A very overdue Holiday TR ~ A toddler, a reunion & Thanksgiving ~ Update 9/17

[Purple Opal]

Yeah, some of the pictures from your camera were weird, with lines through them or just really overexposed. I wasn't sure if my computer had just imported them incorrectly.

Nope - it was our camera, unfortunately. At that time I was in denial, thinking it was taking those "weird" images every other shot because I was just DOING IT WRONG. No. It was time to buy a new camera.

As far as photos, I'd love to have all yours from the first night. I think I have the rest

We really loved the exterior grounds at POR, but I had not really liked the rooms from the pictures. Now that I was seeing it in person, I liked it a little better but not much. There are plenty of nice details to the room. I really liked the picture of the boat right next to the beds. It is just not my style. A little too fancy I think. And I’m really not big on floral bedspreads at all. But it was still a very nice room and I was pleased that we had chosen to stay here.

By the way, I've been meaning to mention: have you seen the new rooms at POR? I just saw a photo of them the other day (of course they are for a higher price, and I guess they are doing something similar at POFQ). Check it out: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-royal-guest-rooms-now-available-for-booking/

There was a group of parents waiting at the bottom of the slide to catch their kids. Most parents were staying within 10 feet of the bottom of the slide. Todd had said that there were kids that were crowding the line at the top of the slide so they just let them go ahead of them. Todd was the first of our group to go and when he came off the slide, he made a HUGE splash with his arms. All of the parents that were waiting at the bottom of the slide for their kids got COMPLETELY soaked by him because they were so close to the exit. I almost died laughing. It was like a huge wall of water came crashing down over them. He popped up & swam over to us, having no idea of the path of destruction that he had just caused. You can tell that there were mom’s that were not very happy about having their hairdos ruined by him. I am still laughing as I am typing this remembering the expressions on their faces when they got hit with the wall of water.

Since he was the first to go down, no one else in my group got to see it so I was telling them all about it after they came down the slide too. We just swam around our area after that and Dylan had so much fun. He kept jumping in from the side and then he & Angelyn would have a race to the side of the pool. He was really starting to warm up to them and again, he kept making sure that Bryan saw everything that he was doing. All the boys wanted to do the slide again so Angelyn stayed with me so that she could see how big Todd’s splash was. He did not disappoint. He proceeded to soak everyone again, but there were less people around this time.

I had completely forgotten about this!! And am now rolling reading this. That was SO FUNNY! There's just something about the angle at which Todd hit the water, it was like a cannonball! BLAM! That was one of the funnier moments of the trip.

I don't have any photos from this part either (left the camera in the room), but for people who like pools and slides:

THE SLIDE AT THE POLY POOL IS AWESOME ​

It was very chilly and windy at this point, so you had to reallllly want to ride the slide to be willing to get out of the water. Totally worth it. And the water inside the slide was warm, too, which was a welcome relief after standing in line in the cold.

 

[tinkgurl]

Dylan looks pretty comfy! That's great he was able to sleep well. I always have a hard time sleeping sometimes in a new place.

Yum! Kona! It is such a nice place to eat. How nice of that lady to pay special attention to Dylan.

A loop around the monorail sounds fun! Did Dylan want to get off at the MK though?

Thanks so much for posting a pic of the Poly room! It got me so excited for our honeymoon next year!

 

[Dugette]

Angelyn - Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Kona! We love that place! Last time we were there for dinner, and like you said, it was crowded and we waited a long time, even with an ADR. I think a lot of the crowd was due to people waiting for 'Ohana, though. Oh, well, at least the Poly is a pretty place to wait in, even if you have to sit on the floor (we leaned on a rail).

Thanks for the comparison of WDW vs. DL. We are possibly going to spend a few days in DL later this year, so good to hear opinions (we've each only had two 1-day DL trips).

Yikes on the monorail stall! I wonder how those parents intended to "turn around and go home" in a stalled monorail?

Boy, we've got to get to Artist's Point whenever we go back! I keep hearing good things about it (and that portobello mushroom soup). We actually had an ADR there on our last trip, but cancelled it when we rearranged our plans (due to getting upgraded to Poly Club Level and trying to eat in the lounge there).

Alison - Glad you had a great Vegas vacation! Would love to see pics.

Bummer that you were too hungry to sleep in after that late night! I agree on POR...the rooms really aren't my style (they're nice, but not my thing), but I loved the grounds. The Sassagoula River was so pretty (or the "Sassy-Gouda" as I liked to call it ).

Glad that Dylan was so tired that the bed rails were not needed!

Mmmmmm....I could go for some of those noodles from Kona right now!

That's sweet with the CM and Dylan hanging out, chatting about monorails. And nice that she gave him the toy!

