

Yeah, it's like a mom's duty to not miss the photo op. I was so bummed when I started writing my PTR when I realized that I barely had any pictures of just Todd and I. I was determined on this trip to get some of those pictures. And yes, the girl texting blew my mind. I don't know if she even realized that she lost her hubcap!

I was away for a wk but all caught up with your TR!
Your little guy is a cutie, its so much fun to see the
magic through the eyes of babes. I am dying to take
my two yr old grandaughter one day. I can remember
those florida storms from past trips, they can be horrific
to put it mildly. Can't wait to hear more!!!

Thanks for the comments. I am suprised by how much Dylan enjoyed things. I expected him to like it, but there were moments where you can tell he was just blown away. Those were my favorite moments of the whole trip.

Loved the trip updates. You have such a beautiful family. I love seeing the joy on Dylan's face in all of the pics.

Aww, thanks so much and welcome! So glad that you stopped by to read!

 

[aaaateamsgrandma]

That was a wonderful update Alison. The pictures were really good and Dylan was having such a good time. We had rain and storms like that when we were there the end of May. It was tiring to dodge the raindrops but it was still Disney so you work around them. It is harder with a little one for sure.
Ginny

 

[connie1042]

I'm here till the end. Great trip report.

 

[SunnieRN]

Wonderful update! Love your family pictures. You have some wonderful wall portraits now!!

Dylan is just so cute!! The pictures of him on the playground are adorable! Looking forward to more!

 

[ibedancin824]

Heyy I don't know if I have commented here yet but I have been reading along

You got some great pictures of your family!

AKL looks amazingggg I hoping to rent DVC points next time we go so that we can stay there

 

[Raecheal]

You should go to those outlets sometime. In fact, when I typed up this TR, I totally thought of you when I wrote "Banana Republic" because of that shirt you bought the other day. :lauging:

Awww...

I"ve been reading.. just needed to sit down and write this out...

I LOVE your photos of Boma.. I"m a little taken back by the fact that the line up for the meat was sooo long.. hmmm... Score on Dylan's good behaviour.. that was sweet... he must have been enjoying himself. The food looks delicious, so much so, i'll have to add it to our next ADR"s for our next trip (when ever that may be)!

Dbf and I are completely the same, No sissy salads for him mostly meats. Those dessert's look delicious..dessert's are my downfall. Great summary of Boma.. I really appreciated that. I'm gonna show Dbf!!

I"m glad you had a good evening at the concert.. a big bummer that you forgot your camera, I would have loved to see some photos, how fun tho!!

Your Day 4, part 3 is soo similar to our night at Jiko. We felt the same way, did the same thing after dinner and took the same pictures of AKL. I love your family photos, they are beautiful. I love the colors in your shirt!

Grea update... Hmm.. I wonder if you all were able to get up on time for 8:30AM??

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

That was a wonderful update Alison. The pictures were really good and Dylan was having such a good time. We had rain and storms like that when we were there the end of May. It was tiring to dodge the raindrops but it was still Disney so you work around them. It is harder with a little one for sure.
Ginny

I have heard about how bad the rain was in the weeks before our trip. It's funny that it went from the extreme rain to the extreme heat in very little time. This was one storm that I just wanted to be at home for, instead of in a park!

I'm here till the end. Great trip report.

Thank you & Welcome!!

Wonderful update! Love your family pictures. You have some wonderful wall portraits now!!

Dylan is just so cute!! The pictures of him on the playground are adorable! Looking forward to more!

I'm so excited to get the pictures printed & framed. So far it hasn't happened, but it is a goal for the near future. Dylan has not met a playground that he doesn't like yet!

Heyy I don't know if I have commented here yet but I have been reading along

You got some great pictures of your family!

AKL looks amazingggg I hoping to rent DVC points next time we go so that we can stay there

I have read about renting DVC points on Kristen's TR and it looks like you can get some good deals. I would love to try that out as well. Hey, your trip is coming up really fast! Are you ready?

Awww...

