allie5
<font color=blue>WARNING! DHL men should be cautio
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2002
- Messages
- 1,572
Saturday June 28th. Up with the larks (and Armadillos) this morning. On DHs morning wander by the pool he announces that our armadillo is back with two itty bitty oh so cute BABY ones with her. Sigh, its a heart warming moment
I fashion some brekkie out of eggs, slightly old bread and juice. My cunning plan to burn the toast works, as now the bread isnt stale, just charcoal and no one is the wiser. Im glad I dont eat breakfast The phone rings shortly after my tasty feast, DH answers and whispers " I think its your axe murderer friend". Oh, hes right! Its one of my internet buddies, Marion, calling to see if we are still on for the meet at the Premium Outlets. We had arranged to try and meet up as we were both going to be at WDW at the same time. We met on a Disney board (not the DIS, Im sorry to say!!). Its a running joke with my husband that I meet up with a lot Disney nuts that I befriend on the net, and he is always convinced they are going to be axe murders or terminally weird (they never are of course!!). Marion divulges that she has been a Grand marshal this week....how exciting! I cant wait to hear all about it and we arrange to meet at 10am at the character warehouse. Unfortunately, Donna, another Disney Internet pal cant make it as we had hoped, so it will be Marion and her DD.
I hastily throw on my identifying Disney T shirt and put DS in his as well. He had refused my lovely breakfast this morning, so I was confident it might remain white for at least the next 45 mins. DD had decided all she wanted to do today was swimming so mum was staying behind on Pool Duty whilst DH, DS and myself headed off to the Premium Outlets. On the way there, driving past Animal Kingdom, I kick myself, as we could have easily picked up Marion on the way past (she is staying at the Lodge) , but hadnt given it a thought...oh well, maybe we can bring them back.
We arrive a little late as DH wanted "something decent to eat" on the way. Apparantly Mr Ronald Mcdonald makes a nicer breakfast than I do. Hrrmmphh. Once at the Character Warehouse I keep a keen eye open for a lady in a stripey Mickey shirt and with a limp (she has a broken ankle). Yes! We find each other pretty easily and are soon catching up on all the Disney stuff we have both done this vacation! I was pretty hyped at riding Mission: Space but she had me well and truly beat with being a Grand Marshal at the Share a Dream Come True Parade!!!!!! That is such awesome news and Im really excited for her......it sounded an AMAZING experience. Her DD told us the story of how they were chosen and the excitement shining in her eyes was unreal!
We probably would have stood there for hours, but I knew DH would start to get tetchy being in a retail environment for too long so I ask Marion if she would like a lift back to the lodge after we all finish up our shopping....its agreed and we meet back in an hour or so, bags in hand! Ms DD is a riot and I wish SO MUCH my DD was here too as they would have got on amazingly well! DS is pretty taken with her, especially as she shares her french fries with him in the back of the car.....I think he thought he was in heaven!!
Once back at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Marion invites us for a look round, which of course, we do! Her DD then takes charge of DS for me, and wheels him off like a seasoned pro in his stroller! I dont think he ever went so fast and he loved it! M gives us a nice tour of AKL lodge pool area. It looks wonderful, and my view of the lodge changes today......previously I had thought it a bit dark and dreary, but seeing the pool and spas made me rethink...yeah, I WOULD like to stay here after all! Time to say our goodbyes....it was wonderful to meet Marion and DD "in the flesh" and she is as cool and funny in "real life" as she is on the internet!!! I hope we can meet up again on another trip!
Back a the villa, DD is all swum out and now wants to go out. DS is crashed after his eventful morning and mum wants to shower and clean up after her swim. We leave mum and DS and take DD to TGIs for a quick lunch. She shares some fajitas with me and asks to go to Epcot to finish her mask. I had booked the Ice Cream Social this afternoon, but time was getting on. DS was STILL asleep when we got back, so I called WDW-DINE to cancel the social as we werent going to make it. We eventually leave for the park at 2.30pm!
We arrive at the gates at 3pm and head over to do our Leave a Legacy. Im sure the price has changed here as I was only charged $25 to have both children in a photo....Im sure it used to be $38??? Oh well, Im not going to complain! DD is reluctant to have her picture done, until the CM told her she had to stand on a HUGE magical tower that was very, very special (think a pile of coloured boxes)...crafty work, Mr CM, I like your style. DD duly climbed up on said magical tower and beamed serenely at the camera. DS was caught mid frown, but hey, one out of two aint bad! We were told to expect the location of the photo in about 8 weeks (in fact, it arrived in two, in a wonderful presentation pack...10/10!).
