A Jersey Family In WDW And It Wasn’t Even Jersey Week (FINAL DAY POSTED)

[jsfein]

Four visits in four years and I can safely say that this Jersey Family finally knows what it is doing in WDW. We’ve been to all the parks many, many times; we have our favorite attractions, our favorite parades, and our favorite restaurants. Whereas many WDW visitors have over time figured out the quickest, most direct routes to Splash Mountain or Expedition Everest, we, much more impressively, have developed GPS like skills to know immediately where the closest bathroom is at all times (a critical skill with three kids – especially that darn 6 year old who always keeps it in until he starts to turn jaundice).

We keep returning year after year because the kids (especially the biggest one of them all – ME) continue to have great fun repeating many of the things we have done on previous trips. And, although there may be some repetition from year to year, there were many firsts for this Jersey Family on our most recent Aug 28 to Sept 5, 2006 vacation, including

First time on the Disney Dining Plan (DDP herein out) and it was FREE to boot.

First time we all (5 of us) rode Tower of Terror together (but may never do so again).

First time we saw La Nouba (it was awesome).

First time we traveled to WDW during hurricane season and, incidentally, a hurricane was in the forecast.

And (drumroll please), first time our 6 year old son didn’t puke on a trip to WDW.

There were plenty of other firsts and other magical moments which I hope to recall as I set forth this trip report. I never completed last year’s trip report (shame on me), but will do my best to see this one to its end.

Oh, and 2 things you won’t see in this trip report: emoticons and photos. I can only do so much. It is way beyond the ability of this Disney Dad to figure out which smilie belongs where. I haven’t downloaded any photos yet, but even if I had I can’t be bothered in trying to figure out how to attach a photo (even though I have no doubt that its a simple process).

So, for those who can appreciate a trip report without graphical inserts (I’ll try to include as much graphical content as possible, however, while keeping the report appropriately Disney-fied), have fun reliving our trip with me.

 

[pumba]

I know what you mean about doing WDW again and again and still enjoying it. Each year we see or do something that maybe we didnt'do last time. Thanks so much for the excitement of your upcoming trip report.....

oh ya.......I dont know how to do photos either..

 

[jsfein]

For those with the time and inclination, you can read a more detailed description of my “cast of characters” from prior trip reports (linked in my signature), but here’s a real brief recap of our gang.

Me: The 36 year old planner, director, coordinator, and with each successive trip less-of-a-dictator of all things Disney.

DW: She won’t outright admit it, she doesn’t want to plan it (why should she? she has me), she doesn’t read the DIS boards (god forbid), but she loves our Disney vacations, talks about things we should do on future trips (yeah!!), and is a Disney Mom through and through (but don’t call her out on it, because she will deny, deny, deny).

DS8 & DS6: easy going Disney dudes. Our relationship is along the lines of Crush & Squirt of Finding Nemo.

DD4: She is a challenging child and had her moments, but she arguably had the most magic on this trip of all of us. I just hope she remembers some of the fun as she grows older.

The travel portion of a trip report, unless something so out of the ordinary occurs, is usually not the most interesting reading. So in a nutshell, we left our home in New Jersey and made it to the Orlando airport.

(If anyone has a macabre need for details including the hiring of a dog sitter, our luggage packing strategies -- including keeping our suitcases under 50 lbs (this is actually kind of interesting), driving to the airport, off-site airport parking, shuttle bus, eating dinner at the airport, flight, in flight entertainment, etc., just pm me and I’ll give all the juicy facts I’m leaving out of the abridged version of this report.)

I do, however, have a word of advice. AVOID, AT ALL COSTS, AN EVENING FLIGHT TO ORLANDO. No, its not the business travelers that were the problem. It was the waiting around all day to leave. The wait was (or at least felt) endless. The waiting sucked; really, really sucked. Me and 3 kids sitting around the house, watching the clock, the car packed and ready to leave. Unfortunately, DW’s work schedule required the evening flight. NEVER AGAIN. Next time we fly without DW and she meets up with us. No joking. Really.

Disney roped me into booking this trip by inducing me with the free DDP. We have a Disney cruise booked for Jersey Week this November and had no firm plans to make a 2006 trip. On the other hand, we also had no firm plans not to make a 2006 trip. The free DDP was the kicker. We had leftover park hoppers from our last trip which would cover our admissions and I had air miles to cover most of the air fare. The free DDP made the trip a no-brainer – our only expense would be the hotel. Yeah, right. But it sounded good at the time. When I received my travel material from Disney I observed for the first time that I had unknowingly purchased travel insurance as part of the package. “Great,” I remember thinking, “if there’s a hurricane I have insurance.”

