Adventures at 40"! May 2014 TR *COMPLETE* 9/10 **NEW** Italy ABD TR link posted 9/29

[khertz]

Aw, how adorable is Paxton in his little rocking chair TV nook?!

Love all the pics of the Wilderness Lodge. We have only spent one night there, but really loved the place. So glad that you got to stay there!!

Sorry that your evening started getting kind-of rotten at dinner. Glad things got better once you headed back to the room. Except for that forecast! Ugh, I hate Disney rain days, especially when you have limited time on a short trip! Hope you are able to make the most of it.

He loved it over there! It was so perfect for keeping him occupied while we got checked in and got our stuff out of the car.

It is so incredibly beautiful in there, and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to stay there even if only for a weekend. Hopefully it won't be our one and only visit!

Yeah, the forecast wasn't looking good for us. Definitely not what you want to see when time in the parks is so limited!

Your room is beautiful, but that service view is just, well, .... a service area. Don't you just wish that none of the room views were like that. I remember my first time staying at the villas. I went out on the balcony with Denny and said, "I can just pretend I am up in Vermont in the mountains". To which he replied, "yeah - If I couldn't hear the service trucks in the background". Mood Killer!

Beautiful pics of the lobby and outside.

Boo to the forgotten tripod.

Ugh to the meltdown. Kids can just turn on a dime. Oh well, they are kids! Glad a nice bath and some TV got him calmed down.

Note to self - pesto pasta!

The view was definitely NOT great, but we decided to take it in stride and enjoy ourselves. It had its good and bad aspects, as we learned over the course of the weekend. I was daydreaming of being upgraded to club level, but I was just so happy to be there, I didn't let it get to me!

It had been a long day in the car for all of us, so looking back, I can see that we were probably just all a little on edge, so it made for a crazy night. Definitely check on the pasta of the day...it's probably better than the other stuff they have!

Glad check in was easy!! Paxton being naughty at dinner?! never! He seems so well tempered haha! Sounds like a great way to start the vacation though with a nice evening at the resort. Glad everyone loved the fountain in the lobby - it is beautiful! I'm hungry right now, but i remember the Roaring Fork food being delicious - flatbread AND the alfredo sound amazing!

That is chilly for May! Wow! And we had 90's in SoCal! LOL!

HA!!!! It's funny I chose today to do responses, because he has been the complete opposite of well tempered since he woke up this morning!!! He is a mostly calm kid, but he has his moments!!

I was having some serious food envy, so the flatbread probably would have tasted a lot better if not for that.

Oooh - all your pictures make me think I need to try and make Wilderness Lodge a priority on our DVC list. We are actually thinking of doing split stays in 2015 and 2016 to check out as many resorts as possible, but even with four resorts, I didn't think WL would be one of them. Maybe I need to change my mind.

The view? Meh, it wouldn't bother me. How much time would you be spending on your balcony anyways.

I more upset/bummed to hear the whether you seemed to have. For such a short trip, that's definitely a

I would absolutely bump it up on your list. It's so beautiful! I really wanted to rent DVC to stay there, but it wasn't available on such short notice. Maybe another time, though, because I'd definitely love to stay there again!

The view was a bummer, but not a dealbreaker. It ended up having its advantages, as we found out later in the trip! The weather was quite a bit more disappointing, that's for sure. We have gotten spoiled with excellent weather in October for the last two trips, so a day full of rain was not something we were looking forward to!

My family loves the Lodge! We got to stay there last summer. It looks like your family enjoyed it too! It's great seeing your son get excited! My little ones were drawn in to the water too! Thank you for posting this TR. Since we are not going to Disney this year, it's nice to live a little through your experience until we can get back ourselves next year. Your writing is excellent too! Very detailed and entertaining!

Wow, thanks so much for the compliments! I would probably share even if I had no readers because I love writing about our trips (I used to do trip reports on LiveJournal way back in the day when I was on there a lot), and it's a lot of fun reliving them that way.

I used to think the Poly would be my dream resort, but I always wanted to stay at WL also. Now that I have done it, I would choose it again in a heartbeat over the Poly if given the choice!

"Welcome Home." How could anyone not love that?

Those rooms are lovely. And just enough Disney touches to make it feel like Disney. BTW, is that a balcony?

GAH!!! Look at that lobby view from up above!!!! Gorgeous!

