A 40th Anniversary Celebration

[Sooze]

It's been a LONG time since I've attempted to do a trip report, but I have missed it so much. So I'm going back to a trip from 2012, so that I can have these pictures and memories in a TR format (my favorite!)

Here are the chapter links, for quick reading:


Introductions

Day 0 and 1 Trip and POP Morning

Day 1 Checking in at OKW

Day 1 Dinner at Via Napoli

Day 2 Morning at AK

Day 2 Lunch and Pictures at AK

Day 2 Festival of the Lion King

Day 2 Dinner at 'Ohana
Head on down for the brief introduction, and we will be on our way!

 

[Sooze]

Meet my parents:


We shall call them Nonna and PopPop, because everyone does. Back in 2012, it was their 40th wedding anniversary. So what other gift could I offer? A trip to Disney!!!

My little sister, Michelle, also jumped on this chance to treat our parents to a magical trip. Here we are:



I am on the left, Michelle on the right.

We left our husbands at home and just took the parents and the kids. Here are the kids.
On the right is my daughter, Shaelyn. On the left is Michelle's daughter, Caitlyn:


First cousins, a year apart... they might as well be sisters!!

And this is my son, Tyson (on the left) with his friend, Marcus:


We let him bring a friend so he wasn't stuck with the little girls all week!

I headed to Florida with Shae, Tyson, and Marcus. Michelle drove down with her husband to do some beach time... she and Caity met with us later, so her hubby could drive home... then she rode back with us. Nonna and PopPop got to fly in. (We had to make it magical!)

We stayed in a 2BR Villa at OKW. ( I am a DVC member) And we had tons of fun. Hope you read along!

 

[Sooze]

Tyson, Shaelyn, Marcus and I got up at the crack of dawn on departure day. I was driving alone with three kids. The trip was taking us from Indianapolis, through Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and eventually down to Orlando. We planned on swinging through Atlanta to do a quick visit with another sister, Lori, then plugging along as far as we could through GA. We were then going to find a hotel, and finish our drive in the morning.

Plans, shmans.

The stop in Atlanta was successful. We did visit with Aunt Lori:




But when we left... the Disney mojo got a hold of me. I decided we were NOT stopping... but heading all the way into Orlando.
A quick call to WDW Reservations, and I had a room waiting for us at Pop Century. Let's GO!!

We arrived around 9pm, and the kids quickly found their way to the pool. It probably felt good to move around and play. Me? I found a bottle of something with alcohol in it, and pampered my aching back. 15 straight hours of driving does NOT do wonders for the lumbar region.

Our room for the short evening:




The view from our door... the kids jumped in quickly!


The next morning, we knew that Michelle and Caity would be arriving, and Nonna and PopPop later that afternoon. So we were up and at 'em quickly. We grabbed a wonderfully unhealthy breakfast at the POP food court, then explored the new Art of Animation resort for a bit.























Tyson and Marcus making their best "Mater face":


I teach 3rd grade, and often tell the kids not to talk like Mater (use bad grammar). So here I am saying, "Don't talk like Mater!"






In the 80's zero:


My turn!


We checked out, and headed over to OKW to check in. We had some time to kill, as our villa wasn't ready. We were also waiting for Michelle and Caity to arrive. So we hopped on a boat and spent some time at DTD.

Up next... the family starts arriving!! [URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-40th-anniversary-celebration.3332306/#post-52320961"]Next Episode![/URL]

 

[Sooze]

We headed to DTD on a mission to visit the Lego Store. Marcus is a huge fan and wanted to kick-off the trip with a souvenir purchase.

Love the Sassagoula boats.



Lego Happiness!



DTD was all decked out for the fall season:





We soon got word that Michelle and Caity had arrived and were going to meet us at OKW. So we hopped back on a boat and headed home, excited to see them!

Cruising past our 'home' resort of SSR on our way to OKW.


As soon as we docked, there were hugs all around. Michelle's husband departed and started his long, lonely drive back to Indiana. The boys decided to hit the OKW pool. The girls decided we were hungry, and Olivia's was empty... so let's eat!

Happy cousins reunited:


My AMAZING Caprese salad. I fantasize about this thing. Seriously.