Fast forward four months. On the day we leave for the airport, there was indeed a hurricane in the Caribbean, Hurricane Ernesto, that had originally been projected for the Gulf, but on the day of our departure the projection changed for it to hit FL. We had no news on the status of the Hurricane from when we left our house that afternoon until we presented ourselves at the rental desk of Alamo in FL.

Another word of advice: DO NOT RELY ON CAR RENTAL CLERKS FOR WEATHER REPORTS. Our first question of the Alamo clerk was to ask about the hurricane. The picture she painted was bleak. She advised that the Hurricane had been upgraded to a Category 3 (this was an outright lie, but we didn’t know it at the time) and was projected for a direct hit with Orlando. This clerk had us all freaked out, especially DS8 who mentioned something about not wanting to die in a hurricane. He can be a bit dramatic at times. Thank you Alamo for the warm welcome to Orlando.

Then the clerk went in for the kill. “You know, with this hurricane on its way, you may want to seriously consider purchasing the supplemental insurance we offer. You never know what might hit your car in a hurricane.” ***?!? Was the Sorcerer Mickey Hat going to be blown out of MGM and onto my rental car? She had me concerned and, while I never purchase the insurance, I hesitated long enough to at least consider it, but still declined. But then the devious clerk hooked me and reeled me in. “If you’re not taking the insurance, you may at least want to purchase the gas option. For $2.90/gallon, you can return the car empty and we’ll fill it up at this fixed amount. This is a really good idea because with the hurricane coming, many gas stations have sold out of gas and prices are going through the roof.” She took out a knife, pricked my finger, and I signed my name in blood (well, not really, but it seemed that way). As it turned out, gas stations had not sold out of gas and prices, even around the airport, was substantially less than $2.90/gallon. I guess I had the words "Sucker" all over me.

We were directed to a row and told to pick out any car we wanted. There were at least 20 cars in the row. I was ready to go car by car and pick out the perfect one. But, it was 10:30 p.m. and DD4 saw a shiny blue one in the first spot and our decision was made. I know I missed out on a Hummer or Ferrari.

I’m surprised by all of the advice I’m giving in this report, but I have yet another pearl of wisdom: IF YOUR KIDS ARE USED TO A MINIVAN, RENT A MINIVAN WHEN ON VACATION. I made this mistake. We rented a full size car (a shiny blue Impala). It was more than $100 cheaper and, thus, seemed a no-brainer. The car was plenty big for us and our stuff, but the kids were simply not used to sitting so close together in a car … they only know from SUVs and minivans. DS8 and DD4 had many a fight over touching each other and invading each other’s space. My poor parents had to deal with these issues when I was a kid in the days before minivans, but fortunately I never had to deal with this until now. It drove me nuts. Mom, Dad … “I’m sorry.”

So we’re on the road to the hotel and the kids are all off-the-wall. Its been a long day and its late … they’re loud, yelling at each other, hitting each other, and generally raising hell. Most of all, DS6 complains and complains that he is so thirsty that he can’t live another moment without water. This summer, DS6 really started to whine a lot and we dubbed him the "King of Whine." He most certainly had his crown on now. Of course, this made the other two kids equally thirsty and they likewise became desperate for water. I try my hardest to keep my cool and to let DW handle the situation. We’re on a Disney vacation and I don’t want to be a bad guy, but it finally gets to be too much and I pretty much tell the kids to shut up (but don’t use those words which they believe to be profanity … oh, to be young and innocent).

DS8 and DD4 continued to carry on, but DS6 quieted down and I thought he must have fallen asleep. We exited to make a quick stop at Walmart (despite the late hour) to pick up a case of water for the week and we ask DS6 if everything is alright. Bless his little heart, he meekly tells us that he’s been quiet because he didn’t want Daddy to be upset. I decide to teach the other two a lesson to reward DS6’s good behavior and announce that DS6 will get the first drink of water. DS6 one-ups me and says that if it’s okay he wants his brother and sister to have the first drinks of water before him. By now, DS6 had brown-nosed his way to the top of the pack. He could have asked for just about anything in Walmart and it was his.

