An obsessive planner learns to go with the flow... Finished and a Link to new PTR

[latexscooter]

I've been off the boards for the past few months because I get depressed post-trip. But now that I've begun planning my 2011 vacation I decided to check out a trip report to get me in the mood. I'm so glad I picked yours and read through all of your posts during lunch at work. Thank you for sharing your trip and your family - I really am enjoying your adventures. Don't be away too long now. I can't wait to read the next post.

 

[-Hope-]

I'm glad you didn't have to cut your day short.

Thanks, me too!

I've been off the boards for the past few months because I get depressed post-trip. But now that I've begun planning my 2011 vacation I decided to check out a trip report to get me in the mood. I'm so glad I picked yours and read through all of your posts during lunch at work. Thank you for sharing your trip and your family - I really am enjoying your adventures. Don't be away too long now. I can't wait to read the next post.

I'm glad you picked mine too!

I know what you mean about the post-trip depression- it's part of the reason it's taken so long for me to get this TR finished! It's raining and I'm bored so I'm about to update right now.

 

[-Hope-]

After that eventful lunch we were ready to have more fun- especially Kya!

We went into Adventureland and walked right on to Pirates. This ride was fun and we especially liked looking for Cap'n Jack. I have to say the animatronic for him was pretty good. While we were in the gift shop I noticed that I had a text from Karen telling me to call her. She had been worried because weather reports showed that we were going to get rained on again but I assured her it was a bright, sunshiney day. She had alternate plans all worked out for us just in case- it's good to have Disney obsessed friends looking out for ya. The kids had fun looking around this gift shop...

Kya found a playset with Stitch in pirate garb so she bought that and we had it sent to package pick-up.

We walked out and saw that Alladin had only a 10 minute wait (I think it was even less than that) so we hopped on. We did have a short wait to get on while they were unloading a wheelchair. It was really cool because the carpet completely converted to be wheelchair friendly. I love that Disney has thought of things like this to make their park accessible to so many. We enjoyed the ride. We had a funny moment when Robbie wasn't expecting the camel to spit and it got him right in the face!

Jungle Cruise had a 20 minute wait so we used our GAD FPs for the first time that day. Jace loved the corny jokes on this ride, especially because Robbie was they guy she picked to keep referring to. Both of the kids really got a kick out of that. I think this ride is cute but probably would have joined it more if we'd done it before the safari- that's just a hard act to follow.

Robbie and the kids did Swiss family tree house while I walked around in a few gift shops. When they finished Kya and I went into a very stylish shop right across from SFT. Cute stuff but out of our price range. The boys rested while we looked around. The gift shop had access to Liberty Square so we went on to Hall of Presidents. It was a nice air conditioned place to relax for a bit and the show was very good. Jace, who devours information, loved it. I even got a little teary eyed when they showed clips of the tragedies that different presidents have faced. The Challenger and 9/11 stuff especially got to me. The animatronics were impressive...

We came out just as the afternoon parade was going by so we stopped to watch...

I have to take a minute to say that the Fairy Godmother reminded me so much of Paula Deen! I just kept waiting for her to say, "Bippity bobbity boo y'all!" Okay, more parade pics...

After the parade we were ready to leave Liberty Square but first we wandered into a gift shop that was full of Jack Skellington goodies! There was some fun stuff in there. Kya, of course, had to try on a hat...

Up next: Fantasyland!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I have to take a minute to say that the Fairy Godmother reminded me so much of Paula Deen! I just kept waiting for her to say, "Bippity bobbity boo y'all!"

Hilarious!

I'm trying to get caught up with all of my subbed threads. Your pictures are beautiful, as always It looks like you guys were really having fun. I'm so glad that you had a nice bright and sunny day that day!

 

[laura428]

Hope, I'm loving your report! And your pictures are just beautiful - not surprising at all to hear you're starting a photography business. You've got a great eye.

And I completely know where you're coming from on the struggle to let go of some of your plans when you want so much to get as much out of it as possible. I'm hoping that I'll be able to relax on the planning myself during our next trip - we leave on Sunday.