Love the Poly...miss the Poly... When we stayed there on our last trip, we kept saying to each other (in hopeful tones), "We live here now, right?" Loved it!

That's hilarious about Todd's splashdowns in the pool. If only you'd had the camera to capture the tidal wave!

Anxious to hear what you ended up doing. When we stayed at the Beach Club Villas last fall, we had a horrible chemical smell in our room that was giving me severe headaches. When we contacted the staff, they stopped using the harsher chemicals to spot clean and switched to something milder, which helped.

 

[California Jenn]

I just found your newest TR and am so excited! I thoroughly enjoyed your June 2009 TR, especially seeing pics of adorable Dylan. He is super cute and I got lots of fun ideas for traveling with my little ones -- DS will be 2 1/2 and DD will be a year when we go.

I am so impressed that you went to EMH your first night there. Usually after flying all day, I just crash at the hotel

I'm along for the ride.

 

[pinkxray]

Yum, your meal at Kona looks great. I always want to book Kona, but end up going back to 'Ohana instead b/c I just love 'Ohana.

I love the exterior of POR too. I didn't love the interior though so I can't wait until they finish the refurb. POR will be perfect

The rooms at the Poly do look nice and spacious. The closet doors are very pretty so I can see why you like them. Part of me wants to stay at the Poly one day, but when I see the prices I really wonder if it will be worth it to pay so much more

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Dylan looks so big in all of those photos! Crazy! I think that's fun that you got to enjoy the day at the Poly. I'm not sure I would have been able to do a monorail loop and not get off at MK. Pretty sure I wouldn't have been the only one clamoring to go out too. I have been hearing on a daily basis that we never got a chance to meet rapunzel and Flynn Rider so a relazing monorail ride would be out of the question if there was no park entry planned.

That's a cute story about the waitress at Kona and Dylan. I love that she gave him the little light up toy too! I think we have 2 Tinks and 1 Buzz from various trips. Hard to resist splurging on vacation when your little one gives you the "eyes" and is on good behavior.

By the way, thinking our Cali trip may not happen as we started pricing out tickets for all three of us. But on the bright side.....we may have a quick Orlando trip in the future (and of course I'm trying to sneak in a day at WDW if possible). Keeping my fingers crossed on that front.

My guess is you will complain and change rooms.......

The monorail ride works because we never make a big deal about which stop we are at. He doesn't realize we are passing the MK without getting off yet. I have a feeling that on our next trip, he will be older and we won't be so lucky. That's hilarious that she reminds you all the time that there are characters that were missed.

The waitress was very nice. Dylan still plays with that Buzz all the time. He keeps it in his backpack to take it places with him. Believe me, I know all about the "eyes" at WDW. lol.

That's a bummer about your DL trip, but I understand. We are going for just one day this summer and it is outrageous what it will cost us in tickets. If we had more time, we would go more days but it just didn't fit into our schedule this time. At least you might get another WDW trip to take it's place.

What a fun update and day! Makes me want to have lunch at Kona. Is the same menu as for dinner or is there a separate lunch menu? I'd be very annoyed about those bed rails though and the smell is concerning.

I'm pretty sure that they do have separate lunch & dinner menus at Kona. We also had breakfast there for the first time on our previous trip and it was very good too. If my memory serves me, many of the same dishes are served at lunch and dinner, but lunch is less expensive. We pay OOP for everything so that's why we usually try to go for lunch.

I was totally annoyed about the bed rails at this point. We were calling for the 5th time to ask for them, and I started to feel like a pest about it, even though they were the ones forgetting to deliver them.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Nope - it was our camera, unfortunately. At that time I was in denial, thinking it was taking those "weird" images every other shot because I was just DOING IT WRONG. No. It was time to buy a new camera.

How do you "do it wrong" when you are using a digital camera that does everything for you? lol.

As far as photos, I'd love to have all yours from the first night. I think I have the rest

I was going through mom's pictures yesterday, but I haven't gotten very far. I have them on a thumb drive so maybe I will just bring that with me when we see you later this month. Also, I don't have any of your pictures from Epcot on Day 3...not sure if you actually took any but I have MGM at night & then it skips to AK.

By the way, I've been meaning to mention: have you seen the new rooms at POR? I just saw a photo of them the other day (of course they are for a higher price, and I guess they are doing something similar at POFQ). Check it out: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-royal-guest-rooms-now-available-for-booking/

Those rooms look pretty cool. I like the fiber optic lights above the bed. Still a little too over the top for my taste but it's definitely a nice change!


I had completely forgotten about this!! And am now rolling reading this. That was SO FUNNY! There's just something about the angle at which Todd hit the water, it was like a cannonball! BLAM! That was one of the funnier moments of the trip.