Yeah, the weather forecast does look pretty grim. But it's Florida, so I think they're obligated by law to post "rain" all the time no matter what.

It was so nice to experience what other DISers talk about all the time for myself! I was probably grinning like a fool at that point.

Yes, it did have a small balcony! Not that we had time or desire to sit on it for the little amount of time we spent in the room, but it was nice to know it was there! The Disney touches were great without being overwhelming. On first glance, besides the big Mickey towel animal on the bed, you wouldn't even realize you were in a Disney room.

I was hoping against hope that the Weather Channel was being overly cautious with their prediction, but...

Love all the room/lobby pictures! Looks SO beautiful.

I'm sorry the day started to catch up to you at the end though But glad DH was able to rent a tripod!

Booo to rain, but I'm sure you guys made the best of it!! Can't wait to hear about the first park day

It is one of the most beautiful resorts, and I was so excited to actually be STAYING there for a change and not just visiting!!

Two days in the car was rough on all of us, but I think we can all agree now that it was worth it because we had such a great time! I was really glad he was able to rent the tripod as well, because I know he was really disappointed since he had been looking forward to taking some nighttime and fireworks shots using it.

Yay for getting to WL. The pictures are beautiful. I haven't ever stayed there but it's on the list of must-do's. I'm sorry you had a bad start to your evening. It seems like kids always have their meltdowns when you have 50 things going on. I hope you have a better day the next day and the rain holds off.

Thanks! I don't have many resorts I feel the need to stay at with all of the room we get at Bonnet Creek, but WL was definitely on the short list, and I was incredibly excited to be able to check it off!

That absolutely made it worse, that it was such a busy time in a small space when he decided to freak out.

Bahaha a rocking chair and Donald Duck cartoons. The finer things in life.

That is honestly one of the most gorgeous rooms I've ever seen! I love the Chip and Dale in the shower!

Honestly, I get really bad headaches from most headbands and I've never had a problem with the Minnie ear headbands. I take mine off for shows to have a little break but other than that I wear them all day. Would definitely recommend for your next trip!!

So sorry about DS and the tripod situations on the plus side, things seemed to work out okay on both fronts!

Apparently, that few minutes stuck with him, because the other day in the car he told me we need to drive to find our new hotel so he can watch Donald Duck in the rocking chair.

The room was gorgeous! I think the rooms went under a fairly recent, as in the last few years, refurbishment. I really like the look of the white bedding with just the decorated runner instead of a full, busy looking bedspread.

Thanks for the tip on the Minnie ears! I will consider getting some next trip because they are so cute.

Thankfully, they DID both work out!

 

[khertz]

I love the pics of DS getting in on the hat trying action. I thought the Duffy bedtime story was so cute when I saw it on my January trip. I had never really noticed it before. My DD and I are usually too busy watching Stacey T.V. I guess!

Haha thanks, I thought it was a pretty cute pic too, but I'm biased!

He liked the Duffy bedtime story, but it was a lot shorter than I had thought it would be, so he got to watch it a few times. We tried putting on Stacey, but he wasn't interested. The horror!!

ok, little kids in little rocking chairs is just about the cutest thing ever!

The Wilderness Lodge really is lovely - and they have some of the best looking light fixtures - which is saying something for Disney

Never underestimate the joy kids get throwing coins in fountains! The fountain/stream in WL is really great - I am hopeful that they do something like that in the new Poly lobby given they are getting rid of the big waterfall, but not super hopeful based on the last drawings I saw.

Oh, sorry about your son having a melt down and you cutting your finger and then having food jealousy. Hopefully a good nights sleep help everyone

What's so funny about that is he has his own little rocking chair at home that he NEVER sits in, but all he talks about was sitting in that little rocking chair at WL! I tend to think most things miniaturized for kids are pretty cute.

Water features are ALWAYS a hit with this kid, as I'm sure they are with most! I am not feeling too optimistic about the Poly lobby either, which is a real shame. That was such a gorgeous lobby.

A good night's sleep to erase all the funkiness was just what we needed!!

You've got some beautiful shots of the lobby and the room! I absolutely LOVE the tiles in the shower. Bambi was one of my favorite characters as a child and since he's a rare character, I get excited when he pops up on something! WL is in our top 3 resorts that we like to visit. Along with the Poly (my favorite) and AKL (my son's favorite) When I stayed at FW I loved hanging out in the lobby and on the beach there.