Can't wait to read the next installment!

 

[-Hope-]

Hilarious!

I'm trying to get caught up with all of my subbed threads. Your pictures are beautiful, as always It looks like you guys were really having fun. I'm so glad that you had a nice bright and sunny day that day!

It's tough to stay caught up when life gets in the way! Thank you- I love looking back at my pics.

Hope, I'm loving your report! And your pictures are just beautiful - not surprising at all to hear you're starting a photography business. You've got a great eye.

And I completely know where you're coming from on the struggle to let go of some of your plans when you want so much to get as much out of it as possible. I'm hoping that I'll be able to relax on the planning myself during our next trip - we leave on Sunday.

Can't wait to read the next installment!

and thank you! I really encourage you to try to let go- once I did we had so much more fun!

 

[DrMomof3]

I think we went into that same Jack Skellington gift shop. The kids had fun wandering around.
I haven't been to Hall of Presidents since I was about 7. I guess it's time to go back!

Amanda

 

[lexmas]

sounds like a relaxing time. Everyone fights with swords in that gift shop, don't they?

I haven't been in hall of presidents in so long. Interesting that they added video. I will have to try and see it!

Haha she does look like Paula Deen. In general, I would think that the fairy godmother and paula deen would look similar. Same with Mrs. Claus...

 

[-Hope-]

I think we went into that same Jack Skellington gift shop. The kids had fun wandering around.
I haven't been to Hall of Presidents since I was about 7. I guess it's time to go back!

Amanda

That shop was so fun. Definately check out HoP, though your kids might be a little young to enjoy it.

sounds like a relaxing time. Everyone fights with swords in that gift shop, don't they?

I think it's a requirement, lol.

I haven't been in hall of presidents in so long. Interesting that they added video. I will have to try and see it!

The video is really good, I haven't seen it without but I can't imagine it any other way.

Haha she does look like Paula Deen. In general, I would think that the fairy godmother and paula deen would look similar. Same with Mrs. Claus...

Yep, I think you're right. We saw Paula Deen's Christmas magazine cover in the store and she was with her husband who has a white beard and they looked just like Santa and Mrs. Claus.

 

[-Hope-]

After we finished looking around Liberty Square we were going to go to Tomorrowland but as we were walking by the castle the kids wanted to walk through since it had been roped off the last time we were there. So, we decided to do Fantasyland first. (See how well I'm going with the flow by now.)

Philharmagic was walk-in so we did that first. We were all lukewarm about it but thought we'd give it a try. OMG we LOVED it! The descriptions really just don't do this attraction justice. I loved the smells combined with the 3D action- it was almost as good as Soarin'. After it was over I asked Jace how he thinks they make it feel like you're moving and he looked at me and said, "Magic!" like it should be obvious.

Of course we left through another gift shop...

Next we rode Peter Pan. It was a fun ride and Jace remembered a lot more of the story than I thought he would.

Kya was thirsty so we stopped for a snack @ Pinocchio Village Haus, Robbie, Kya and I just got drinks but Jace was hungry so he got water and use his snack credit for an actual snack...

The wait was only 10 minutes for Snow White but the kids didn't really want to ride that much so we skipped it. Dumbo was a 20 minute wait so we decided we'd save it and ride when we came back for MNSSHP. We used our GAD FP for Pooh and were very grateful to have them when we saw the stand-by line. I commented about it to Robbie and the CM saw our Volunteer buttons and said, "Aren't you glad you volunteered!" This was a cute ride and Kya enjoyed it.

That was it for Fantasyland since we'd done the carousel and sword in the stone earlier in the week. Up next Tomorrowland, MSEP and Wishes...

 

[latexscooter]

That picture from Philharmagic is incredible. You really are a great photographer! I wish you were in my neck of the woods because I'd hire you for all sorts of things.

Thanks for the update.

 

[-Hope-]

That picture from Philharmagic is incredible. You really are a great photographer! I wish you were in my neck of the woods because I'd hire you for all sorts of things.

