"Are you done with that?!" A photo heavy, gluttonous, Jan 2012 Trip Report! NEW PG32

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Love, Love, LOVE your trip report! My son and I have read all the posts, we are having such a good time reading it. I am a vegan and plan to go vegetarian on our trip so I am totally enjoying all your thoughts on the food. Can't wait for the next installment. Oh, and your pictures are great!

Thank you and welcome! How fun that your son is reading with you! How old is he? When are you going?!?! It is DEFINITELY easier to eat vegetarian than vegan at WDW, although many of the veggie options can be made vegan...but to me it wasn't worth the loss in taste!...ok, and dessert options! I know it's not the norm to think that way, but I've been a vegan for 7 years and I do the best I can, but I'm not perfect and if I eat some cheese or milk on vacation for a week, I don't beat myself up about it!

 

[jpmom97]

Thank you and welcome! How fun that your son is reading with you! How old is he? When are you going?!?! It is DEFINITELY easier to eat vegetarian than vegan at WDW, although many of the veggie options can be made vegan...but to me it wasn't worth the loss in taste!...ok, and dessert options! I know it's not the norm to think that way, but I've been a vegan for 7 years and I do the best I can, but I'm not perfect and if I eat some cheese or milk on vacation for a week, I don't beat myself up about it!

My son is 14, he loves Disney just as much as I do. He is my trip planning assistant We will be going January 13-24 2013. I have been vegan for a year but I am not perfect either. Around the holidays I did eat some cookies w/ eggs in them. I don't mind cheating once and a while. I am a vegan for health, helping animals is a plus. I can't wait to read more of your trip report.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

My son is 14, he loves Disney just as much as I do. He is my trip planning assistant We will be going January 13-24 2013. I have been vegan for a year but I am not perfect either. Around the holidays I did eat some cookies w/ eggs in them. I don't mind cheating once and a while. I am a vegan for health, helping animals is a plus. I can't wait to read more of your trip report.

That's a lot like me! How cool that he's your helper! I'm going back in Feb. 2013, we'll have to keep each other company in our PTR's until then!

 

[3DisneyKids]

All of us hardcore Disney types need to get used to the sad fact that the truly DOWN/empty times are gone. Sure, September and January are still way better the the holidays and the summer. But not how they used to be. We can thanks sites like the DIS for that. :good vibes Seriously, all of the fan sites and tips that are out there have driven people who do a bit of homework to the parks during what are supposed to be the better times to go. So now there is much less discrepancy between what is considered "low" season and "high" season. *sigh* I miss those truly truly empty days. I'll see if I can dig out my old pics from a September trip like 10+ years ago. You want empty MK??? OMG. All day long we could get pics in front of the castle without mobs of people in it.

Keep the pics coming, Karen. Sounds like an awesome first day! And a good variety, too. Not all day park commando. Lots of good park time, but time to tour AK and of course time for a swim. That's a great Disney day in my book!

We ADORE staying at Kidani! It is one my kids' favorite resorts. Like true DISers, they don't have a single favorite...they prefer different resorts based on the type of trip we are doing. If we are doing a trip with lots of down time/resort time/pool time and minimal park time...AKV-Kidani is the top of the list.

 

[akayek31]

I really need to get some of those zebra domes. I say it every trip but never make it to AKL.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

All of us hardcore Disney types need to get used to the sad fact that the truly DOWN/empty times are gone. Sure, September and January are still way better the the holidays and the summer. But not how they used to be. We can thanks sites like the DIS for that. :good vibes Seriously, all of the fan sites and tips that are out there have driven people who do a bit of homework to the parks during what are supposed to be the better times to go. So now there is much less discrepancy between what is considered "low" season and "high" season. *sigh* I miss those truly truly empty days. I'll see if I can dig out my old pics from a September trip like 10+ years ago. You want empty MK??? OMG. All day long we could get pics in front of the castle without mobs of people in it.

Keep the pics coming, Karen. Sounds like an awesome first day! And a good variety, too. Not all day park commando. Lots of good park time, but time to tour AK and of course time for a swim. That's a great Disney day in my book!