Thanks! DH was more than happy to spend some time photographing that gorgeous lobby.

Poly and AKL are two deluxes I wouldn't mind trying, for sure!!

Wow, the Wilderness Lodge rooms are so much more beautiful now! That rug is gorgeous! And I love those little animal tiles! It's such a perfect resort, I love it so much!

I'm sorry you had to deal with your finger getting hurt and DS driving you crazy, none of those annoying real life things should happen in Disney!

I absolutely loved the decor in the rooms! It seems a bit brighter without the dark spreads on the beds. It really is perfect, and such an amazing location, especially for someone who stays offsite all the time!

I KNOW!!! I totally think that's how it should be, but sometimes those real life struggles and annoyances pop up in Disney. There should be a rule against that!

No idea where it came from, but damn was it cute!

So... the name of the place was appropriate?

Absolutely!!!!

Um... unless I can't count, I thought there was just 3 of you. How many donuts does he need???

RIGHT?! That was my question to him! He tends to go overboard when it comes to donuts though.

I completely understand. It's making me think back about the time we stayed at Wilderness Lodge. It was the exact same type of excitement.

To go from staying offsite to staying INSIDE the MK gates was just a dream come true!

Unfortunately, there really isn't much of a view unless you're over the courtyard/pool area there.

I noticed that as we were walking around! It seemed like all of the prettier views were from the lobby more so than from the rooms. But we definitely didn't let it ruin our stay.

Well that was nice of you. Definitely not the ideal dinner and evening for you, but that was nice that you gave him a little time to explore.

I'll be honest, my motives were not entirely altruistic. I need good photos for the TR!

Rain keeps the crowds away. Grab a poncho and go!

We had definitely come prepared for the rain!!

 

[DDuck4Life]

Um... unless I can't count, I thought there was just 3 of you. How many donuts does he need???

Don;t worry we were able to eat them all. Though I had to pick up DS and DW's slack to finish them off. Needless to say I wasn't very hungry for lunch.

 

[mandas08]

So frustrated. Finally took the time to post and somehow lost it. But I am back and following along

 

[blancah76]

You guys are super cute and I love WL, looking forward to more

 

[afwdwfan]

Don;t worry we were able to eat them all. Though I had to pick up DS and DW's slack to finish them off. Needless to say I wasn't very hungry for lunch.

As long as no donuts went to waste. That would have been a tragedy.

 

[khertz]

So frustrated. Finally took the time to post and somehow lost it. But I am back and following along

Oooh, I HATE when that happens!! I'm happy to see you!!!

I'm editing it to say I totally just did this and I'm so mad!! I have been working on a post for the past 45 minutes, and just lost it!!!!!

You guys are super cute and I love WL, looking forward to more

Aww, thank you!

As long as no donuts went to waste. That would have been a tragedy.

Andy, don't ever worry about a donut's fate with my 2 guys, they make sure they NEVER go to waste!!!!!

 

[khertz]

UGH I'm so pissed, I just typed a freaking novel and had almost a whole post done and lost it! Hopefully I can get back to it tomorrow night and remember everything I had typed up because we have a busy weekend coming up and I definitely want to get an update in before then. Sorry! Hope y'all will stick with me even though my posts are more spaced out than they used to be. Still trying to find a balance now that I am working 5 days a week.

 

[KelleyK75]

UGH I'm so pissed, I just typed a freaking novel and had almost a whole post done and lost it! Hopefully I can get back to it tomorrow night and remember everything I had typed up because we have a busy weekend coming up and I definitely want to get an update in before then. Sorry! Hope y'all will stick with me even though my posts are more spaced out than they used to be. Still trying to find a balance now that I am working 5 days a week.

That stinks. Of course we'll hang with you.

 

[skier_pete]

That's why I type my updates in word and then copy/paste to the thread. I've had that happen enough times I don't need to again. It also gives me the leisure to write it when the spare time allows.

 

[saintstickets]

UGH I'm so pissed, I just typed a freaking novel and had almost a whole post done and lost it! Hopefully I can get back to it tomorrow night and remember everything I had typed up because we have a busy weekend coming up and I definitely want to get an update in before then. Sorry! Hope y'all will stick with me even though my posts are more spaced out than they used to be. Still trying to find a balance now that I am working 5 days a week.