Thanks for the update.

Thank you! You are so sweet.

 

[lexmas]

Sounds like a nice little unscheduled trip into fantasyland. How it melts my heart to hear him say "Magic!". It makes whatever lesson about perception that should have gone there just completely irrelevant.

Yummy snack. We ate there, but we didn't think the food was great. The drinks were fine, I'm sure!

Pooh was down while we were there, but I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I like the one at Disneyland a lot, so I don't really remember the WDW one.

 

[-Hope-]

I'm going to try to finish MK today. It was really one of our best days but long so it's taking a while to get it all written out.

As we walked out of Fantasyland (no need to go to Toontown, we'd done that on arrival day) to Tomorrowland Jace decided he wanted to give the Speedway a try even though he'd said it looked lame the first time he saw it. Kya wanted to ride with Robbie and Jace wanted to go alone. I really had no desire to go by myself so I grabbed a free ice water (thank you DISers) and sat up in the Grand Stand.

Neither of the kids really liked this and we definately could have skipped it but some things they have to figure out for themselves.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin was next. This was a fun ride and the kids really enjoyed it. Jace really liked that he got the high score since he hadn't been able to beat Robbie at TSM. Of course we went out through another gift shop...

Stitch was next. Stitch is Kya's favorite character so there was no skipping this one despite the reviews here on the DIS. When we walked in there was a robot talking to us about our 'assignment'. I took a picture WITHOUT flash and the CM was extremely rude. She told me that no photography was allowed. I'm fine with that but there were no signs and no announcement had been made and she was really snippy with me. I still can't understand why no photography of any kind was allowed when most rides just restrict it to no flash. Then into a room where we sit and look at a tube with an anamotronic Stitch. The seats don't move but there are things that spray water, speakers, and some not pleasant smells. From the reviews on the DIS I thought it was a Stitch related stink bomb or something but after actually doing the attraction (I don't think of it as a ride since the seats are stationary) I think its just the smell of the fog machine. When Stitch escapes from the tube you can hear him behind you and then he bounces on the shoulder harness- not cool at all. Robbie broke his collarbone a few years ago and it is still sensitive and this little trick actually hurt him. Robbie and I didn't enjoy this at all, Jace thought it was okay and Kya loved it. My suggestion is that unless you have someone who just loves Stitch, skip this one!

After Stitch we walked over to Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. This show was funny but not as funny as Turtle Talk with Crush and it's the same basic premise.

We were pretty hungry at this point so we headed over to Cosmic Ray's for dinner...

Kya and I both had the chicken though hers was smaller than mine. (Sorry about the bites out of my meal- I almost forgot to take a pic!) Robbie had the chili dog and Jace had a burger- which I didn't take a picture of becasue they're all pretty much the same, lol. We loved the food and the variety here and there was so much! I didn't even eat all of mine because there was really enough for two people.

At this point we should have gone to look for a spot for parade viewing but the sun was setting and I knew I could get some pics on the TTA that would be worth it and since it was walk on we decided to do that first...

We still hadn't done CoP but knew we'd back for the party so we decided to wait on that one. We walked into the hub and I was NOT ready for the crowd that awaited me! There was no place left to stand or sit ANYWHERE and it was about 40 minutes until the parade! All the rides had been pretty much walk-on all day so I'm not sure where all these people came from! We walked back toward Liberty Square hoping we could find a decent place there. We finally found a decent place in front of HoP. We still had about 20 minutes or so until the parade started so the kids got all decked out in their glow bracelets/necklaces I'd brought...

These would probably be a great idea for little kids but it doesn't deter big kids from wanting the light up glowing things they sell right before the MSEP. Thankfully my kids were in charge of their own souvenir money and realized that a light up balloon they can't take back home isn't the way to spend it.
When it was time for the actual parade they moved the rope that had left a walking path and the kids were able to move right up front. Robbie and I still hung back to let the kids in the area have better viewing. I'm just amazed at adults who won't let kids stand in front of them, I mean, you can see over their heads but they can't see over yours so this should be a no brainer. I'm pretty short and we were in the back and I still managed to get some good pics so I'm not sure why people have to be so rude, especially to kids. (There was really just one woman in particular who pushed my buttons but it still bothers me!)