I don't have any photos from this part either (left the camera in the room), but for people who like pools and slides:

THE SLIDE AT THE POLY POOL IS AWESOME ​

It was very chilly and windy at this point, so you had to reallllly want to ride the slide to be willing to get out of the water. Totally worth it. And the water inside the slide was warm, too, which was a welcome relief after standing in line in the cold.

He would throw his arms out to the sides as he was still going forward. It was like a cannonball with flaired arms. NOT good for anyone close to the bottom of the slide. The best part to me was that he popped up out of the water & swam over without looking behind him, so he didn't see how drenched everyone else was. Hilarious!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Dylan looks pretty comfy! That's great he was able to sleep well. I always have a hard time sleeping sometimes in a new place.

Yum! Kona! It is such a nice place to eat. How nice of that lady to pay special attention to Dylan.

A loop around the monorail sounds fun! Did Dylan want to get off at the MK though?

Thanks so much for posting a pic of the Poly room! It got me so excited for our honeymoon next year!

He slept like a rock that night. Barely a nap on the plane and then EMH was about all he could handle. Lunch at Kona is one of my favorite places to eat. It's usually not crowded for lunch and is a nice break in the middle of the day. Yummy food too!

Dylan has not figured out all of the stops on the monorail yet because we don't make a big deal about it. We like to do the loop on one of our first days of every trip, and he has not really figured out that the MK is one of the stops yet. Thank goodness!

The Poly rooms were so nice. I didn't realize that is where you were staying for your honeymoon! I think it is perfect for a honeymoon. Nice & quiet for when you want to get away, but it's a great location to catch transportation everywhere.

Angelyn - Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Kona! We love that place! Last time we were there for dinner, and like you said, it was crowded and we waited a long time, even with an ADR. I think a lot of the crowd was due to people waiting for 'Ohana, though. Oh, well, at least the Poly is a pretty place to wait in, even if you have to sit on the floor (we leaned on a rail).

Thanks for the comparison of WDW vs. DL. We are possibly going to spend a few days in DL later this year, so good to hear opinions (we've each only had two 1-day DL trips).

Yikes on the monorail stall! I wonder how those parents intended to "turn around and go home" in a stalled monorail?

Boy, we've got to get to Artist's Point whenever we go back! I keep hearing good things about it (and that portobello mushroom soup). We actually had an ADR there on our last trip, but cancelled it when we rearranged our plans (due to getting upgraded to Poly Club Level and trying to eat in the lounge there).

Alison - Glad you had a great Vegas vacation! Would love to see pics.

Bummer that you were too hungry to sleep in after that late night! I agree on POR...the rooms really aren't my style (they're nice, but not my thing), but I loved the grounds. The Sassagoula River was so pretty (or the "Sassy-Gouda" as I liked to call it ).

Glad that Dylan was so tired that the bed rails were not needed!

Mmmmmm....I could go for some of those noodles from Kona right now!

That's sweet with the CM and Dylan hanging out, chatting about monorails. And nice that she gave him the toy!

Love the Poly...miss the Poly... When we stayed there on our last trip, we kept saying to each other (in hopeful tones), "We live here now, right?" Loved it!

That's hilarious about Todd's splashdowns in the pool. If only you'd had the camera to capture the tidal wave!

Anxious to hear what you ended up doing. When we stayed at the Beach Club Villas last fall, we had a horrible chemical smell in our room that was giving me severe headaches. When we contacted the staff, they stopped using the harsher chemicals to spot clean and switched to something milder, which helped.

The river at POR was my favorite thing. It was so peaceful to walk along all of the pathways and see the water from wherever you were. That is what has me wanting to stay there again. It was such a nice contrast between all of the busy-ness of the rest of the day.

The Poly is wonderful. I'm glad that Angelyn got a room there because I have always wanted to hang out at the hotel for longer than a "Lunch stop". The rooms are so big! We realized how many people we had in the room and we didn't feel crowded or uncomfortable.

I wish I had Todd's splashdown on video. It would definitely be on YouTube by now, just for the reactions from everyone that got splashed. They had no idea what hit them until it was over. lol.

I wonder if that is what it was...a spot cleaning chemical. That would make a lot of sense because the first day we could smell it, but it wasn't too bad. WHen we came back that day, it seemed much stronger. By then, they had cleaned the room so they probably used it again. For some reason, I couldn't smell it as much as Todd but it REALLY bothered him (& he doesn't complain about anything usually!).

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

I just found your newest TR and am so excited! I thoroughly enjoyed your June 2009 TR, especially seeing pics of adorable Dylan. He is super cute and I got lots of fun ideas for traveling with my little ones -- DS will be 2 1/2 and DD will be a year when we go.