I had intended to run into Walmart to simply pick up a case of water. DW had something completely different in mind. Apparently, the Alamo clerk spooked her too. DW was concerned that the hurricane would strand us in our hotel without any food. (As it turned out, nothing could have been further from this with the free DDP.) So, in addition to a case of water, we picked up the following vacationer’s hurricane hotel staples:

Pringles Prints with Jokes
1 box chocolate frosted mini donuts
1 box powdered mini donuts
1 bag oreo cookies
1 box Wheat Thins (Big size)

“Ernesto, we have Pringles. We fear you not.”

We finally arrived at Port Orleans Riverside after 11 pm. After 15 minutes, we are checked in and had our room reassigned to what we think may be a better location. Some additional park tickets I had ordered through Ticketmania are waiting for me upon check-in as promised. Sweet. The parking lot is nearly empty. We are one of about ten cars. Where is everybody?

We take the long walk from the parking lot and stumble into our room with everyone lugging in as much as they could. You'd be amazed how much an 8, 6, and 4 year old can carry -- they're like pack mules. The room is identical to the one we stayed in last year so there’s not much for us to explore or get used to. We get the kids in bed, DW unpacks, and I set up all of the electrical chargers (2 Nintendo DS’s, 2 work cell phones, 1 personal cell phone, 1 blackberry, 1 camcorder, 1 digital camera, 3 iPods – I would not have been surprised if POR had assessed me with an electrical use surcharge at the end of our stay).

I didn’t sleep well that first night … we were just mere hours away from the 9 am opening at MK. Despite total exhaustion, the excitement kept me awake. How was everyone else able to sleep? Don’t you all have the same Disney DNA that is flowing through my blood? I figured they would all jump out of bed when the wake-up call came at 6 a.m. We’ll see…

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Awesome start, can't wait to read the rest!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KathyRN137]

Subbing...

(This Jersey family will be at WDW during Jersey Week!)

Hurricane?? Fuhgettabouttit.

 

[jsfein]

5:30 am and I’m lying in bed awake waiting for Stitch’s wake-up call. Rrrrring. I jump out of bed and look around to find four nearly comatose bodies. Okay, okay guys … I’ll take the first shower. You all sleep a bit longer.

Finally, around 7:45 am, after pacing the room for 30 minutes waiting for everyone to get their act together, we are ready to grab breakfast and a bus to MK. I really have excised my commando tendencies, except for one. I must, must, must be at the parks at opening. Period. End. Of. Discussion. I also never visit a park during extended morning or evening hours, so the earliest we need to be at a park is 9 am. My expectations are not that demanding, really.

“Wait,” says DW, “I need to put the kids’ pin lanyards together.” I know from prior visits to WDW that putting together 3 pin lanyards, especially with the kids in the room, can take an hour easily. “I want my Mission Space pin.” “No, I don’t want to trade my monorail pin.” “I don’t care if I already have two Cinderella pins on my lanyard, put on another.” You get the idea. I shuffle the kids out the door as we wait for DW and the lanyards.

Our walk to Riverside Mill Foodcourt is nice. Its daylight so we actually can see our surroundings unlike last night’s arrival. POR is really a nicely landscaped property. We also did a good job in selecting our building. Our walk to the foodcourt and to Ole Man Isle is much closer than the building we were in last year. Live and learn. We also catch a glimpse of some wildlife. Not exactly Animal Kingdom Lodge type wildlife, but wildlife nonetheless. A frog, salamanders, squirrels, a flock of ducks (does more than one duck make a flock?). Well, the kids are pretty excited by it all.

I lay off our dining plan credits for breakfast. Today, we were still DDP rookies and made some rookie mistakes. By Day 2, however, we started to get the hang of how and when to use our DDP credits. By the end of the week, we were DDP veterans.

The six of us (yes the six of us – by this point of our trip our 30 lb. backpack traveled with us at all times – Tom Hanks had “Wilson,” we had "Backpack") arrived at MK 10 minutes before opening and we staked out awesome spots to see the park opening show. We’re up close and get showered with the confetti and paper streamers and each have smiles on our faces from ear to ear. I simply cannot think of a better way to start off a Disney vacation. The kids are happy, the ‘rents are happy, everyone around us is happy. Peace, love and friendship is in the air.

That was, until we rented the stroller.

 

[MassMom94]

“Ernesto, we have Pringles. We fear you not.”

I really did LOL at this one, though I have to admit I wasn't ROTF.

Enjoying your report so far. Very entertaining, am looking forward to the next installment!