I"ve been reading.. just needed to sit down and write this out...

I LOVE your photos of Boma.. I"m a little taken back by the fact that the line up for the meat was sooo long.. hmmm... Score on Dylan's good behaviour.. that was sweet... he must have been enjoying himself. The food looks delicious, so much so, i'll have to add it to our next ADR"s for our next trip (when ever that may be)!

Dbf and I are completely the same, No sissy salads for him mostly meats. Those dessert's look delicious..dessert's are my downfall. Great summary of Boma.. I really appreciated that. I'm gonna show Dbf!!

I"m glad you had a good evening at the concert.. a big bummer that you forgot your camera, I would have loved to see some photos, how fun tho!!

Your Day 4, part 3 is soo similar to our night at Jiko. We felt the same way, did the same thing after dinner and took the same pictures of AKL. I love your family photos, they are beautiful. I love the colors in your shirt!

Grea update... Hmm.. I wonder if you all were able to get up on time for 8:30AM??

The Boma desserts are so good! I almost want to skip all of the food and do dessert first. Then, if there is any room left, I would go get regular food. Do you think anyone would notice? I bet I wouldn't be the first person to do that! Isn't AKL amazing? I'm glad you both had time to enjoy the resort after your dinner.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We woke up this morning at 7:30 with the intentions of leaving by 8:30. I wanted to get to Epcot fairly early because we had been showing a tendency to be very lazy in the mornings so far, and then we would not get as much time in the parks as I would like. All was going well until I was doing my hair to get ready to go. For no reason at all, I burned my face with my curling iron. Right on my right cheek. I have no excuse for it. I wasn’t distracted, I didn’t lose my balance and fall over…I just watched myself go for a piece of hair and instead I placed my curling iron on my face. Yeah, that didn’t feel so good. Luckily I caught it fairly quickly and I was standing in front of the sink so I got cold water on it right away. I had also bought some Neosporin at Walmart so I applied that right away. Looking in the mirror, it didn’t look too bad but when I see pictures for the next few days I have a good size burn right on my face. It healed in a few days time and there was no scar, so it could have been a lot worse. It was just so weird because how many days of my life have I used a curling iron? Geez! I shouldn’t even have bothered doing my hair today because it got so hot that I put it up in a ponytail as we were waiting in line to get into the park.

We ended up leaving for the park a little after 9:00 and getting in by 9:30. Our plan was to head over to Test Track and get a FP, but when we walked in there was no line for Spaceship Earth so we jumped in line there. We walked right on and got a look at all of the changes that have happened since we last saw it. I have to say that I miss Jeremy Irons’ voice…it’s just so recognizable to me and it doesn’t feel the same now. I really liked all of the updates that they have done throughout and the video screens at the end are fun. I remember looking up from the screen halfway through the down slope and realizing that there is absolutely nothing else to look at. That felt a little weird to me, but it’s not like it was really amazing in this area before all of the changes.

One funny thing that happened…when they took our picture for the video section at the end, I was sitting next to Todd and Dylan was on my lap not even looking at the screen. When we got to the end, they had my picture on there…and Dylan’s. The computer didn’t even acknowledge Todd’s picture at all. It was just Dylan’s head, and he was facing completely sideways so all you saw was his ear and one eye. We started cracking up because the whole way through there was me and there was Dylan’s half-head. Too funny. Poor Todd got left out completely.

In line for SE

We walked over to Test Track and the wait time was 60 minutes so we got in line for a FP. Todd & I had no problem getting our FP (for 1:30) but my dad was in another line and was having a hard time. We tried to help, but he could not get my mom’s card to get a FP. He moved into a line where a CM was helping out and they came to the conclusion that her card had de-magnetized already. That must be some kind of record or something. This was her first day and we had been in the park for less than an hour. The CM gave him a FP and told them that Guest Services could get her a new card.