We ADORE staying at Kidani! It is one my kids' favorite resorts. Like true DISers, they don't have a single favorite...they prefer different resorts based on the type of trip we are doing. If we are doing a trip with lots of down time/resort time/pool time and minimal park time...AKV-Kidani is the top of the list.

E! I agree, I think WDW is also becoming more and more busy b/c the population (and population of people able to go) is growing but Disney can't keep up. There are just more people in general. I did notice that Disney is struggling to keep afloat with these crowds as well, keeping trash picked up, gum off the ground, paint chipping. NOTHING that would bother my trip at all, but just something I noticed b/c they used to be known for these meticulous things and I think just the sheer number of people coming to Disney is making it harder for them to keep that standard.

I'm going to have to crunch some numbers, I really would like a long weekend (or 3 nights, looks like weekdays would be better anyway!) with Rey at WDW, but not sure when we will plan for it. I'm almost positive that AKL will be top on the list of resorts!

I really need to get some of those zebra domes. I say it every trip but never make it to AKL.

They are good! I liked the little pumpkin tasting cheesecake as well though, and I think you could eat that soup for dessert, it was so good! So there are lots of yummy dessert options at Boma!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Park day 2! Epcot!! Monday, January 30th

Oh my aching feet! (I know Liz, I know!) Woke up with my PF really hurting, but once I walked around a bit I was good. This morning I headed down to get my coffee early, this was my little routine in the morning since I wake up before everyone else! I had one of my babycakes donuts...OMG, it was good! I can't believe there is no gluten and it's vegan. It was called crunch doughnut or something (yep, attention to detail Karen!)

I finished writing in my journal about the previous day and started getting everyone up. Everyone was pretty good about getting up, the girls were dragging a little. They ate in the room (poptarts, cereal) and we got on our way around 8am. I realized we were going to be early...GOOD! This is my forte, I like being early. Uhm, but my family does not.

We arrived at 8:20 and I told them they had not been doing traditional rope drop anymore and sometimes had been letting people in at 8:30 or 8:45. This is the face I got from nearly everyone:

Seriously people? We are at Disney World! I would stand in RD line for hours if it meant I was in sunny Florida at Disney. I guess that's just me. I didn't do so well not taking on their feelings about it, but they finally started letting people in at 8:50 and once we were in, they were good. I passed on getting a photo at that time b/c I figured everyone would look grumpy.

We saw Daisy Duck and Leslee wanted her autograph, so Rey took the girls to meet her and the boys and I headed to Soarin for FPs. We were going to meet at Mission Space after that. Letting people in slowly, instead of RD, helped a bit to thin the mass of people going to Soarin. We took our time and enjoyed but I saw people running still.

We came out of The Land and headed toward Mission Space.

When we arrived, Rey & the girls were not there.

We waited, and waited...and called...no answer. Finally Rey calls Dylan and Dylan turns toward the path to Test Track and I see them...running from TT with big grins on their faces.

WHAT?!?!? After seeing Daisy, they had gone to Mission Space and could see there was no wait for TT, so they had just walked on. AND, when they got finished, there was NO line at all, so the CM's told them to just stay seated and they rode again! WOOT! Well, woot for them, I was completely jealous and annoyed that I didn't get to go! You can't do that without ME!

So after griping at Rey that it was no fair, (and him reminding me that I did the very same thing for EE in 2009) I grinned and took off towards TT! They followed, naturally.

It only took about 5-10 for TT, came out and grabbed FP's for later. This ended up being Leslee's favorite ride, I think. The girls couldn't get enough of it!

We headed back over to Mission Space where Dylan was waiting and I told them to go ahead in, I was worried about the virtual stuff, I always get sick with virtual/video stuff for some reason? Savannah didn't seem to want to go without me, but she did...only to change her mind while in there, so they all came back out? Never did ride it, I'm not sure what happened there. I think just fear of the unknown, I guess I should have gone, she would have felt more secure.