We were soon notified that our villa was ready. So we hopped in the car and drove over. Here are some pictures of our accommodations. The villa was just PERFECT in every way. Ground floor, big patio overlooking a fountain/pond, perfect sleeping arrangements, full kitchen, washer and dryer.. well, here... see for yourselves!

Patio:


Full kitchen:


Nonna and PopPop's master BR:



The 'girls' room:



The living room (and the boy's room... Tyson on the couch bed and Marcus on the chair bed):



Bathroom in the 'girls' room:



Main bath, with laundry room:


Part of the master bath, with the large jacuzzi tub:


Towel art on Nonna and PopPop's bed:



Shirts we had made for the trip. We had these waiting for Nonna and PopPop in their room:


Well, we are here and settled in. Now all we need are the guests of honor.
They shall join us in our next episode... where we take Nonna to an Italian restaurant. Perfect! [URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-40th-anniversary-celebration.3332306/#post-52405541"]Next Episode![/URL]

 

[Sooze]

Something you should know about Nonna... she has scoliosis. Several years ago, she had major back surgery and has a big ol' rod up her spine. She can walk just fine, but not for a long time, and standing for a long time is difficult, too. So I made arrangements to rent a wheelchair from an off-site company. It was the BEST decision ever! It was delivered to OKW, so we were able to use it at all times, not just once we got to a park. It folded up easier than an umbrella stroller, so we were able to just hop on a bus and not use the handicapped access.

So once I made sure that was all set, and Michelle was getting the villa all settled, I was off to MCO to pick up the guests of honor! Luckily, they had NO problems with their flight, and soon we were 'home'. They were blown away by our beautiful accommodations and loved their special shirts. We didn't have too much time for visiting, tho, because our Via Napoli reservations were fast approaching.

We hopped on a bus and headed to Epcot. Soon we were waiting for our table at Via Napoli. Nonna didn't mind the wait, as it provided extra cuddle time with the girls:



Soon we were at our extra special, extra long table. LET THE VACATION BEGIN!!



The beautiful couple:



The meal was DELICIOUS, especially my glass of Moscato wine. Soon we were in the World Showcase just soaking up the atmosphere. Michelle made us stop at the stage because the winner of "the Voice" was performing. Unfortunately, I didn't watch that show, so I had no idea who was singing. They seemed to be enjoying it, tho!





It was a quick night. We just enjoyed each other, enjoyed the food, enjoyed the atmosphere, and OF COURSE, enjoyed the fireworks.

Nonna and PopPop loved their ride on Spaceship Earth:



We said good night to Epcot and headed home for some well-needed sleep!




[URL="http://www.disboards.com/threads/a-40th-anniversary-celebration.3332306/#post-54592323"]Next Episode![/URL]

 

[crossey]

Hey Sooze,
Sounds like a great trip! I hope that your parent's enjoyed themselves. That was awesome for you and your sister to do this for them. What a treat!

Just curious, did Tyson and his friend go off exploring on their own or did they mostly hang with the group?

I sent you a PM!

 

[glennbo123]

Hey Sooze! I'm happy to see you writing another report. How great that you could have your parents along. Looking forward to more.

 

[jordanyosh]

peep.

 

[satria]

an amazingexperience
disboards.com

 

[Sooze]

The first full day was to be spent at Animal Kingdom. Since Nonna and Pop Pop are slow-moving in the morning, Michelle and I grabbed the kids and headed out early. The goal was to arrive at rope-drop and do as much as possible!

First, though, was a ride on a Disney bus!












We got there in plenty of time for the opening. We wasted NO time, and headed straight for Expedition Everest before the crowds did. Now, for those of you who don't know, Shae is a bit of a scardy-cat. She does not enjoy thrill rides. But cousin Caity is a daredevil! She loves all roller coaster-type things! (Or so she said!) So Shae put on her big girl panties and agreed to ride it. There was basically no wait, so we took advantage and hopped into line.

Here we are ready to ride. Can you see the fear behind Shae's smile? She was NOT going to enjoy this.



Caity looks a bit more ready to go!