I'm not going anywhere...too interested in what's next in this TR!

That's why I type my updates in word and then copy/paste to the thread. I've had that happen enough times I don't need to again. It also gives me the leisure to write it when the spare time allows.

Ditto...after taking too long to post or at least preview and then being automatically logged out and then losing everything when I logged back in or just doing something stupid like clicking on the wrong thing...I finally learned my lesson to type everything out in MS Word and then copy and paste when it's time for an update!

 

[khertz]

That stinks. Of course we'll hang with you.

That's why I type my updates in word and then copy/paste to the thread. I've had that happen enough times I don't need to again. It also gives me the leisure to write it when the spare time allows.

I'm not going anywhere...too interested in what's next in this TR!


Ditto...after taking too long to post or at least preview and then being automatically logged out and then losing everything when I logged back in or just doing something stupid like clicking on the wrong thing...I finally learned my lesson to type everything out in MS Word and then copy and paste when it's time for an update!

Thanks, y'all, hopefully I can get it redone tonight. Typing it in Word is a great idea. I am using a new-ish laptop and apparently holding down the backspace key for too long starts making you go back in your browsing history! Lesson learned!

 

[khertz]

Day 3: Saturday May 3rd

Despite our excitement at spending the night at the Wilderness Lodge, we didn't have a great first night of sleep. Between the booms of Wishes at 10 pm, DH's phone going off after midnight and the service trucks we could hear beeping in reverse around 2 am (darn that service area view!), we were all pretty restless. DS was so much so that around 4 am I finally got in bed with him so he wouldn't get up for the day ridiculously early. We finally rolled out of bed at 6:40 am to get up and get dressed. DS and I ate leftover donuts while DH went down to the lobby to get the tripod from the rental company. We went down to the car at 7:45 and made the quick drive over to Disney's Hollywood Studios to spend the day!

It was only barely sprinkling when we got there, so we took a chance on the short line that was outside of the overhang since everyone else seemed to be congregated under the cover. DS was not a fan of the light rain, but was content with just the canopy up on his stroller while we waited for the gates to open for morning EMH.

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While it didn't end up raining any harder before we were let into the park, we definitely didn't experience our usual good line karma. The very first person in line had problems with their Magic Band, so we stood there and watched as the people in all of the other lines just streamed into the park ahead of us. So frustrating! One of my biggest nightmares in preparing for the trip was Magic Band malfunctions. With such a limited amount of park time, I was dreading having to spend any time in Guest Relations dealing with any MB problems. Luckily, though, the line started moving and we all got the green Mickey! DS was so excited to get to scan his band.

We walked quickly trying to make up for lost time. After all, everyone was headed straight for the Hat and we wanted to make sure we got a picture of it before it was mobbed!

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Kidding, of course. OBVIOUSLY we were headed for Toy Story Mania! It only had a 5 minute wait. We parked the stroller (yay for the old FP area being covered parking!) and made our way inside. DH and I quickly discussed our ride configuration and decided instead of all three of us squeezing into a row, we would take turns riding with DS and let him have his own shooter.

Excuse how terrible these queue photos are, as I was the one taking them!

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Ooh, look, there's a nice one DH must have taken!


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We went up the stairs, and DS couldn't wait any longer to put on his glasses. Only he didn't quite have them on right...

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Don't worry, we helped him get it right before we made it to the loading point! We decided that DH and DS would ride together first, so I was going solo. DH made sure to capture the excitement of DS getting his own seat and shooter!

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DH said that DS had a BLAST playing! He was still going hardcore even after the ride was over and they were waiting to unload at the platform.

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After our TSM fun, we headed outside to find it had started raining while we were inside so we had to hurry over to the stroller for our rain gear. We had a stroller cover we had bought for our October and thankfully never needed to use. But it definitely came in handy this trip! So we put that on the stroller with DS inside, and DH and I put on our ponchos and we started walking. We didn't get far before realizing that DS's feet were sticking out from under the cover and getting soaked and he was freaking out. I had tried to prep him for getting wet with all the rain, but it, uh…didn’t work. Luckily I had packed a bunch of cheap dollar store ponchos as well, so one of those got tucked around his feet and we kept walking.