Decide to rent another stroller for DD after the success last time. We do the last bits of Innoventions that we had missed before and pay another visit to Ice Station Cool. Then we head off to the World Showcase. As we wander through Canada, the smell coming from Le Cellier is truly amazing! I put this in top spot of places to eat Without Kids in the future!! In the UK, Pooh and Tigger are doing photo calls, so DD gets in line. Whilst in here, the heavens open outside and we struggle to put on ponchos in the tiny little shop. Poncho vs delicate knick knacks isnt a perfect match and its more by luck than judgement that we dont come out owning a few thousand fragments of fine English Bone China.
Outside the rain is down to an annoying drizzle....not quite light enough for no poncho but not heavy enough to be cool. Mum has on a very English kagoule from Marks and Sparks that is utter rubbish at keeping anything bigger than a dormouse dry. She has to relent and buy a big yellow Mickey one in Japan! While we are in the department store, there is a lady doing Origami...DD goes over to have a go and this obnoxious boy pushes her out of the way....cue tears. LOVELY Japansese Origami lady smiles at DD and says "come back in 5 minutes and we do something special". Flow of tears stops and DD is placated by this. When we go back to the Origami lady she is mobbed by kids, but she stood up and got DD out right from the back to join her at the table. DD is mesmerised by her.....she is so pretty, with traditional white painted face and silk robes, she is more of a Princess to DD than Belle today!! DD gets to make a very complex origami pattern and is chuffed to bits that it worked just like the one the Origami lady made. A neat memento for her scrapbook!
Funnily enough, I had another hankering for a wander around Morocco, after all, mum hadnt met Jasmine yet, or (ahem) Aladdin. When we got there, would you believe it, but Jasmine had a prior engagement and had already left via Magic Carpet for tonights Fantasmic. That only left that poor boy Aladdin, all on his lonesome just waiting for the right woman to rub his lamp. There appeared to be quite a lot of willing "lamp rubbers" and I join the queue of hopefull ladies, ready for a photo and a wish .
DD had almost finished her mask now.....she was impressed that the lady in China wrote her name in Chinese on the mask. DH took her on El Rio De Tempo in Mexico whilst I took DS for a nappy change and a feed at the baby center. I am now on one to one terms with the Epcot Baby Center lady, who seems to actually live in there, as whenever I go in, she is there, come day or night! I like the Epcot Baby Center the best, as it is the biggest and quietest (MGM won the Worst One Award!!).
DD and Mum are hungry....now they have The World at their feet..I offer them tacos in Mexico, wonderful sandwiches in Norway, noodles or rice in China, pasta in Italy....etc, etc.....what do they choose?? Flaming chicken Mcnuggets from the Maccy Ds hut!! No taste or refinement! DH and I are still full from our TGIs lunch so dont press the issue too much! DH duly gets in the huge line and comes back with a startling array of.....chicken nuggets. Oh and some fries. Yum. Not.
Anyway, the upside to this is that we have secured a pretty nice bench to watch Illuminations from. Again, we take it in turns to shop, stroll and stretch our legs. At this point we all talk about the Tapestry Of Dreams parade which we all loved so much. Its such a shame this has gone, as it was always one of the best Disney moments. Ah well, maybe something new will be announced soon.
Illuminations starts a little late tonight, but is spectacular as always. Its such a clever show, and I love the way the globe moves accross the water. DH thinks the fireworks here are the best out of all the parks and I agree. This show always seems to keep everyone enchanted to the very end.....well, everyone except my son, who tonight doesnt like fireworks. Not one bit. In the end I have to wrap his Mickey comforter round his head so he cant hear them so much. He loved the Magic Kingdom ones, but I guess these were a bit too intense. Oh no, I suddenly think about our Fantasmic Dinner Package.....Now I have a toddler who will be scared witless by the dragons and snakes and a baby who doesnt like loud bangs and flashes. I can feel Fantasmic having to be scrapped. Desicion will have to be made tomorrow.
