August 2009 TR – A Very Special Dream Comes True!!!

[calderli]

I have finally decided to get going and do a Trip Report for my trip to the World in August 2009. This was my DD7 (Payton) and my DH (Craig)’s first trip to Disney World and what a trip it was. We were celebrating Payton’s 7th birthday on August 10th, Craig’s birthday on August 13th and our 10th wedding anniversary on September 5th. None of these events actually happened while we were in WDW, but we were celebrating anyway. It was an amazing trip with some huge surprises and some big disappointments. But it must have been good because Payton and I heading back this August to celebrate her 8th birthday. I am secretly hoping that this will become a tradition and we will go every year for her birthday, but Craig says no way. I will work on him though….

The Cast:

Me and Craig

Payton

 

[calderli]

Day 1: Travel and Downtown Disney

Our first day was our travel day. Living in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada we had a little bit of a flight to get to Orlando and had to get an early start. Try as I might to get to sleep the night before, I couldn’t. Just “too excited to sleep”. Despite the lack of sleep when the alarm went off at 3:00am I was still wide awake and on a natural high. I ran into Payton’s room and woke her up saying” we are finally going to Disney today”. She was not quite as pumped as me first thing in the morning, but it didn’t take her long to come around and the excitement began to build.
At 4:00am the cab that Craig had pre-arranged arrived at the door and we loaded up. Payton was so excited to be taking her first cab ride. She talked non-stop on the ride to the airport. Thankfully it is only a 20 minute drive from our house or I think my ear would have fallen off.
Check in at the airport went off without a hitch and then we had to wait to go through security.

Here is Payton waiting for the doors to open up:

Finally we are able to get through security and I immediately head to Tim Horton’s to get a coffee for Craig and I. We catch our first plane to Washington and there are no problems at all. Even Craig who gets extremely airsick is fine. We catch out next plane to Orlando and Payton seems to be so excited I think that she may burst. It didn’t last long though, the adrenaline wore off on the flight and she fell asleep. Very surprising considering the teenagers in the seats behind me were kicking our seats and talking extremely loud. Normally I am the type of person who would say something, but I had a little more tolerance because they were on their way to Disney as well and I could understand the excitement. We woke Payton up for the landing. I have to say there is something about the smell of Florida. As soon as we got off the plane I took a big breath of air and felt at home. Even after all this time (about 20 years since my last trip to WDW) I remembered the smell and the memories started coming back. Off to the catch the Magic Express. There was a bit of a line but not too bad and then we were on the road to the World.

The trip was smooth. We watched the TV and listened to the tips they gave. Craig kept saying “we should have done that”, or “do we get that?” I was able to say, “Yes Babe, I have already planned that” thanks to all the fantastic tips I read on DIS! Finally we saw it:

I started crying. I couldn’t help it. DH is looking at me like I am insane and DD is smiling at me. I was finally home! Now is when DH becomes amazed. Up until now DH was under the impression that all there is to WDW is MK. He is aware of the fact that there are different parks, but has no idea that it is so huge. He is finally getting an idea of just how big this place is and we haven’t even reached the resorts or the parks yet. We arrive at POP and I think can’t believe it we are here at last.

I proceed to the on-line check in line which is not a line at all, there is no one in it and we walk right up to the front desk. The CM there is very nice and explains everything to us and gives us our Birthday and Anniversary Pins. We head to our room in the 50’s as per my earlier faxed in request, building #3. The room is nice and just what I expected complete with towel animal. We were all so excited to get going that we headed right to catch the bus to DTD.

We arrived at DTD and we were all starving so, we head straight for Earl of Sandwich. So many people had told me how great it was and I was excited to use my DDP credit for the first time. The sandwiches were amazing! I instantly fell in love with EOS and so did Craig and Payton. Craig was suitably impressed with the sandwich and was really surprised at the amount of food that you get on the DDP. We all ended up getting chocolate cupcakes for dessert and none of us could eat them, so we packed them away for later.

Next we did a little shopping! I had an ADR for 1900 Park Fare that night for the Cinderella’s Dinner. This was the one that Payton was looking forward to the most so, we headed to get her a dress for the big event. I had previously looked into the BBB, but it just seemed like so much money for something that I could do myself. We bought Payton the Princess Wedding dress and a stuffed Minnie. After looking around at the shops and me dreaming about buying everything we caught the bus back to POP.

I started getting a little worried when we got back to the room and our bag had still not arrived from the Magic Express. I had packed some “pixie dust” and a crown for Payton to wear that night for the special dinner and I was worried that they would not arrive on time. I called down to the front desk and was assured that the bag would arrive within the hour. I was still doubtful and worried. Craig told me to calm down that everything would work out and he started to iron. Easy for him to say, he had packed all his clothes for the trip in 1 backpack (how does he do that?). I decided that I would take Payton down to the pool for a swim to take my mind off the missing bag. I had packed our bathing suits in my carry-on just in case this happened. (Thanks for the tip DIS) After a quick swim, Payton and I decided to wander around and check out the resort a little. We walked over to Hourglass Lake and saw the huge turtles in the water, Payton loved them. As we continued down the path a CM stopped and told us that there is also an alligator in the lake that sometimes comes up on the bank. (We never did see him)