It was 10:30 and our plan was to take a boat across the water in the World Showcase and start with the countries at the back and work our way forward. That way by the time that it was Dylan’s nap time we would be near the front of the park and it would be easier to leave. We headed over to the boat ramp and it was closed. So we waited and after a while we located someone who told us that the boat doesn’t start running until 11:00 when the countries open. It was really hot and we still had 20 minutes to wait, so my mom headed into the gift store there to shop in the A/C while the rest of us sat in the shade.

Finally a boat showed up, so off we went to Morocco. I think there was one other couple on the entire boat besides us. It is such a beautiful ride and you can get some really great photos from the water. Dylan was interested in looking down at the water and I think he was trying to figure out how we were riding on top of it.

We got off the boat in Morocco and headed over to the American Adventure. There was a show starting in 5 minutes so we headed inside. There was hardly anyone here yet and we let Dylan run around the huge area for a couple of minutes before heading into the theater.

I love this attraction. One of the best in WS! It’s fun riding the escalator up to the 2nd floor with all of the flags hanging over your head. It just puts you in the mood to sit down and hear about this country’s history. The auditorium is so pretty!

It is funny because I just don’t understand the people who power-walk to get to the front of a pack of people and then jump into a row and sit in the very first 2 seats. As in, everyone behind them has to crawl over them to continue down the aisle. We had some of these random people right in front of us. These particular people staked their claim in the first two chairs and then refused to move so we all had to step over them to move down to the end. What good did that do anyone?

Then, once we were seated, we had two guys sitting to the right of us and no one to our left. Right as the lights dimmed, these guys stood up and climbed over us, stepping all over our feet and bags without apologizing, then sitting down 2 seats past Todd on the other side. Again, how did that benefit you in any way? I have to say that I have given up trying to understand why people do what they do. Some people are just weird.

You can see how empty it was right before the show starts.

Right after this picture was taken the show started, and right after that Todd leaned over to me and goes, “Dylan just peed all over me.” Although, it wasn’t funny in the moment, but it makes me laugh now. We had been giving Dylan a lot of water to keep him hydrated in the heat and apparently he couldn’t wait until after the show to get his diaper changed. Todd grabbed the diaper bag and carried him out the back doors. I debated whether to go with him, but I decided to stay because I wasn’t going to be much help at this point. They both needed to get cleaned up and they would be in the men’s bathroom so I stayed put. I’m glad I did because I love this show and it makes me teary eyed every time it gets to the music at the end. They have updated the clips at the end since the last time I have seen it, so that was a nice surprise.

We walked outside to find my boys sitting at the tables waiting for us. Dylan had been changed and Todd cleaned himself up as best as he could. In fact, it was so hot out that his clothes were already almost dried. We decided to get some lunch and I asked if we could try something new, rather than just get a burger at the American place. They all said ok, so I lead them over to the Tangierine Café in Morocco. They all looked a little unsure, but we went in and ordered our food and grabbed a table inside where there was a good crosswind from both open doors. I took a lot of pictures since this was a new place for us. Todd & I shared the Mediterranean Sliders Combo (lamb, chicken & falafel pita pockets w/ hummus & Tabouleh) and we got Dylan the chicken nuggets since we knew he wouldn’t like this food.

My mom got the Chicken Shawarma Platter and my dad got the Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Wrap.

All of the food was good, but it tasted a little bland to me. Not sure if this is normal as this is the first time I have eaten here. We all tried each other’s food and my favorite was my dad’s chicken wrap. SO GOOD! I will definitely order that next time. This was a great first experience for us and I loved having the time to sit and look at all of the detail work in the architecture. I can’t believe that there are people in the world who know how to build & create stuff like this. I am in awe sometimes.

Sorry. Not a very good picture.

After this we explored Morocco for a while, which is something that we have never done before. It is just beautiful and I really like all of the arched walkways and the giant palm trees. They have some fun stores in there with clothing that is best suited for someone who likes to belly dance. We were cracking up at the costumes with the beaded bra tops and see through skirts. Todd thought they looked rather nice (ha!) and I said a very secure woman would be happy shopping there. That woman would not be me today! We found a little room for taking photos in front of a big mural that makes it appear like you are looking out over a city. There are big pillows to sit on. Dylan felt like they were for jumping on and it took everything we had to get him to sit still and take a picture. None turned out very good so this is the best that we got.