 

[jsfein]

A little refresher here. My kids are 8, 6 and 4. The 4 year old has been out of a stroller for as long as I can remember. Yet, we rent a stroller to avoid hearing complaints of, “I’m tired”; “My legs hurt”; “Pick me up”; “Can I ride on your shoulders.” I shell out $80 for a double stroller for 5 days. I tentatively pull the stroller out towards the family knowing full well what is about to occur. When the kids get sight of the stroller, they are suddenly transformed into Carl Lewis, Tim Montgomery and Marion Jones running the 100 Meters in the Olympics. I throw the brakes on the stroller and duck for cover behind a couple of trash cans. When the dust clears there are 3 kids, already oversized for a stroller, mashed in and fighting for space. Sorry, DS8, as the oldest you’re hoofing it. After DS8 shoots me the look of death, I compromise that he gets some stroller time after we hit a few rides. Year after year, we replay the stroller war. This is repeated all week long.

With the Stroller Treaty delicately negotiated, the boys decide they want to start out with Splash Mountain/Big Thunder Mountain Railroad over Space Mountain/Buzz Lightyear. Not necessarily the choice I would have made, but I’ve abdicated my dictatorship and am now the “go with the flow” Disney Dad extraordinaire. Frontierland it is.

As we make our way to Main Street and get a glimpse of all those happy Castmembers waving those big oversized Mickey hands at us outside the shops and bakery, my spider senses start tingling … “Serious Potential Delays Ahead.” Each and every one of those smiling Castmembers are wearing … you guessed it … pin lanyards. DS6 and DD4 are packed into the stroller pretty well and I’m keeping their line of sight on the castle straight ahead. Its DS8 I need to worry about if I want to avoid a delay before I’m reunited with Brer Rabbit and Mr. Bluebird. But it wasn’t meant to be. The kid is mine and has my same spider senses. A moment later I hear, “Can we stop for a pin trade?”

A little Jersey Family pin trading history is in order. A couple of years ago, I purchased a lot of 50 pins on Ebay not knowing the first thing about pins and pin trading, but figuring that my kids would enjoy it and if they didn’t I would force them to enjoy it. Well not only did they enjoy it, but the “I’m so not the Disney Mom” DW embraced pin trading as the number one, most awesome, coolest thing to do while in WDW. Prior to this year’s trip, I purchased another Ebay lot of 50 pins which contained completely legitimate, tradeable pins, but nothing any of my kids would want to keep for themselves. I don’t know where these sellers get these crappy looking pins, but I’m glad they’re available at a fraction of the cost to purchase a pin at WDW.

The kids did a lot of pin trading on this trip. I mean A LOT. The kids pin trading personalities and strategies are unique to each of them.

DS8 is the most shy and reserved of our kids and whenever he approached a Castmember to initiate a trade, half of the time the cast member didn’t even realize that he was there. “Can I have a pin trade with you please?” would be uttered by DS8 in the quietest voice you can imagine. At the end of last year’s trip, a Castmember told DS8 about Castmember pins (the ones with the Mickey head on the pin) being a collectible pin. These pins became the Holy Grail for him. The kid was giving up a super cool pin like Dash (Incredibles) for an Animal Kingdom parking lot pin because of that damn Mickey head. But, remember, I’m Mr. Laid Back Disney Dad and if a parking lot pin makes my kid happy, then I’m happy. “Hey, that’s a cool pin, I think we may have once parked near there.” DS8 would take his time, study each pin carefully, and if he didn’t want to trade, would say, “No thank you,” which was usually followed by the Castmember saying, “What was that you said?”.

DS6 approached the Castmembers without hesitation with his usual, “Can I see your pins?” It typically took DS6 1.35 seconds to examine the Castmember’s lanyard and Deal or No Deal. He was like George Steinbrenner. When he wasn’t interested, it was a usual quick shake of his head “No” and he would walk away without another word. Because of DS8’s interest in Castmember pins, DS6 also took an interest but not to the same degree. Usually, DS6 was interested in a pin already on DS8’s lanyard, but DS8 wouldn’t make a direct trade with him. So, DS6 would follow DS8 around, wait for DS8 to trade the pin he was interested in, and then trade the Castmember for the desired pin.

DD4 was another story altogether. Initiating a pin trade was like making a new friend. First, DD4 and the Castmember would chat a bit about the weather and how their respective days were going. Then DD4 would tell the Castmember where she was from which usually included our full address and sometimes our telephone number too. Next, DD4 would inspect the Castmember’s lanyard; then her own lanyard; then back to the Castmember’s lanyard. Every meeting always resulted in a trade. And, most of the time, the trade was for a pin already on DD4’s lanyard. “If it makes her happy,” … well, you get the idea.