The parade was good but a little long for our taste, we just aren't really parade people.

Now it was off to find a spot for Wishes!! It was so crowded that we ended up watching from the hub because we didn't want to fight the crowds any more. While we were waiting a little girl all decked out in a Tiana gown hiked her dress up and peed over one of the grates!! Her mother was mortified and Jace refused to sit on the ground after that.

Wishes was AMAZING! The hub was a really great place for viewing. Not a great place for pictures but I managed to get a few half-way decent shots...

I finally had to stop trying to get pictures though so I could enjoy the show- it just doesn't have the same effect through the lens of a camera.

Walking out was CRAZY! We'd been at the MK for about 12 hours at this point and we were exhausted. The adreline that had kept us going all day was gone, the show was over and we just wanted to be in bed. That was not going to happen quickly though. The walk down MS was slow because of the crowds. I spotted a camera shop but was too tired to go in so I thought I'd come back on the night of MNSSHP. We had to stop at package pick-up to get the playset Kya bought at PotC. When we walked out and saw the line for the buses we were just amazed!

There were some benches by the water and we just sat down and waited. I figured I'd rather wait a bit longer and be sitting than stand in a bus line for an hour. We were pretty close to the back of people leaving MK since we'd stopped at package pick-up so the line wasn't going to get much longer anyway. While we were sitting I made a desperate call to Karen to see if she knew where we could get a cab. She suggested walking over to the Contemporary but that just seemed too daunting so we waited. We finally caught the second to last bus back to the resort at about 11:00. The kids caught their second wind and played with the playset for a bit while I wrote about our day in my trip journal. We went to bed exhausted but happy- it had been a GREAT day!

Up next... back to Epcot!

 

[-Hope-]

Sounds like a nice little unscheduled trip into fantasyland. How it melts my heart to hear him say "Magic!". It makes whatever lesson about perception that should have gone there just completely irrelevant.

Yummy snack. We ate there, but we didn't think the food was great. The drinks were fine, I'm sure!

Pooh was down while we were there, but I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it! I like the one at Disneyland a lot, so I don't really remember the WDW one.

Yep, that Magic comment made my day. Your kids are a great age to enjoy Pooh so it should definately go on your list for next time.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

That is a wonderful MK update, Hope and of course, your pics are absolutely beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[MagicShell]

I'm glad you had a great MK day. Your pictures are great. Thanks for sharing them.

 

[-Hope-]

That is a wonderful MK update, Hope and of course, your pics are absolutely beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

Thanks Ann!

I'm glad you had a great MK day. Your pictures are great. Thanks for sharing them.

Thanks!

 

[lexmas]

Whoops, missed an update! And it was such a good one!

I can't stand the Stitch ride. It was a REALLY good ride before they turned it into Stitch, and I can't forget how wonderful it used to be!

The pictures from TTA are beautiful!

MMM...I really liked Cosmic Rays. So much to eat. And they had that cheese sauce that I am still very addicted to, even though I'm normally against processed foods.

It does get crazy on Main Street, and very early. But I"m glad you got a good spot elsewhere. I kind of enjoyed watching the parade from places that were not Main Street.

And...oh my goodness about that little girl! SOOOO funny that Jace refused to sit on the ground any time after that. Her mother must have been so embarassed. That easily could have been me...the first day we were there J.J. kept waiting until the last minute to pee and then telling me "oh it's okay, I'll just pee right here" and started to pull his pants down every time. Serves me right for letting him pee in the backyard. He gets a little confused about all outside being for peeing sometimes.

The pictures of the parade and the fireworks turned out beautifully! Mine did not. But that's okay. I'll just look at yours and imagine they are mine. Haha.

It sounds like a wonderful end to a wonderful, exhausting day!

 

[DrMomof3]

What a great day at MK!!!

Amanda