We moseyed over to a stand and the girls got a soda, I think. Dallas was REALLY enjoying Epcot, he said he really liked the relaxed feel...and we were laughing b/c he kept meandering off, just strolling along watching people and taking it all in...

There were no crowds either! I thought maybe our previous day was just a fluke since I had gone on a not-the-best-recommended day. But this was a Monday at Epcot, what could be better, right? Let's wait and see about that...

We headed towards the Seas and stopped into Innovations. My kids didn't want to do any of it?!?!? Maybe a little too young for them or too much like the Science center, but I didn't dwell on it, if you aren't interested, there are many more things to see! We did stop to enjoy the Jamminators (sp?) on the way, we love them!

Nemo was walk on

I had never been on it and it was fine, the girls liked it and liked looking around afterwards and in the gift shop. Leslee did buy a Dory fish, but not then, I think she got it later at DTD. We headed towards The LAND, the guys never got to go on Living with The Land last time and I hadn't been on it since our first trip, so I was excited to ride again.

Cute moment for me...so we are riding and we come along the "country farm house" scene below and at the EXACT same time, Dylan and I say "LOOK, we're HOME." It was hilarious! (you would find this funnier if you realize that we do NOT, in fact, live in a farm house, but in a rural area...and it's a matter of contention sometimes that we live out in the middle of nowhere)

One of my favorite things!

I love how Disney is working to find ways to grow things more sustainably and without depleting soil, etc. I find it fascinating! Savannah wasn't super pleased with the fish farming section, ooops...I guess she was young enough last time she didn't notice.

It was time for some lunch! Up next, a not-so-magical lunch at Sunshine Seasons.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Epcot-Day 2 continued

Ok, I'm going to make this as brief as possible b/c I'm actually dreading typing it out. It was the most un-magical experience of the trip and I don't want to dwell on it....

We headed to lunch at Sunshine Seasons, I had eaten here in 2008 and they have good veggie options. As we walked around the stations trying to find something for Savannah, we realized that there really wasn't anything on the adult menu that she wanted. I went up to the section that had mac-n-cheese for kids meals and asked if she could have an "adult portion" of mac-n-cheese since she was on the adult plan (which includes an adult dessert and drink) The answer was NO, but they could give her a kids size. Ok, whatever.

The previous day they had given her the kids meal but then let her get the dessert and drink adult size (b/c the kid meal only has a tiny drink and a cookie...no dessert choice). So, we gather everything, including an adult size drink and dessert and head to check out. Nope. Not gonna happen. I spend the next 10 minutes trying to explain to the CM that she had an ADULT CREDIT to spend but wanted mac-n-cheese and she would not give. Rey ended up having to use two of his snack credits to cover her dessert and drink. It may not sound like a big deal, really, by the story, but to stand and argue with a CM for 10 minutes is really not my idea of magical, I felt "icky" after that, if that makes sense. I also didn't want to be one of THOSE people, you know, the ones that think they are entitled and yell at CM's about how much money they spent, etc.

As a follow up, the next morning, bright and early, I went to the PoP desk and talked to a CM that told me that the CM was wrong and that next time I should ask for a manager. BUT, she didn't offer to refund our snack credits or anything.

So...Rey was pretty upset, but I took my pictures and we ate. The food was great, I just wish we could have resolved the situation differently. This unfortunately wasn't the end of issues with Savannah eating, but it was the worst of it.
My veggie lunch-

my cupcake was really good, even if it was kind of falling over!

Dallas had a sandwich, which he said was good-

Dylan, Rey, and Leslee had Chinese of some sort, but Rey was annoyed enough that I didn't ask to photograph his food.

after eating, I focused on getting a shot I've been wanting to get for a while. I just love these balloons in The Land.

We needed a perk-me-up, so after we finished, we headed straight to Soarin!

We all loved it, naturally! We were on the bottom row, which I've never been on, but I think it was just as good!

After Soarin' we headed out to World Showcase! I pretty much figured that Rey's favorite place in all of WDW would un-grump him, and I was right.