I’m so glad that we spent some time here. It was new to us and we never realized how beautiful it was. We also feel like we didn’t see everything there, so there is something to look forward to next time. Once we left here, we headed over to France. We all wanted to see the movie here, as it has been a long time since we’ve seen it. It is one of the 180 degree screens so you get to sit down but it is surrounding you from one side to the other. This movie always makes me want to visit France (which is probably the point!). The architecture there and the countryside look very peaceful & romantic. There is a scene where there are a lot of hunting dogs that run by you and Dylan freaked out and started yelling “dog!!” over & over. It was funny but I felt bad in case he bothered anyone around us. Then he promptly fell asleep on my lap for the rest of the show.

After this, we had to hit the pastry shop. This is a MUST DO for us and I will show you why. It is this little dessert called the Napoleon and it is the best pastry EVER! I showed a picture of it in my PTR, but here is another one. I got an éclair and we shared them both, but compared to the Napoleon, the éclair was just not worth it to me. Todd always says I should just get my own Napoleon but they are huge and I couldn’t finish it on my own.

Now, let me just say that Todd posed for this next picture as a joke, but I know that secretly inside, this is how he really feels about this dessert. If only life could always bring you this kind of joy. LOL!

Some photos of France

Epcot to be continued…where do we go next?

 

[ladybugmom]

All caught up!! How cool that you got to go to a Barlow Girl concert!! Awesome! LOVE the pics of AKL!! It looks beautiful there! And it looks like you're having a great day at Epcot!! The WS is my favorite thing about Epcot! We stopped in France on our trip and I had an eclair as well!! YUM!!!

 

[SleepingBeautyOH]

Your Epcot day sounds great so far! Those desserts sound delicious . On our last trip we took time to actually "go into" the countries and found that it was def worth it, there is so much too see! Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day went.

P.S. That stinks about the curling iron. I am guilty of catching my ear in the straightener every now and then, and it hurts so I can't imagine burning my cheek. At least it didn't scar.

 

[tinkgurl]

Okay I hate to admit but..we've never seen the American Adventure show!

 

[cjackearl]

Ouch! Curling iron burns hurt! I really don't see a mark on your face in your pictures though.

We saw the American movie in '05, but not this time. We really liked it too. Poor Todd and the diaper leak. What a surprise.

We had lunch in Morocco too, and George had the sliders. We felt the same way about it, I think. The food didn't taste bad, just a little bland.

Can't wait to hear how you spend the rest of your day.

 

[bballbabe]

Great update again. When we went to Epcot last year made Dad was having stomach problems, so we were constantly looking for a mens room and we weren't abe to do a lot of the shows. One of the ones I really wanted to see was the American Adventure, especially the a capella group before the show. This will be a must for us when we go in October.

 

[goofytiggerfan]

im 23 and I am going to Disneyin september for 10days with my Recently turned 2yr old and a 6yr old .... I noticed my son is alot like yours with getting excited only my son is alllllooot more active lol we are anxious to see how he reacts to everything and i think a little scared lol but i am loving reading ur TR and how ur adorable son behaved for you .....

 

[Saturn23]

I know what you mean about the Napoleon. For some reason I decided to get the strawberry mousse last time and regretted it afterwards. I ended up eating most of my husband's Napoleon. Next time we're getting two of them.

We also love eating lunch in Morocco. It's a last day tradition for us. They probably make it more bland than the authentic dishes just so that more people will be able to eat it.

Did Dylan generally like all of the shows you went to? I'm wondering whether to include them or if my son would get bored and need to leave. He's going to be 15 months old.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

All caught up!! How cool that you got to go to a Barlow Girl concert!! Awesome! LOVE the pics of AKL!! It looks beautiful there! And it looks like you're having a great day at Epcot!! The WS is my favorite thing about Epcot! We stopped in France on our trip and I had an eclair as well!! YUM!!!