I knew it was going to be a challenge for Shae, but she was more scared than I could've imagined. She hated it. Every second of it. And while I felt bad for putting her on it, we did get this AWESOME picture out of the deal:



I still crack up every time I look at it. Mothers-of-the-year right here!!

I was sure she would not speak to me for the rest of the day:


Of course, I did tell her that if she rode it, I'd buy her a princess dress... so I'm not THAT awful...

The girls needed to recover, so we all headed to DinoLand. Michelle took the girls to the Boneyard while I took the boys on Primeval Whirl.







We took a spin on Triceratops Spin:





And enjoyed a Mickey Bar:




That snaggletooth... I just wanted to rip it out the whole trip!!

And by this time, Nonna and Pop Pop were on their way.
Could I work some magic for them at the Festival of the Lion King? And where did we eat lunch that day?

Stay tuned! (I may have an update within the year!!)

 

[Sooze]

Hey Sooze,
Sounds like a great trip! I hope that your parent's enjoyed themselves. That was awesome for you and your sister to do this for them. What a treat!

Just curious, did Tyson and his friend go off exploring on their own or did they mostly hang with the group?

I sent you a PM!

HI! I decided to update today, mostly because I know you are reading!

Tyson and his friend DID go off on their own. This trip, they had to stick with us at the same park, but were able to go off and do their own thing. Tyson had a cell phone and we all came and left the parks together.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Joining in. I do remember reading another trip report of yours. What a wonderful anniversary trip for your parents. Such sweet memories.

 

[crossey]

Oh my gosh, I feel so special!
Great update! You guys were having A LOT of fun on the bus for an early morning ride. It looked like a good time.

The Everest picture is hilarious!! I love your face in the picture.
My boy was traumatized by that ride too and we probably shouldn't have taken my mother on it either....
Which princess dress did Shae get after riding Everest? She was brave to ride it even though she was scared.
Has she been on it since then?

That sounds like a good plan for Tyson and his friend. They must have loved the freedom and it's good that Tyson had some grandparent time too.

Ummm, that snaggletooth? I would have had to yank that out real quick. Was it just hanging there? Oh my goodness, how could you stand it? Good thing that she is so cute. She looks good in Tinkerbell green.

I'm wondering what kind of magic could have happened at The Festival of The Lion King?

Did you eat at Flame Tree? I would have. It was closed the last time we were there. I was sad.

The kids have grown up so much since this trip.
I enjoyed your update! I'll be waiting for the next one (within the year, I hope)

 

[crossey]

Nice work, Pal.

I just found out that Soarin' will be closed during our trip and I am holding back the tears.
Big Thunder Mountain is also going to be closed as it was on our first family trip in 2012.
I guess that I should just be grateful that I am going (which I am! VERY GRATEFUL!!)

Your resort looks sooo beautiful and what a large patio. It looks awesome.
Did your parents enjoy the resort?

What a trooper you are for driving all the way through. I could never do that.
I could never drive that long of a distance at all!

Does your sister, Michelle live close to you? It's great that your girls are so close!

Looking forward to more of your report.

 

[Sooze]

Oh my gosh, I feel so special!
Great update! You guys were having A LOT of fun on the bus for an early morning ride. It looked like a good time.

The Everest picture is hilarious!! I love your face in the picture.
My boy was traumatized by that ride too and we probably shouldn't have taken my mother on it either....
Which princess dress did Shae get after riding Everest? She was brave to ride it even though she was scared.
Has she been on it since then?

She got a Belle dress And no, she will STILL not go on it. She has declared that any ride that "tickles her belly" is not for her!

That sounds like a good plan for Tyson and his friend. They must have loved the freedom and it's good that Tyson had some grandparent time too.

Ummm, that snaggletooth? I would have had to yank that out real quick. Was it just hanging there? Oh my goodness, how could you stand it? Good thing that she is so cute. She looks good in Tinkerbell green.

It was definitely just hanging there. That's my crazy girl... she does that for all of her teeth. She just can't stand the feeling of someone pulling on it, so she waits until it basically falls out on its own. Gross!

I'm wondering what kind of magic could have happened at The Festival of The Lion King?

Did you eat at Flame Tree? I would have. It was closed the last time we were there. I was sad.