We headed towards Mexico, but not without a little Duffy-fun first. Backstory: Savannah doesn't like Duffy, she thinks it's strange that he came out of nowhere, so it was kind of a joke the whole trip whenever we saw him, signs for him, stuffed animals for him, merchandise...it went on and on and the more Duffy stuff, the more she (jokingly) freaked out. She was super annoyed that ALL the country stamps in the kidcot stations all have DUFFY on them now!

So, on our way to Mexico, we spotted Duffy with a very short line. The girls decided that REY needed to have his picture taken with Duffy! They decided to DRAG him over to meet Duffy!

He agreed and they headed to the line and Duffy walked away! Break time! Rey narrowly escaped that one! I will HAVE to get my picture taken with Duffy when I go for the Princess 1/2 next year, just b/c it's now something we do just b/c she dislikes him so much.

With Duffy heading off for his break, we moved on to Mexico. We never got to go IN any of the countries on the trip with the IL's, so Rey really wanted to explore each country thoroughly. Mexico is my favorite, I wonder why?

I just LOVE it in here...

we contemplated purchasing another one of these (we have one that I bought for Rey in 2008)

you can't go in Mexico without trying on sombreros!

I think the guys were doing there best to look authentic here.

We shopped and shopped, Savannah bought a really cool bracelet, totally her. I'll have to take a pic of it when I get to the souvenir pics! Finally we were ready to take the boat ride, there was no wait.

We were finally ready to leave Mexico, no idea how long we spent in there, but it was so enjoyable...

Next update: melt-downs and margaritas! They go hand-in-hand. (I would put a laughing smiley here, but I've hit my 25 image limit and it won't let me! LOL)

 

[Victoriasmom98]

MORE, MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!!!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

MORE, MORE!!! I WANT MORE!!!!!!

Maybe I'll post a little bonus update in a bit Ann!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Park Day 2- Epcot (continued)

After Mexico, Savannah started getting whiny (again). She had been off and on having issues with being homesick, but I should have suspected that it would get worse in World Showcase b/c there were not a ton of rides for her and she always claimed she didn't like Epcot. I had suggested Kim Possible a number of times, Rey said I was pushing the issue, so we sat down on a bench (in the smoking area...why does it seem there are no benches in non-smoking areas???) and tried to work this out.

She was ready to leave! WHAT?!?!? It was barely after lunch on our 2nd day, I had waited forever for this trip and she's done? First off, anyone that knows me knows that I cater to my kids. From the outside, even "spoil" them would be a word most people use, so I don't want anyone to think I was being mean when I say that there was no way I was leaving.

I gave her choices. I told her she could go with Leslee to the front of Epcot and ride TT again or she could leave with Dylan and go back to the resort if she wanted. She didn't want to go without ME...and although I gave her choices, I let her know I wasn't leaving. I just wasn't! Rey mentioned later in the trip that whenever she wasn't doing something she deemed fun, she wanted to go, but would be fine if we found something she liked.

During this period of resting/arguing/whining on the benches in the smoking area (we don't smoke for those wondering!) there were quite a few pictures taken!
Our nice view:

a very cute squirrel that Dylan took a MILLION pictures of:

the monorail:

and last, but never least when in the middle of a meltdown! My margarita that I sat drinking (think I finished the whole thing while we sat there!) BTW, this is not the FIRST time I have had this meltdown/margarita theme, I think I have had one both of the other trips we have taken, they must go hand in hand!

Something clicked and Savannah was able to make the decision to stay and continue around WS. So off we went! As soon as we were up and walking, it was like it never happened...or maybe that was the margarita!

We headed to Norway!

We went in the little museum, which I hadn't realized was there, and I SWEAR the music was Lord of the Rings music. Can anyone verify this for me? I was humming it exactly, but my family told me I was nuts and it just sounded like LOTR. Whatever!
Maelstrom was next, Dylan wasn't interested in any drops, so he sat out...took this pic too:

When the ride was over, we watched the movie. Rey is totally not the kind of person that would walk through and not watch it, so I got to see it as well and never had. It wasn't too bad, kind of like a commercial for Norway...luckily not too long! When we came out, we looked around the gift shop and the girls had their passports stamped and signed. Oh I got a picture with my phone of them with the troll. Sorry about the quality!