The Barlow Girl concert was so much fun! Can't wait for their new CD in Sept. The eclair was good, but I'm not a big chocolate person. But still, how bad can life be when you are eating pasteries in France?

Your Epcot day sounds great so far! Those desserts sound delicious . On our last trip we took time to actually "go into" the countries and found that it was def worth it, there is so much too see! Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day went.

P.S. That stinks about the curling iron. I am guilty of catching my ear in the straightener every now and then, and it hurts so I can't imagine burning my cheek. At least it didn't scar.

The countries in Epcot are deceptive. You think that there is not enough to keep you interested, but as you go deeper into them you realize how wrong you were! We ended up spending so much time in Morocco and we didn't plan on it, but we were having so much fun! The curling iron thing was such a dumb mistake. I'm SO glad that it didn't scar. I wouldn't even have a cool story for the scar, you know?

Okay I hate to admit but..we've never seen the American Adventure show!

I. CAN'T. BELIEVE IT!! I would never have expected that from you!! Why do you not go see it? Do you have a reason or has it just never happened?

Ouch! Curling iron burns hurt! I really don't see a mark on your face in your pictures though.

We saw the American movie in '05, but not this time. We really liked it too. Poor Todd and the diaper leak. What a surprise.

We had lunch in Morocco too, and George had the sliders. We felt the same way about it, I think. The food didn't taste bad, just a little bland.

Can't wait to hear how you spend the rest of your day.

Yeah, the scar shows up more in the next couple of days. I felt so bad for Todd w/ the diaper leak, but it's not the first time! It was just a really inconvenient time. The food in Morocco was more bland than I was expecting but it was still good. My dad's wrap seemed to have the most flavor which is why I liked it the best.

Great update again. When we went to Epcot last year made Dad was having stomach problems, so we were constantly looking for a mens room and we weren't abe to do a lot of the shows. One of the ones I really wanted to see was the American Adventure, especially the a capella group before the show. This will be a must for us when we go in October.

The a capella group was not there when we were there, and I was a little diappointed that we missed them. Listening to them in very moving! I hope that you will get to see it all on your next trip. It is a must-do for us.

im 23 and I am going to Disneyin september for 10days with my Recently turned 2yr old and a 6yr old .... I noticed my son is alot like yours with getting excited only my son is alllllooot more active lol we are anxious to see how he reacts to everything and i think a little scared lol but i am loving reading ur TR and how ur adorable son behaved for you .....

Hi & welcome! Yes, I think Dylan's activity level is still rising each day and making me a little nervous. I'm so happy for you that you get to go for 10 days because you will feel less rushed. The parks are really not too bad w/ a small kid, but you need to know their limits. We could always tell when Dylan was about to lose it and we would not ignore the warning signs. Thanks for reading!

I know what you mean about the Napoleon. For some reason I decided to get the strawberry mousse last time and regretted it afterwards. I ended up eating most of my husband's Napoleon. Next time we're getting two of them.

We also love eating lunch in Morocco. It's a last day tradition for us. They probably make it more bland than the authentic dishes just so that more people will be able to eat it.

Did Dylan generally like all of the shows you went to? I'm wondering whether to include them or if my son would get bored and need to leave. He's going to be 15 months old.

I'm so glad that some else can validate my thoughts on how good the Napoleon is! So silly of me to keep trying other things when I know how good it is. I agree about the bland food. If they made it too spicy, they would probably scare a lot of people away.

You know, Dylan would generally pay attention to the shows we went to. He liked the live action shows more than the movie-type shows. I think the live shows just have more action and it would hold his attention longer. We would always have an escape route planned in case he got bored and became a disturbance to other people, but we never had to do that (other than this time when Todd took him to change his diaper). He fell asleep during Nemo & the France movie, but both of them were during his normal nap time so I wasn't totally surprised. The ones he liked the best were probably Lion King at AK and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at DHS.