I am so impressed that you went to EMH your first night there. Usually after flying all day, I just crash at the hotel

I'm along for the ride.

Aww, thanks for coming back to read Round 2 of my TR! Dylan is definitely the highlight of my trips so I get excited when I hear of other parents taking their kids to WDW when they are young. I know it can be tough, but it is SO worth it to see their innocence & excitement.

I think we might have been a little crazy to do EMH but I'm glad we did. SInce it was our first chance to experience EMH at MK, we couldn't resist! Most of the time, we just get to the hotel and crash too. Or I try to unpack a little and then crash.

I like your ticker in your signature. It is definitely my "Happy Place" too.

Yum, your meal at Kona looks great. I always want to book Kona, but end up going back to 'Ohana instead b/c I just love 'Ohana.

I love the exterior of POR too. I didn't love the interior though so I can't wait until they finish the refurb. POR will be perfect

The rooms at the Poly do look nice and spacious. The closet doors are very pretty so I can see why you like them. Part of me wants to stay at the Poly one day, but when I see the prices I really wonder if it will be worth it to pay so much more

I think we stumbled upon Kona a few trips ago, and now we eat their every trip. Part of it is because it gives us an excuse to go to the Poly but the other part is because the food is so good. We just got into 'Ohana for the first time on this trip. For some reason it has been hard for me to get an ADR there. We LOVED it and I definitely want to go back there too.

I just saw pictures of the new POR rooms. Very dramatic change from what they have now!! I would love to see them in person some day. The Poly rooms were amazing but I don't know about the price to stay there. Angelyn got a 40% off PIN code or else she wouldn't have stayed there either. It is a beautiful hotel, but when I start looking at our budget, I always feel like we could spend the money in other places.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

When we got back to our room, the smell that bothered Todd was still lingering and he felt like it was getting stronger. It smelled like formaldehyde. Todd called the front desk and he requested that we get moved to a different room. He explained the problem and they said it would be no problem to switch rooms. He requested the bed rails again, and asked if they could just be delivered to the new room. They said that they would send someone to help us move but we didn’t have time to wait for someone to show up, so Todd asked if he could just come swap out the keys at Check In. While he drove over there, I packed up all of our stuff to get ready to move.

He came back soon and showed me where our new room was on the map. We were originally in 9803 and we were moving to 9727. It was in the same building but on the completely opposite side. At least we were on the same floor, so we packed up the first load and hauled it over there. Let me just say that the words “same building, same floor” do NOT mean that the rooms were close to each other. The second floor is sort of a labyrinth. You can see where you want to go, but you have to wind all over the place to get there. It would have probably been faster to take the stuff to the elevator, cut across the parking lot, and then haul it up the stairs. When we got to the room, I let Todd do the smell test, and he felt like it was much better. We went back and got the last load of our stuff and took it to the new room. Right when we got there, the bed rails showed up!! It felt like a miracle.

Since it took so long to switch, Dylan did not get a nap. Angelyn sent me a text to say they were on their way to DHS. It was not even worth it to try to get Dylan a short nap, so we just decided to go with the flow and stay out as long as he would let us. We dropped off our old keys at the front desk and we were on our way. We had bad luck with lights and traffic so by the time to got to DHS it was after 6:00. The park was PACKED with people. You could not turn in any direction without bumping into people. It was EMH at the park this night, but there were quite a few more people here than we experienced the last night.

Somehow we ran into Angleyn’s family in the middle of the chaos on the main street and we decided to have dinner at the ABC Commissary. It was busy there too, but we had no problem finding a booth for all of us. I know that I had the Chicken Blue sandwich and I really liked it. Todd had a double cheeseburger and Dylan had the kid’s chicken nugget meal. No pictures, I forgot because we were so hungry. The food was average park food, but I did really like my chicken sandwich. I forgot to write down what Angelyn’s family had.

While we were eating, we were trying to make a plan for the night. We thought that maybe we could watch a show or 2 until the park thinned out a little. What we discovered was that all shows ended for the day by 5:45 – 6:00!!! I can’t believe I didn’t realize that before. We had checked the Times board on our way in and saw the lines were all very long for the big rides. We did not realize it before, but there are not a lot of “small” rides at this park. A lot of shows, a lot of big rides (ToT, RnRC, TSM) but not a lot of smaller “kill some time” rides. So what it meant was No Shows = Everyone to the 3 big rides. Which sucked because it was Bryan’s first time at this park and we kept saying, “We’ll be back later this week to do that.” Bummer.

We decided to go to One Man’s Dream, since it was a walk through and you can go at your own pace. I love this attraction! There is so much to learn and discover, especially if you are a Disney nut like me.