What seemed like an eternity later, we finally escape Main Street (who would have ever thought I would want to escape Main Street), and we’re taking care of business in Frontierland.

Now that I’m getting all of this background information out of the way, I promise that these installments will become more concise and I’ll actually complete a day’s report.

 

[MassMom94]

Yes, again LOL IRL. Your pin trading saga was hilarious.

 

[sharonW]

Great report...where in nj are you from? :

 

[KatGarcia]

Lovin' it! Can't wait for more!

 

[jsfein]

Great report...where in nj are you from? :

Shot in the dark here, but you wouldn't happen to be sharonW from Freehold, are you?

 

[KathyRN137]

Perhaps a set of blinders for each child could also be purchased on ebay(!)

And I don't care what the guidebooks say about "saving" the MK for later in your trip when you have young kids; I think you've got the right idea about how to start of a WDW vacation right !

Kathy

 

[jsfein]

right[/B] !

Kathy

Kathy, kids aside, I personally couldn't fathom starting off anywhere but at MK. I couldn't agree more.

 

[jsfein]

Every year we ride (or at least attempt to ride) Pirates of the Caribbean and every year the two boys psyche themselves into thinking that they are about to meet their fate. I can’t explain why this happens. I tried to find a name for this fear on phobialist.com, but there was no listing for fear of pirates, fear of the Caribbean, or fear of Johnny Depp. Perhaps I’ll have to come up with a Wikipedia entry. Anyway, we’re pretty big fans of the Pirates movies and I knew that the ride had been updated to incorporate elements of the movies, but I had not read of any of the changes on the DIS. Without spoiling for anyone who hasn’t yet experienced the new and improved POTC, I’ll simply say that it was quite impressive.

After the POTC ride, DW and I had a “disagreement” in the POTC gift shop (incidentally, a “disagreement” for which I’m still getting grief some 3 weeks later). Two long years ago we visited the POTC gift shop (remember, the boys have long-standing, deep-rooted issues with the POTC ride and refused to ride on that trip so it was a gift shop only visit that year), and they desperately wanted POTC guns. If I recall correctly, I tried to induce them to ride POTC that year with the quid pro quo of buying them the much sought after guns. DW flatly rejected their requests and my attempt at bribery on the basis that, “We are not a gun family.”

Now, we have toy swords, knives, daggers, light sabers, water guns, super soakers and other weapons of mass destruction galore in our household, but DW, in her infinite wisdom, determined that POTC guns would somehow transform our sweet, innocent angels into derelict crewmembers of the Black Pearl or, worse, The Flying Dutchman. Come on, if they sell it at a Disney gift shop, how bad can it be?

On last year’s trip, the boys rode POTC and fully expected the quid pro quo promised a year earlier. DW again put her foot down and rejected the idea causing a near mutiny. I consoled the boys by telling them in hushed tones that if we found ourselves alone in the gift shop without DW, the guns were theirs. DW somehow got wind of our mutinous plan (that darn 6 year old can’t keep his mouth shut – we need to work on the “Dead Men Tell No Tales” pirate’s code) and I was ordered to walk the plank.

No three strikes and you’re out rule for this Jersey Family this year. Our poor, disadvantaged kids who have endured annual trips to WDW four years running, were not going to be deprived at the POTC gift shop again. Damn it, if the gift shop carried a freakin’ POTC cannon and they wanted it, it was theirs. As it turned out, they (which included DD4) each picked out relatively small souvenir guns. The sign on the display shelf was a bit alarming, instructing that the guns should be packed with checked luggage and not taken on board an aircraft. Imagine the grief DW would have given me if we were denied boarding or arrested at the Orlando airport because of the POTC guns.

Well, it didn’t take the kids long to abuse their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. On the way to the register, they shot each other, me, a defenseless kid in a stroller, and the nice, semi-retired Castmember at the register. Thankfully, DW was looking around the store and didn’t witness the carnage. I huddled the kids up, gave them some gun safety instructions, the most important of which was “Don’t shoot your Mom or you’ll lose your gun,” and we were a merry bunch of pirates singing, in unison, “Yo Ho Ho Ho, A Pirate’s Life For Me.”

That was, until we exited the gift shop and lined up for Captain Jack Sparrow’s “How To Be A Pirate” tutorial. DS8 just couldn’t keep his hands off his new weapon and was taking aim at everyone and everything in sight. Unfortunately for DS8 and the rest of the crew, DW was present this time around and all 3 guns were immediately banished to their gift bag. Our three pirates may have been unarmed, but their sulkiing was more than I could take. I pleaded with DW to give them second and third chances, but she wasn’t hearing any of it. She simply has no right to call me a Disney Dictator.