The kids have grown up so much since this trip.
I enjoyed your update! I'll be waiting for the next one (within the year, I hope)

Stay tuned!!

 

[Sooze]

Nice work, Pal.

I just found out that Soarin' will be closed during our trip and I am holding back the tears.
Big Thunder Mountain is also going to be closed as it was on our first family trip in 2012.
I guess that I should just be grateful that I am going (which I am! VERY GRATEFUL!!)

Your resort looks sooo beautiful and what a large patio. It looks awesome.
Did your parents enjoy the resort?

VERY much so! It was just so perfect for the occasion. (OKW villas are the largest DVC villas, which is why we chose them!)

What a trooper you are for driving all the way through. I could never do that.
I could never drive that long of a distance at all!

It's an illness, I know!!

Does your sister, Michelle live close to you? It's great that your girls are so close!

Looking forward to more of your report.

Michelle used to live one house away from me! We built our homes on the same court! But due to family situations and work, she just moved about an hour away. It was quite an adjustment for us all (especially the cousins, they were devastated), but it was a necessary change for the sanity of Michelle and her family! We have been close our whole lives (we are only 18 months apart), and I treasure that with my whole heart!

 

[Sooze]

Hey Sooze! I'm happy to see you writing another report. How great that you could have your parents along. Looking forward to more.

Hey there!! It's so hard to find time to actually sit at my computer. I'm trying!! I'm so bummed we were in the same park at the same time and weren't able to connect! We need to exchange cell numbers or something!

 

[luckylady]

Belated happy 40th too your parents. Think it's wonderful that the girls had each other and your sons friend went. What memories. I have wondered what the two bedroom looked like, thanks for the pictures.

 

[Sooze]

So where did we eat for lunch? The only place anyone should EVER eat when they are at Animal Kingdom...


You knew it, didn't you!?!

Now, before we get to the Festival of the Lion King fun, I forgot to share some of the beautiful pictures Michelle and I were able to take as we entered the park early in the morning. Enjoy....








Okay, enough of that. So it was time for Festival of the Lion King, but I knew we needed to get there SUPER EARLY to make sure we got great seats. Plus, they had character interactions at Camp Minnie Mickey so that would help pass time as we waited. So we got to the queue and a little magical light bulb went off in my head. I have learned in my trips to Disney that it NEVER HURTS TO ASK!! So I shyly went up to the CM at the podium and told him that it was my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. I said, "I have no idea how people get the seats right in the front, but if any of those are available for my parents, I would be so thankful if they could sit there." The CM told me to wait while he picked up the phone and called... I don't know, Mickey himself? He smiled big and told us that at a certain time we needed to report to the CM podium at the EXIT. I really had no idea exactly what that meant, but it seemed good so...



Let's spend some time with the characters while we wait:



Stay tuned... I'm only allowed 10 pictures now?... more coming....

 

[Sooze]

It was time to head to the magical podium at the EXIT of FotLK. When we arrived, we told the CM our name, and she confirmed that we had 8 in our party. Then, as soon as the show prior was let out completely, they escorted us into the theater before anyone else!! They put my parents on the VERY FRONT BENCH of the warthog section!! We let the girls sit with them. Michelle, the boys, and I sat right behind them. I was blown away! See? IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK!! My mom kept saying, "HOW DID YOU DO THIS?!?!" and I acted all suave and cool like... "Don't you know who I AM, mother?!"
Inside, I was giddy and shaking and so excited to see this show up close and personal.




IT. WAS. AMAZING!!!!!

As the show was beginning, Pop Pop was called out to help demonstrate the wart hog sounds.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10156303731855657

I didn't take too many pictures because I was just soaking it all in, but I did manage to grab this one of the stilt-walker. He was basically on top of us, kicking those long legs right near our heads. THRILLING!!


And then there is this beautiful picture of my mommy.... who was just gaping in awe during the whole performance. It filled my soul with joy to see her so completely engulfed in the experience. It's a moment I will NEVER forget!!


It was, for sure, one of the most magical memories of any Disney trips I've ever had! After that exhilarating experience, we all headed back to the villa to relax for a while. We had a big Anniversary meal planned that evening at 'Ohana!!