I love this mural on the wall. It is so big! I made Dylan stand next to it, just to see the perspective.

Dylan had decided to get his second wind here. He got very hyper and kept running ahead of us. We would track him down and bring him back to the group, but he was too antsy to stand still while we read all of the signage on the walls. I don’t blame him because it’s probably pretty boring for a kid who can’t read, but I was worried about him getting lost. He got scolded a few times, but it didn’t damper his spirit at all. Does he look like a child in trouble right now?

We stayed to watch the movie at the end, which we usually don’t do and we all really liked it. During the movie, Dylan fell asleep. Not having a nap had caught up to him. Not only that, when we got up to leave we realized that he had pooped in his Pull-Up. At this time, we were still potty training him and had made really good progress leading up to the trip. We kept Pull-Ups on him at the parks in case we couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time. I’m so glad we did because this could have been a disaster. Potty training while on vacation is awful, since you are totally out of your routine. Luckily there are bathrooms near the exit to the movie and I was able to change him quickly.

By now it was officially EMH, so we headed over to

I had heard about the dance party that they did for little kids during EMH, and I was so excited to have Dylan go. He LOVES to dance and I was hoping that this was be an informal environment to ease him into being around the characters again. The room was full (but not uncomfortable) with families. There was a DJ playing dance music and there were a few characters there. I think it was Handy Manny, Mickey, Minnie and one other character that I can’t remember. Dylan saw the characters and got a little nervous. He didn’t want to dance and he didn’t want to go talk to any of them. We waited a while to see what he would do. He was totally stalking Minnie but he didn’t want to get close to her.

I finally picked him up and started to dance with him, just to take his mind off being nervous. The DJ was playing the “Freeze” game where she would turn off the music and you were supposed to freeze. He thought that was hilarious and he started to relax. In the meantime, I had moved a little closer to Minnie. I finally put him down on the ground and asked him he wanted to see her. He said no. I asked if he wanted to leave. He said no. By now, Minnie had seen us lurking her but she had other kids around her. As I was talking to him, all of the kids around her left….and she came right over to Dylan and started interacting with him. It was such a sweet moment because she just put her hand on his head to say hi, and he started talking to her.

She was so sweet to him and spent a few minutes playing with him. A few more kids came up to her so we said goodbye and she left. He was so happy and I think it really helped him calm down. Todd carried Dylan off to go look for the other characters

but I didn’t get any more pictures since I was taking video. We hung out with Handy Manny for a few minutes and waited in a line to see Mickey but it was going to take too long so we decided to go.

Watching Mickey Mouse

We went back to the Times board and saw that the lines were still long so we wandered down towards ToT and decided to get an ice cream while we talked about what to do. There was a long line for ice cream so Elijah went to sit by Dylan while we stood in line. I turned around to watch them and they were having a conversation about….something. They were both talking and pointing in the direction of ToT, but they both were looking very deep in discussion. I thought it was so cute to watch them hanging out. Elijah is the only cousin that Dylan has and obviously there is a large age gap between them. They also live on opposite ends of California, so they don’t get to see each other very often. I just enjoyed watching them interact and hang out. You could tell that Dylan thought Elijah was so cool. Lol.

We ate our ice cream on a wall behind the ice cream shop. Dylan was a happy boy after getting his ice cream. I think he has decided that he likes vacations!

We decided to get in line for ToT since it was only showing a 30 minute wait at this point. We would do the baby swap so that someone would always be with Dylan. Todd said he would wait with him while we all went, so off we went to finally ride ToT.

I could NOT get a good picture of this.

When we got our baby swap ticket, it said that you could have 3 people ride during the swap. In the past, it had only been 2 people could take advantage of it so that was a nice surprise. While we stood in line, my mom called to say they had landed and had made it to POR. Their room number was 9804. If we had not switched rooms, we would have been next door neighbors! I had linked our reservations at check in, so it’s nice to know that they tried to accommodate us. We waited less than 30 minutes and we were on the ride. I LOVE, LOVE this ride. It is so much fun at night too, because when the doors open up at the top you have a gorgeous view of everything lit up outside.

When we got off the ride, Todd, Bryan and I turned around and walked right back on it using the baby swap. We pretty much walked right into the library without stopping at all. I was pretty happy that I got to ride it twice! Back outside, we found Dylan having a great time with Angelyn and Elijah. Angelyn had shown him how to take his light up Buzz Lightyear (from Kona Café) and put it on the springy part of the footstool on his stroller. They would pull it back and let Buzz fly through the air. I’m sure that Angelyn gained major “coolness” points in Dylan’s book.