The Captain Jack show was pretty good and I’m glad we caught it. The other pirate was really very good and the Captain Jack was a good look alike, but pulling off Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack is too tall an order – the impersonation was so-so. No meet and greet with Captain Jack which would have been pretty cool. I hear, however, that Captain Jack makes an appearance on the Disney Cruise so we may get that photo op in six weeks. After the tutorial, DD4 was sure to correct us each time we mentioned Jack Sparrow, but failed to include his “Captain” title. “That’s Captain Jack Sparrow,” she would say.

DD4 decided on this trip that she wanted to meet characters. Park visits, until this year, were pretty easy because the kids weren’t interested in queuing up in line to meet a character and I thanked my lucky stars for that. Well, the triumvirate of Jasmine, Aladdin and Genie was too much for DD4, so DW and DD4 got in line. The boys cooled off in the spitting totems for a bit. Then, I used the DDP for the first time and ordered a raspberry lemonade slush. “One raspberry lemonade slush, please.” And then, very smugly with a big I’m-Getting-Something-For-Free-In Disney smile on my face, “I’ll be using a snack credit.” And, with that, my DDP cherry was popped. It was really a pretty big moment in my life. Sad, but true. And the freebie slush tasted better than any I had ever paid for before.

Oh, and then DW broke our camera. At least that’s my version of what happened. DD4 finished up her photo session and saw her wet, totem spit upon brothers and also wanted to be spit upon. DW handed me the camera in the camera bag. I went to put the camera bag into “Backpack”, and the next thing I know, the camera is bouncing off of the pavement. DW failed to zipper the camera into the camera bag. In the fall, the piece that slides over the lens and powers on the camera broke off of its track and I couldn’t get the camera to turn on. To my horror, DW wasn’t particularly fazed by the fact that its our first full day in WDW and we’ve just lost our camera. (As it turned out, with some maneuvering and MacGyver like skills, we were eventually able to use the camera again, but a repair is still needed. Even still, DW could have freaked out a little for me, even if she wasn't sincere about it. Patronize me, please.)

Right before lunch, we had another Jersey Family first – a ride on Haunted Mansion. On our first family trip 4 years earlier, when DS8 was the same age as DD4, we tried to ride HM. On that occasion, DS8 completely freaked out as we approached the entrance to HM, turned around, and bolted in the other direction. The following year, DS8 wouldn’t consider HM with the memory still too fresh in his mind. Last year, DS8 was ready to ride but it was being refurbished. So, here we are, 4 years later and finally riding. Woohoo!! The kids are all spooked from the get go. I ride with DS6 and DD4 and we have a fun ride taunting the ghosts. DW rode with DS8 and told me after the ride that DS8 didn’t open his eyes the entire time. There is no rhyme or reason as to how a kid will react on a ride. DS8 has been on Tower of Terror several times without a similar reaction. Go figure.

The boys wanted burgers for lunch so we hit Peco’s Bills. I needed some creativity with the DDP as burgers aren’t offered on the kids menu. DW and I ordered double cheeseburgers for our lunch and I paid out of pocket for extra buns and we ended up with four single burgers. Pretty smart on my part, huh? Between the burgers, large drinks, and desserts we were pretty full. Actually, we were pretty full for all eight days under the DDP. Whoever thought up the DDP must have real issues with Weight Watchers.

We entered Fantasyland and rode Peter Pan. While riding Peter Pan I had a realization that depressed me, and I didn’t think it possible to ever be depressed when flying away to Neverland. My kids were no longer interested in what Fantasyland has to offer. Dumbo – for babies they said; Small World – I’d rather die they said; Pooh – give me a break they said. It was not that long ago that I recall the wonder in their eyes when entering Fantasyland. I know that I still have that glint in my eye and was pretty disappointed that it appeared gone from theirs. When we exited Peter Pan I had them all recite: “I do believe in fairies, I do, I do.” I felt a little better.

I tried to get DD4 onto Space Mountain but she was still a little short, even with the 3 inch platform shoes we had put her in that morning. Maybe next year. DS6 was convinced that the right side track of Space Mountain was much better than the left side we rode on last year – anyone have a clue if there’s any difference? All DS6 wanted to do after riding Space was to poll everyone for a ranking of their favorite mountains. The ranking process was a very big deal to DS6. He wasn’t too amused when I voted for Peter Pan, Dumbo and Pooh.