Unfortunately the rain was so crazy that we have no pictures from this experience, but we decided to give it a shot on DS's first 40" ride and hit up Star Tours before it got too crazy. He was not too excited about getting out in the rain and having to stand there to be measured, but he did it. The CM warned us that he just barely made it and that we might be turned away at the second checkpoint, but we headed inside anyway. DS was already on edge because of the rain, and the dark inside queue didn't help matters. I was a bad mama and fibbed a bit that we were just going into a room to watch a movie with some glasses on. I might have failed to mention that the seats moved, but whatever.

We actually got past the second checkpoint and no one even asked to measure him. Guess it's now or never! We went inside a theater and sat down. I'm sure you can imagine this ride did not go well! Haha While he wasn't crying and freaking out, he was definitely not a fan and I had to sit hunched over so I could keep my arm around him, which was definitely the opposite of comfortable. It was a little funny because he would start saying, "I want to get off! I want to get off!... I'm tired!" It was so random, and I guess he thought him being tired would necessitate an immediate removal from the ride!

Despite all of that, when we got off and I asked if he liked it, he said yes. Who knows?!

It was still raining heavily when we came out, so DH ran out to get the stroller and came back to get us so we could put DS right in instead of running out into the rain with him. Then we decided to go over to something indoors and sort of long. Disney Jr. hadn't started yet, so we went over to wait for the next showing of Voyage of the Little Mermaid. While this was nothing new to DH and I, we had never managed to see a show with DS in 3 trips! We made it into the first show at 9:15 am.

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For his first time seeing it, DS seemed to enjoy the show overall. Ursula made him a little nervous, but he absolutely loved popping the bubbles when they came raining down! And although he is not the biggest fan of Little Mermaid, he knows I am so he always has to tell me excitedly when a song from the LM soundtrack comes on in the car when we are listening to music, as if I wouldn't know if he didn't tell me. So he was definitely excited to point out throughout the entire show that it was all about the Little Mermaid!

When we came out, it was still pouring down rain, so we figured another longer inside attraction was exactly what we needed. So I'm sure you can guess where we ended up next!

UP NEXT: Where The Magic Begins

 

[shan23877]

Oh too bad that he didn't love Star Tours. So many of those dark rides, you just never know which ones will be scary. I was laughing out loud at "I'm tired" Makes sense to me!

Awesome that he got his own shooter! That's a big boy job!

Gorgeous Little Mermaid photos! Stunning!

 

[MEK]

You may have failed to mention the seats move????



Bad Mommy!



But, hey - he LIKED it! So Score!

Ugh to the rain! It definitely puts a damper on park touring. Get it - damper?

OK, I am such a nerd this morning.

Cute pictures of Paxton on TSM!

 

[FancyNancy]

Great Update! It's so sweet that he wants to make sure you know when some of your favorite Little Mermaid songs are on the radio.

 

[skier_pete]

Boo Yuk, Rain! At least you didn't go to AK! We spent a rainy morning at AK last trip, and that park is really no fun in the rain. The animals don't mind though!

 

[amazingact21]

Don't you just hate when someone has a ticket issue ahead of you in line? I swear, I'm an extremely patient person, but whenever I have to watch dozens of other guests stroll into a park while I'm stuck waiting behind people have who have no idea what they're doing, I get so antsy. Just let me into the park already!



Looks like Paxton was more than ready for his own machine on TSMM. Wow, it is sort of mind boggling to think that I read your report where you celebrated him turning one, and now he's sitting in his own seat and getting on coasters! .
I couldn't help but laugh just a little at the. Star Tours experience. Maybe your DS has learned that a mom never turns down naptime. it's good to hear that there were no meltdowns during the ride and that the rain bothered him more than anything.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh my, I never considered the Fireworks noise you would hear at WL. That would make sleeping tough.

Haha, that was funny... rushing to get a picture of the hat where there's riding to be done.

"I'm tired!!!" That's so cute.

Oh my word those Mermaid photos. Wonderful.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

bummer about the rain - especially when feet are getting went

Glad you son enjoyed TSMM so much though!

Aw, I think it is really tough to gauge how kids will do with Star Tours. Right after my daughter said she liked it but we were talking about it the other day and she said "The Darth Vader ride? I do NOT want to ride that ever again!" - so there's that

That's cute that he points out the Little Mermaid sons when they come on