Bit of a disaster going back to the car......we all get disorientated and end up in the bus park???? Miles away from our car! It takes forever to find our way back and dont get home till 10pm.....another chance to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from outside the villa!
Tomorrow: DVC Open House, MGM & Storm!
I fashion some brekkie out of eggs, slightly old bread and juice. My cunning plan to burn the toast works, as now the bread isnt stale, just charcoal and no one is the wiser. Im glad I dont eat breakfast The phone rings shortly after my tasty feast, DH answers and whispers " I think its your axe murderer friend". Oh, hes right! Its one of my internet buddies, Marion, calling to see if we are still on for the meet at the Premium Outlets. We had arranged to try and meet up as we were both going to be at WDW at the same time. We met on a Disney board (not the DIS, Im sorry to say!!). Its a running joke with my husband that I meet up with a lot Disney nuts that I befriend on the net, and he is always convinced they are going to be axe murders or terminally weird (they never are of course!!). Marion divulges that she has been a Grand marshal this week....how exciting! I cant wait to hear all about it and we arrange to meet at 10am at the character warehouse. Unfortunately, Donna, another Disney Internet pal cant make it as we had hoped, so it will be Marion and her DD.
I hastily throw on my identifying Disney T shirt and put DS in his as well. He had refused my lovely breakfast this morning, so I was confident it might remain white for at least the next 45 mins. DD had decided all she wanted to do today was swimming so mum was staying behind on Pool Duty whilst DH, DS and myself headed off to the Premium Outlets. On the way there, driving past Animal Kingdom, I kick myself, as we could have easily picked up Marion on the way past (she is staying at the Lodge) , but hadnt given it a thought...oh well, maybe we can bring them back.
We arrive a little late as DH wanted "something decent to eat" on the way. Apparantly Mr Ronald Mcdonald makes a nicer breakfast than I do. Hrrmmphh. Once at the Character Warehouse I keep a keen eye open for a lady in a stripey Mickey shirt and with a limp (she has a broken ankle). Yes! We find each other pretty easily and are soon catching up on all the Disney stuff we have both done this vacation! I was pretty hyped at riding Mission: Space but she had me well and truly beat with being a Grand Marshal at the Share a Dream Come True Parade!!!!!! That is such awesome news and Im really excited for her......it sounded an AMAZING experience. Her DD told us the story of how they were chosen and the excitement shining in her eyes was unreal!
We probably would have stood there for hours, but I knew DH would start to get tetchy being in a retail environment for too long so I ask Marion if she would like a lift back to the lodge after we all finish up our shopping....its agreed and we meet back in an hour or so, bags in hand! Ms DD is a riot and I wish SO MUCH my DD was here too as they would have got on amazingly well! DS is pretty taken with her, especially as she shares her french fries with him in the back of the car.....I think he thought he was in heaven!!
Once back at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Marion invites us for a look round, which of course, we do! Her DD then takes charge of DS for me, and wheels him off like a seasoned pro in his stroller! I dont think he ever went so fast and he loved it! M gives us a nice tour of AKL lodge pool area. It looks wonderful, and my view of the lodge changes today......previously I had thought it a bit dark and dreary, but seeing the pool and spas made me rethink...yeah, I WOULD like to stay here after all! Time to say our goodbyes....it was wonderful to meet Marion and DD "in the flesh" and she is as cool and funny in "real life" as she is on the internet!!! I hope we can meet up again on another trip!
Back a the villa, DD is all swum out and now wants to go out. DS is crashed after his eventful morning and mum wants to shower and clean up after her swim. We leave mum and DS and take DD to TGIs for a quick lunch. She shares some fajitas with me and asks to go to Epcot to finish her mask. I had booked the Ice Cream Social this afternoon, but time was getting on. DS was STILL asleep when we got back, so I called WDW-DINE to cancel the social as we werent going to make it. We eventually leave for the park at 2.30pm!
We arrive at the gates at 3pm and head over to do our Leave a Legacy. Im sure the price has changed here as I was only charged $25 to have both children in a photo....Im sure it used to be $38??? Oh well, Im not going to complain! DD is reluctant to have her picture done, until the CM told her she had to stand on a HUGE magical tower that was very, very special (think a pile of coloured boxes)...crafty work, Mr CM, I like your style. DD duly climbed up on said magical tower and beamed serenely at the camera. DS was caught mid frown, but hey, one out of two aint bad! We were told to expect the location of the photo in about 8 weeks (in fact, it arrived in two, in a wonderful presentation pack...10/10!).