We returned to POR to swim. The water temperature in the pool approached the water temperature of the whirlpool. Ahhhh, nice and refreshing. We really didn’t have any down time and before we knew it we were rushing to make a dinner reservation at Ohana. This time we took the car. 10 minutes of pushing and shoving later, we were at the Poly. I just love the Poly. We stayed there a couple of years ago and look forward to returning their again some day. Ohana is an every trip meal for us, but this visit was probably the worse one we’ve had. Our table was in the hinderlands which led to the kids not participating in the usual Ohana activities. Our server was probably the worst server of our entire trip, which really sucks at a place like Ohana where attention to replenishing the appetizers, smoked meats and drinks is critical. The food, however, was good. The most eventful part of dinner was when DS6 returned from the bathroom and announced that there was poop in one of the urinals. DS8 immediately ran in to check it out. It took all our effort to keep DD4 from running into the men’s room to see for herself.

We monorailed it over to MK for a couple of hours. I got a chance to ride the teacups just with DD4 while the boys pin traded. I kept telling the boys all day that we should get rootbeer floats … my favorite snack … but I was just too full from Ohana. After the kids almost decapitated the people in front of us in Mickey’s Phillarmagic trying to swat the 3D effects, we found a pretty empty Frontierland and plenty of spots for SpectroMagic. By this point, we were all pretty cranky … its was a long first day … and the kids complained of blisters. Spectro is my favorite parade and was, as always, wonderful. DD4 had a great time and made lots of eye contact with a number of characters. The kids were in no mood to make it until the start of Wishes so we left for the monorail. From the exit of MK to our car at Poly, DW carried DD4, I carried DS6, and DS8 took his shoes off and was walked in his socks. This Jersey Family needed to rejuvenate for Epcot in the morning. We went to bed with weather reports of Ernesto swirling in our heads.

 

[jsfein]

6 am wake up call and I’m out the door with two loads of laundry. I told you I’m Disney Dad extraordinaire. Its no easy task, but eventually I get DW and the troops up and out the door to Epcot. The latest forecast has Ernesto down to a tropical storm with high winds and rain late in the day. A little wind and rain wasn’t going to keep us away. That’s for sure.

The POR parking lot was still empty. The Epcot parking lot was also relatively empty. We wondered to ourselves, “Where is everyone?” The park was so quiet at the 9 am opening. All the better for us. We headed first to Soarin’. In the weeks leading up to this trip, High School Musical played on our DVD player 24/7. DD4 and I were singing “Soaring, Flying” at the top of our lungs (if you haven’t seen the movie you won’t get the reference). DS8, Mr. Sensitive, was mortified with embarrassment.

We entered The Land, headed down the escalators, and were met by a dozen Castmembers (again with those big white Mickey hands) cheering and welcoming us to Soarin’. We felt just like rock stars … like Troy and Gabriella. Soarin’ was a walk on. Once the ride was over, DD4 and I resumed our rendition of High School Musical. At that point, DS8 joined another family.

After Test Track and Mission Space, I got that ominous feeling that I forgot something important. After a few moments I realized that I didn’t have the room keys with me. Our park admissions were on various leftover parkhoppers from prior trips and, therefore, I didn’t need the room keys when we entered the park. Without the room keys, no free DDP. Uh oh.

I was really pissed at myself. I have a history of problems with room keys and parkhoppers that I thought I had overcome, but apparently not. In the past, I had demagnetized parkhoppers and room keys, put them through the laundry, and lost (but eventually found) them in our home. I left DW and the kids in the Mission Space play area and ran out to the car. On the way, I passed the Jammin’ Janitors who were playing to a crowd of three people (I told you the park was empty). I had left the room keys under the visor in the car (whew!! thought I might have to pay for food there for a moment) and returned to find the gang, Surprise!!, pin trading in Gear Works.

After some more fun in Future World, we headed over to the World Showcase and grabbed the kids some lunch at McDonald’s. Really good deal on the DDP, by the way. 1 counter service credit gets you 10 McNuggets, Large Fries, Large Drink and a McFlurry. We discovered kidcot stations last year, but never made it “around the World” to each station. This year, we started off in Canada. There, the Canadian CMs told the kids that if they visit all of the kidcot stations they will get a special prize at the last station. Game On.