We came out of the shop and Dylan took this pic as we were walking towards him:

We were off to China next!

Leslee bought a little panda ring and we spent some time just exploring. The girls had their passports stamped and the guys (including Leslee) admired the swords.

Dylan kept asking me to buy him a sword. Sure...I'll just whip out hundreds of dollars on the spot and buy you a sword!

Loved the Buddha!

We went in the museum/movie waiting area next:

We really liked the movie! I would have rather sat though, my poor aching feet! When we came out of China, we found the boys who had not watched the movie, following a duck around.

We continued our trek around the World and stopped for a photopass pic! He took one with my camera as well. Lots of squinting b/c the sun was shining on us, but at least we were all in good spirits and willing to take a picture...which didn't happen that often!

That concludes your bonus update for the day!

Up next: Rey's favorite country (in the real world), more touring, and dinner at Via Napoli!!

 

[giantstoindy]

I was so excited to see 3 updates today! Ridiculous about Savannah's meal but glad you had fun the rest of the day! I think TT will be closed when we go in June and we've never gone on it. Glad your family liked it. CanNOT wait for your Via Napoli update!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I was so excited to see 3 updates today! Ridiculous about Savannah's meal but glad you had fun the rest of the day! I think TT will be closed when we go in June and we've never gone on it. Glad your family liked it. CanNOT wait for your Via Napoli update!

I heard about the TT refurb they are doing and it sounds like a pretty long one! I cannot wait to see what changes they make, we love it! The Via Napoli update may get a whole update for itself, I took lots of pics!!

 

[-Hope-]

So funny how similar our kids are in the "real world" and how different their tastes are at WDW. My kids LOVE Innoventions and WS and would NEVER ride TT.

Mexico is my favorite (of the countries I've actually explored) too- I love the night feel of it.

Meltdowns and margaritas definitely go hand in hand- I had a similar moment as well.

I the pic of you and Dallas! It made me smile.

 

[Native NYer]

Loving your tr!

 

[Victoriasmom98]

Hee Hee.....I got another update out of her......I'm evil!!!!

 

[204charity]

Great updates Karen! That's a beautiful pic of you all at Epcot (squinting and all!)

 

[Toria]

Really enjoyed your TR! Glad that your family made it down, even with vehicle issues. I am hungry from looking at all that food, so I am going to find me something to eat.

 

[Oliquig]

Wow! Holy update batman! Gotta love 11, if they aren't entertained they are soooo bored, and tired and tired and hey where's the gift shop.

Sounds like she got over it though so yea! I too have a shot of the budda, and the chinese soldiers!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

So funny how similar our kids are in the "real world" and how different their tastes are at WDW. My kids LOVE Innoventions and WS and would NEVER ride TT.

Mexico is my favorite (of the countries I've actually explored) too- I love the night feel of it.

Meltdowns and margaritas definitely go hand in hand- I had a similar moment as well.

I the pic of you and Dallas! It made me smile.

I love it too, it's one of my favorites! Are WE going to have a meltdown when it's just us? That's what I want to know!

Loving your tr!

Thank you!

Hee Hee.....I got another update out of her......I'm evil!!!!

You are so bad!

Great updates Karen! That's a beautiful pic of you all at Epcot (squinting and all!)

Thank you! The more I look at it, the more I like it. The photopass one looks identical, but I put a border on that one.

Really enjoyed your TR! Glad that your family made it down, even with vehicle issues. I am hungry from looking at all that food, so I am going to find me something to eat.

I get hungry looking at it too! I'm back to eating the way I normally do, but it's making me crave junk just looking at them!

Wow! Holy update batman! Gotta love 11, if they aren't entertained they are soooo bored, and tired and tired and hey where's the gift shop.

Sounds like she got over it though so yea! I too have a shot of the budda, and the chinese soldiers!

Oooh, can't wait to see yours! Yep, she did have issues on the trip, but they were over pretty quickly, so I'm glad for that!