Decide to rent another stroller for DD after the success last time. We do the last bits of Innoventions that we had missed before and pay another visit to Ice Station Cool. Then we head off to the World Showcase. As we wander through Canada, the smell coming from Le Cellier is truly amazing! I put this in top spot of places to eat Without Kids in the future!! In the UK, Pooh and Tigger are doing photo calls, so DD gets in line. Whilst in here, the heavens open outside and we struggle to put on ponchos in the tiny little shop. Poncho vs delicate knick knacks isnt a perfect match and its more by luck than judgement that we dont come out owning a few thousand fragments of fine English Bone China.
Outside the rain is down to an annoying drizzle....not quite light enough for no poncho but not heavy enough to be cool. Mum has on a very English kagoule from Marks and Sparks that is utter rubbish at keeping anything bigger than a dormouse dry. She has to relent and buy a big yellow Mickey one in Japan! While we are in the department store, there is a lady doing Origami...DD goes over to have a go and this obnoxious boy pushes her out of the way....cue tears. LOVELY Japansese Origami lady smiles at DD and says "come back in 5 minutes and we do something special". Flow of tears stops and DD is placated by this. When we go back to the Origami lady she is mobbed by kids, but she stood up and got DD out right from the back to join her at the table. DD is mesmerised by her.....she is so pretty, with traditional white painted face and silk robes, she is more of a Princess to DD than Belle today!! DD gets to make a very complex origami pattern and is chuffed to bits that it worked just like the one the Origami lady made. A neat memento for her scrapbook!
Funnily enough, I had another hankering for a wander around Morocco, after all, mum hadnt met Jasmine yet, or (ahem) Aladdin. When we got there, would you believe it, but Jasmine had a prior engagement and had already left via Magic Carpet for tonights Fantasmic. That only left that poor boy Aladdin, all on his lonesome just waiting for the right woman to rub his lamp. There appeared to be quite a lot of willing "lamp rubbers" and I join the queue of hopefull ladies, ready for a photo and a wish .
DD had almost finished her mask now.....she was impressed that the lady in China wrote her name in Chinese on the mask. DH took her on El Rio De Tempo in Mexico whilst I took DS for a nappy change and a feed at the baby center. I am now on one to one terms with the Epcot Baby Center lady, who seems to actually live in there, as whenever I go in, she is there, come day or night! I like the Epcot Baby Center the best, as it is the biggest and quietest (MGM won the Worst One Award!!).
DD and Mum are hungry....now they have The World at their feet..I offer them tacos in Mexico, wonderful sandwiches in Norway, noodles or rice in China, pasta in Italy....etc, etc.....what do they choose?? Flaming chicken Mcnuggets from the Maccy Ds hut!! No taste or refinement! DH and I are still full from our TGIs lunch so dont press the issue too much! DH duly gets in the huge line and comes back with a startling array of.....chicken nuggets. Oh and some fries. Yum. Not.
Anyway, the upside to this is that we have secured a pretty nice bench to watch Illuminations from. Again, we take it in turns to shop, stroll and stretch our legs. At this point we all talk about the Tapestry Of Dreams parade which we all loved so much. Its such a shame this has gone, as it was always one of the best Disney moments. Ah well, maybe something new will be announced soon.
Illuminations starts a little late tonight, but is spectacular as always. Its such a clever show, and I love the way the globe moves accross the water. DH thinks the fireworks here are the best out of all the parks and I agree. This show always seems to keep everyone enchanted to the very end.....well, everyone except my son, who tonight doesnt like fireworks. Not one bit. In the end I have to wrap his Mickey comforter round his head so he cant hear them so much. He loved the Magic Kingdom ones, but I guess these were a bit too intense. Oh no, I suddenly think about our Fantasmic Dinner Package.....Now I have a toddler who will be scared witless by the dragons and snakes and a baby who doesnt like loud bangs and flashes. I can feel Fantasmic having to be scrapped. Desicion will have to be made tomorrow.
Bit of a disaster going back to the car......we all get disorientated and end up in the bus park???? Miles away from our car! It takes forever to find our way back and dont get home till 10pm.....another chance to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from outside the villa!
Tomorrow: DVC Open House, MGM & Storm!