And away we were. Country after country, kidcot station after kidcot station. We took a break at Morocco for DW and I to eat lunch at Tangierine Café. IMO, this is the not only the best value counter service meal on the DDP, but also some of the best counter service food in all of WDW. A Shawarma platter with chicken, lamb, hummus, tabbouleh, cous cous, bread, baklava and a large drink. The kids put me in the stroller and rolled me out following that enormous lunch.

There were also Princesses out and about … Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, and Snow White. DD4 was in heaven. I was in heaven too as the Princesses had no lines.

When in Norway, I checked out the bakery to take a look at the schoolbread I had read so much about on DIS. As full as I was from lunch, the schoolbread looked awesome, but I was simply too full to even consider it. I will have to plan better next time. We also got some great pictures of the kids with the Viking hats. In Japan we caught the story teller who was sensational. In Japan’s souvenir store, the kids all bought themselves various items with money they had been saving for this trip. With DS8 spending his own money, he tortured himself over what to buy. He would pick something up, put it back down, circle a display, add prices up in his head, etc. I thought he was going to hurt himself with the effort. DS6 and DD4 had their purchases picked out in a matter of seconds. They were all very grown-up paying for their items and putting their change back in their wallets. They had talked a lot before the trip about spending their money at the Japan store and they all seemed happy with themselves and their purchases.

We needed a break and I wanted to get the kids shaved ice at Kaki Gori but it was closed. We found an ice cream stand instead. We had only used one snack credit up to this point (that delicious raspberry lemonade slush) and the credits started to burn a hole in my room key card. At the ice cream stand, the Castmember had prepared the wrong order for the person in front of me which was precisely what DD4 wanted (chocolate ice cream) so he gave it to me free of charge. Just when I thought I’d finally use some of those free snack credits, Disney goes ahead and gives me more free food.

At one of the souvenir stores, DS8 became entranced with the package that is sold of currency (coins) of the various countries in the World Showcase. I figured packaged money is a good counterbalance to POTC guns and snuck into the store to buy a package for each of the boys. I planned on surprising them with the coins when we returned home, but that plan didn’t work out (future trip report entry). As we continued around the World, DS8 decided he wanted to go back to buy the coins with his own money. I hate lying to the kids, but in order to dissuade him I said that maybe we’ll find the coins on display at one of the countries we hadn’t yet visited. It worked.

Another word of advice: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO VISIT EVERY KIDCOT STATION IN ONE VISIT TO THE WORLD SHOWCASE. We had spent the first 3 hours of our day in Future World. Our attempt to visit every kidcot station in the World Showcase, while well intentioned, failed miserably in its execution. We were all cranky and grumpy by the time we reached China. We were no longer having “fun,” and knew we should leave, but we were so close to the surprise gift behind Curtain Three. Once in Mexico, however, dreams of fame and fortune were deflated upon receipt of the surprise gift – a miniature Disney poster (I don’t even remember what it was a picture of). Before the kids had an opportunity to think bad Disney thoughts, we whisked them out of Epcot.

Moments after returning to POR, the rain started. Hello, Ernesto; welcome to Orlando. In retrospect, I had made a good dinner decision. Just days before our trip, I had two dinners booked for this evening – Spoodles and Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose. I wasn’t that interested in eating at Mama Melrose and only booked it because of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. With the hurricane in the forecast before we left for the trip, I played it safe and canceled the dinner package reservation just in case Fantasmic was rained out. Good call on my part.

This is around the point in the trip when the word “poncho” became an outlawed word for our family.

 

[sharonW]

Afraid not, I'm the SharonW from phillipsburg, nj
By the way still enjoying the report!

 

[jsfein]

Afraid not, I'm the SharonW from phillipsburg, nj
By the way still enjoying the report!

I know a SharonW from Freehold (where I live) who is a Disney nut and thought you/she may be the same. Thanks for the kind words regarding the trip report. Its so much fun to relive the vacation while writing the report.

 

[sharonW]

I should hook up with the SharonW from freehold...we'd have
our name and Disney in common!

 

[kimbac3]

The six of us (yes the six of us – by this point of our trip our 30 lb. backpack traveled with us at all times – Tom Hanks had “Wilson,” we had "Backpack") arrived at MK 10 minutes before opening and we staked out awesome spots to see the park opening show.

This is too funny! We started out as 5 too then "magically" transformed into 6. Our backpack sported my lime green DIS Boards Pin. So of course our backpack was named "DIS". DIS became my DH's riding companion for alot of rides Luckily DH is a former Marine and was used to carrying 100 pounds of "important" stuff!!
Kimba

PS Hello from South Jersey ....we don't go Jersey week...too cliche!