We checked the time for RnRC but it was still 70 minutes so we passed. We headed over to Streets of America to see…

the Osborne Family Dancing Lights!!!

Todd & I had seen this before, but not for a few years and it was not coordinated to music when we saw it last. I have no words to describe how amazing this is. If you ever get the chance to see this, DON’T MISS IT! You will never see anything like it.

Since it was EMH, it was much less crowded than normal. The park had closed and most of the crowd had left. We stayed for at least a half an hour, watching all of the different light shows that they had. We took a lot of video, and it is one of my favorite things to watch now. Dylan stood in the middle of the street with his mouth hanging open as we watched the lights. He finally broke his trance, just to start shaking his booty to the music. The faster the music went, the faster he was shaking. It was so joyful and innocent, and it is one of my favorite memories of the trip. At the end of the song, everyone started cheering & clapping. Dylan clapped too and then turned to the camera and goes, “I did it!” LOL. I have no idea what that meant but he was pretty proud of himself. If I can figure out how to post video on here, I will do it soon.

These are Disney CM’s who would bust out this dance whenever “Feliz Navidad” would start playing. I think they were supposed to try to get all of us to join in with them, but they looked like they were having a great time without us. Farther down the road, the CM’s had a bunch of kids doing the dance with them, but we watched this group do it a few times and they never invited anyone. I think they were having too much fun by themselves.

We got a few Photopass pics too. You can definitely tell that Dylan is in his “I don’t know how to smile for pictures” phase.

This one would have been great if Dylan didn’t look like he was in pain! Lol

We left the park after that and made it back to the hotel at 11:00. We needed to get some milk and more Pull-Ups for Dylan, so Todd dropped us off at the hotel and headed to Walmart. I took Dylan to my parent’s room to see them until he got back. We left their room at midnight and finally got to bed at 12:30. I can’t believe we all made it through such a long day with such little sleep, especially Dylan. We had no problem falling asleep after such a full, fabulous day.

 

[LilAnn]

Fun update Alison! As usual, many memories for me and similarities.

The potty training thing......I totally understand. Last year we had her in pull-ups in the parks as well and I felt like we just kept making frequent breaks to bathrooms to keep her dry. I was so nervous about this past trip, but so far, she did great. So I totally can relate!

So excited that you finally made it to the EMH dance party. I love hearing about the Minnie Mouse moment. I love when the characters take the time to make the little ones feel comfortable. We have many videos from that party ourselves.

Bummer that it was so crowded, though.

Oh - and as for our Cali trip - the big factor was the plane tickets so far. But it's still pretty far away, so who knows?

 

[eandesmom]

Wow, what an evening!

I'm glad you were able to get the move handled before you headed out, I imagine it made coming "home" so much nicer that night, no smell and bed rails!

Impressive that you were able to wait out the crowds and enjoy ToT and the lights, it sounded a bit stressful at first but waiting it out seems to have paid off and turned it into a lovely evening.

 

[California Jenn]

It sounds like a wonderful evening at DHS after you made it through the room switch.

What a cute picture of the two boys deep in conversation. Isn't it great when the older kids engage with the little ones, like that?

The dance party sounds like a lot of fun and something we'll definitely have to check out -- it's great that Minnie took the time to hang out with Dylan.

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Hi Alison!! I'm so glad you started a TR for this trip and that I found you! I went on to Tinkgurl's TR, which I'm so way behind on, to try to catch up, only to discover it was over but then I realized you were the last poster and so I came straight over here!

Well, I'm caught up here and I can't wait to hear about the rest of this special trip with your family. We actually arrived in WDW just as you were leaving that weekend. I'm glad you guys got to enjoy the Poly pool - we've never stayed there but it's definitely at the top of our "next-time-we-are-able-to-splurge list". We also try to do at least one meal there every trip (even if it's just Capt Cook's) so we can spend some time over there. That dance party at Playhouse Disney is so much fun! So glad Dylan finally warmed up to Minnie - he's so grown up!!

Well, I'll try to keep up as much as possible: I know you sometimes have more time than others to update and I haven't been on the DIS too much lately myself.

Oh, one more thing...I really like your bag you have in the PeopleMover! (green and white Mickey heads) Is that a parks purchase or online?

 

[MEK]

Wow - you really got to do a lot and Dylan looks like he was having a great time. Isn't it cool how kids always look up to their big cousins. They become instant role models.

You got some great pictures of the Osbourne lights and to back to back rides on ToT!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Fun update Alison! As usual, many memories for me and similarities.

The potty training thing......I totally understand. Last year we had her in pull-ups in the parks as well and I felt like we just kept making frequent breaks to bathrooms to keep her dry. I was so nervous about this past trip, but so far, she did great. So I totally can relate!

So excited that you finally made it to the EMH dance party. I love hearing about the Minnie Mouse moment. I love when the characters take the time to make the little ones feel comfortable. We have many videos from that party ourselves.

Bummer that it was so crowded, though.

Oh - and as for our Cali trip - the big factor was the plane tickets so far. But it's still pretty far away, so who knows?

You are the reason that I knew about the dance party. I remembered it from your TR, and it has always been in the back of my mind to do if we ever got to experience EMH. Minnie was so great with Dylan and it was so great that she recognized that he was shy but wanted her attention. I love good CMs! I still need to figure out how to post video. Do you upload it to Photobucket and then post the link?

Wow, what an evening!

I'm glad you were able to get the move handled before you headed out, I imagine it made coming "home" so much nicer that night, no smell and bed rails!

Impressive that you were able to wait out the crowds and enjoy ToT and the lights, it sounded a bit stressful at first but waiting it out seems to have paid off and turned it into a lovely evening.

I was so annoyed while we were moving rooms, because it took forever to drag our stuff over. But you are right. When we got in the room that late at night, I was so happy just to collapse into bed.

It was really nice that our whole group was go-with-the-flow. We knew we would be back later in the trip, but I'm glad we were able to get onto ToT. I was just suprised by how many attractions closed so early and it really limited what you could do.

It sounds like a wonderful evening at DHS after you made it through the room switch.

What a cute picture of the two boys deep in conversation. Isn't it great when the older kids engage with the little ones, like that?

The dance party sounds like a lot of fun and something we'll definitely have to check out -- it's great that Minnie took the time to hang out with Dylan.

It is very cute to watch Dylan look up to Elijah. That's what family is for, right? I really appreciate that Elijah spends the time to talk to him too.

The dance party was so perfect for kids that are not sure how they feel about the characters. They are just wandering around the room and dancing, so there is no line or pressure situation to actually "touch" the character if they don't want to.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Hi Alison!! I'm so glad you started a TR for this trip and that I found you! I went on to Tinkgurl's TR, which I'm so way behind on, to try to catch up, only to discover it was over but then I realized you were the last poster and so I came straight over here!

Well, I'm caught up here and I can't wait to hear about the rest of this special trip with your family. We actually arrived in WDW just as you were leaving that weekend. I'm glad you guys got to enjoy the Poly pool - we've never stayed there but it's definitely at the top of our "next-time-we-are-able-to-splurge list". We also try to do at least one meal there every trip (even if it's just Capt Cook's) so we can spend some time over there. That dance party at Playhouse Disney is so much fun! So glad Dylan finally warmed up to Minnie - he's so grown up!!

Well, I'll try to keep up as much as possible: I know you sometimes have more time than others to update and I haven't been on the DIS too much lately myself.

Oh, one more thing...I really like your bag you have in the PeopleMover! (green and white Mickey heads) Is that a parks purchase or online?

I feel so bad because I barely was on the computer the entire time we were on our trip. When we got back, it took me about 2 weeks to get onto the Dis, and then I saw your PM about getting there early. I wish I had gotten that message while we were still there. I definitely would have tried to work it out to meet up! Sorry for the missed opportunity.

I love that bag too. I got it at the park in California (DCA) last spring. I almost didn't get it because I was debating it, and decided to just do it. When we went back just a couple months later, they were nowhere to be found. I'm sooo glad I bought it. Perfect bag for summer stuff and for the parks too.

Wow - you really got to do a lot and Dylan looks like he was having a great time. Isn't it cool how kids always look up to their big cousins. They become instant role models.

You got some great pictures of the Osbourne lights and to back to back rides on ToT!

Dylan thinks his cousin is so cool. And Elijah is sweet enough to spend time trying to understand what Dylan is randomly talking about.

The Osbourne lights are amazing. I still want to try to post video so that everyone can see how they dance to the music.

 

[Dugette]

I'm glad you're back! I just realized that I never commented on your last update. Sounds like it was a great night! Everyone got to have some fun, from the dance party to ToT. And, of course, the Osborne Lights! You asked about posting video of them--I always just upload it to Photobucket and paste the image code, just like with a picture. I'm not sure if there's a better way to do that, but works for me! Looking forward to more...I really enjoy your TRs!

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

I'm glad you're back! I just realized that I never commented on your last update. Sounds like it was a great night! Everyone got to have some fun, from the dance party to ToT. And, of course, the Osborne Lights! You asked about posting video of them--I always just upload it to Photobucket and paste the image code, just like with a picture. I'm not sure if there's a better way to do that, but works for me! Looking forward to more...I really enjoy your TRs!

Thank you!! It feels good to be back. How have you been? I have been working on an update today. Hopefully will have it posted by tomorrow.

I don't usually use PHotobucket so I think that's why I didn't realize that it was an option. I use Shutterfly to post pictures here & I can't do video through that site. I will have to look into Photobucket because some of the video I took on this trip is worth posting. The Osbourne Lights are hard to describe. Better to see!

Thanks for sticking with me. I promise I am not this flaky in my normal life. It's just August that kills me every year.

 

[Sunset Cliffs]

Sorry for the big gap in updates! We have had a very busy summer and yesterday was my first time on the Dis in 6 weeks!! It feels so good to have some time to sit down and catch up. July was a wonderful month of traveling. We went to Disneyland for a day and then down to San Diego for a family reunion on Todd’s side of the family. We also painted and did other house projects. August 1st is the first day of my craziest month of the year. I work at a high school and the Registration process started on the 2nd and I have been so busy with student activities for the entire month. I think things are starting to calm down a little, so … onto the next update.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

WARNING! This is a very picture-heavy update. Sorry, but I couldn’t decide what to eliminate. Then I figured I’d just put them all in.

We woke up around 8:30 this morning. The plan was to meet my parents for breakfast at the Riverside Mill food court, so we got ready and walked over at 9:30. It was much busier today than the day before and you could feel that the crowds were starting to show up for the Thanksgiving holiday. The 3 of us split a breakfast platter and a kid’s pancake. It was good, but was basic breakfast food.

After breakfast we went for a walk to look at the property more and to let Dylan see the pool. I know that I have seen so many pictures of this resort, but I honestly think that POR is one of the most beautiful hotels on property. Sorry, but I got a little carried away with the pictures.

On our way to the pool.

The stamping in the sidewalks was so cool!

We got to the pool and it looked pretty amazing. Dylan wanted to go swimming right then so we showed him the playground that was right next to it as a distraction. He played for about 15 minutes or so. The playground was perfect for kids of a lot of different ages. It is very thought out about easier areas and more difficult areas.

Look at this tree that was right next to the pool. It was transplanted here from another location in Florida and it weighed 85 tons!! It took 3 days to move it. I have never seen any other tree that compares.

Angelyn called from the lobby to say they were checking in, since they had checked out of the Poly that morning. We told Dylan we had to go and he started to cry because he wanted to go swimming. I said to him, “No, we are going to Epcot, then we will swim later.” He started to throw a fit. He has no idea how good he has it, when the day’s agenda has Epcot & swimming on it. In his defense, the pool did look really fun.

Angelyn was still in the line for Online Check In when we got to the lobby and it was moving VERY slowly. She finally got up to the counter and they checked her in but didn’t give her a room number yet. We went back to our room and they left all of their computers and other valuable things there, rather than leaving them in the car at the park. We all drove over to Epcot and we finally made it in the park by 12:30. That was disappointing because we had planned on being there much earlier.

We found a PP person right in front of the big ball and took the opportunity to get our pictures taken as a whole group. It was so bright that we all forgot to take off our sunglasses. Oh well.

First on the agenda was to get a FP for Test Track so we headed over there. The time to come back was 7:30 that evening, but we figured that would work for us so we went ahead and got them. We walked over to catch one of the ferries across the water.

Beautiful!

We caught the ferry on the left side, but it only took us to Germany. I guess they have changed the routes and now they don’t go to both stops in the back. Left side only goes to Germany and right side only goes to Morrocco. Once we got off the ferry, we had about a half hour before our lunch ADR, so we all split off to do different things. Todd & I took Dylan to look at the train set in Germany. He LOVED the trains! He is so into them right now and he just followed them all over the place.

Dreaming that he is riding the train…

So cute how they have the little village decorated for the holidays too.

Beautiful day at Epcot

We wandered our way over to our ADR. Where was it?...... At Chef’s de France! I was excited and nervous about this ADR. We have pretty simple tastes, and every time that I read a review about this place, people were always talking about the salmon, or duck or lamb, and that is SOO not us. I have never even considered eating there, until Angelyn asked me to look at the menu. I found some things I thought we would like so we booked it. We checked in and had to wait about 10 minutes to be seated. We sat outside by the fountain, where Dylan proceeded to get into a small water fight with my dad. I said something about it being a nice restaurant and I didn’t want Dylan all wet and my dad said, “Not my fault” (jokingly) and Dylan instantly repeated him, “Not MY fault.” Hmmmm. Not good.

We got seated in a table near the large windows at the front. It is a beautiful restaurant! It was made even more beautiful by the Christmas decorations.

I remembered to get pictures of everyone and as our waitress walked up, she offered to take a picture of the whole table. She was a great waitress and was very sweet.

Continued in next post