We got back to the room and about 5 minutes later there was a knock on the door. It was a wonderful CM with my bag! We all quickly showered and got ready for dinner. I put Payton’s hair up and put in the crown, sprayed her with “pixie dust” and did her makeup. Off we headed to catch the bus to the Grand Floridian for dinner at 1900 Park Fare. We got on the bus within about 5 min and the driver announced to everyone that “there is a Royal Princess now boarding the bus” Payton was in her glory. Everyone was saying Happy Birthday to her and commenting about how beautiful she looked. Usually she is very shy, but the pixie dust must have done something to her and she was just glowing. We arrived at the Transit Authority and caught the monorail to the GF. On the way we started talking to a great couple from California and Payton commented later that everyone is so friendly in Disney. We checked in at the counter at 1900 Park Fare and got our beeper. We took a look around at the shops and at Big Bertha. Payton just loved the chandelier. Craig took a ton of pictures. I think that he was starting to finally get some of the magic. Our beeper went off and we were called in early for dinner. We went in and had our photo taken in front of the castle mural on the wall. We were seated quite close to the buffet and I then saw DH eyes light up. DH is a really big eater and the buffet looked so good. Off we went to fill our plates before Cinderella arrived. I have to say that the Chicken Marsala and the Strawberry soup were fantastic.

I heard the music and the announcement that Cinderella and Prince Charming were entering the room and sat waiting to see the reaction on Payton’s face. Up until this point Payton still believed that the characters were robots. As much as I tried to convince her that it really was Cinderella and the other princesses, she still did not believe me. As soon as Cinderella got close her whole face lit up. She leaned over to me and said “Mommy, it really is her. She’s real!” Well that did it and I started to cry. It brought back so many memories from when I was a kid and met Cinderella for the first time. I was so happy in that moment to be with Payton and Craig and experience the wonder and magic of that discovery. Again, DH looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t care. Cinderella came over and signed Payton’s book, she commented on how beautiful she looked and wished her a happy birthday. Payton was speechless. Then Prince Charming came over and met us and Payton started to blush, she later told me that he was very handsome. She just loved the Stepsisters and the Stepmother who told her that DH was not a very good servant and that she needed to find another one. Payton just thought that was hilarious! Our waitress came out and presented Payton with a huge cupcake, a birthday card and a placemat that was signed by the characters for her birthday.

After dinner we headed back to POP and Payton very quickly fell asleep on the bus. It had been a very long and exciting day for all of us. We got her out of the princess dress, took off the crown and we all went to bed.

 

[Raecheal]

Great start, I love it. It's nice to read about your trip in full details. That was so sweet of the bus driver to make the announcement, especially for Payton.

I tend to agree, people are generally extremely nice in WDW. We're always talking with different families during on trip.

I can't wait for your next update

 

[cmp1111]

What a lovely, magical start! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

[luckylady]

What a special way to start your trip. What a cutie Payton is.

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

Can't wait to read more - what dates were you there in August? How was the weather??

 

[calderli]

Great start, I love it. It's nice to read about your trip in full details. That was so sweet of the bus driver to make the announcement, especially for Payton.

I tend to agree, people are generally extremely nice in WDW. We're always talking with different families during on trip.

I can't wait for your next update

I know, I do write in great detail. I warn you this might be a very long TR. I am kinda reliving the whole trip in preparation for our next trip in August. I find that it is helping me with the wait...

I love that Payton tends to really open up and talk to people on the trip. Sometimes though it is embarasing what come out of her mouth! Thankfully I won't be seeing these people again.

 

[calderli]

What a lovely, magical start! Thanks for sharing with us!

Thank you so much. Just wait it gets even better! I haven't even got to the "Dream Come True" part yet. Stay tuned......

 

[calderli]

What a special way to start your trip. What a cutie Payton is.

The whole trip was very special. It definately exceeded my expectations and they were pretty high to begin with.

Aww. Thank you. She is my little princess!

 

[Honeymooner04]

Sounds like a great start! I'll have to look for some "pixie dust" for my daughter for our upcoming Mom & Me trip. Do you just buy it at Wal-mart type stores?

 

[calderli]

Can't wait to read more - what dates were you there in August? How was the weather??

I am so glad you are here. Welcome.

We were there from August 24th to 30th. The weather was HOT. We are definatley not used to that kind of heat here. It did not affect me or Payton, but it definately made Craig grumpy.
We kept a ziplock bag with a face cloth in it that I would wet down in the washroom. We used it to wipe off and keep us cool. I also brought a small spray bottle I got at the dollar store in my day bag that I filled with water and we would spray ourslves down when waiting in lines. It was like a cheap version of the mister fans they have, but worked just as well.

 

[calderli]

Sounds like a great start! I'll have to look for some "pixie dust" for my daughter for our upcoming Mom & Me trip. Do you just buy it at Wal-mart type stores?

It was great to have "pixie dust" every day to put on her (and me to be honest) It was just a spray glitter, like hairspray with glitter in it. I got it around Halloween when the costumes came out. Not sure where you would get it now, unless there is a costume place or a party supply store around you. I think that it was fantastic for Payton and a lot cheaper than BBB. The only "problem" is that it is very hard to get out. She had "pixie dust" on her scalp for weeks afterward. Not that she minded!

 

[calderli]

Day 2: A Magical Experience and a Thief

This was our first day in the parks. I planned for this to be one of our MK days because I wanted Payton’s first experience of WDW to be seeing that castle and all the magic of MK. We got our wakeup call from Mickey at 6:30am and got ready to go. Once we were all showered and dressed we headed to the food court for breakfast. We used our snack credits and filled up our mugs for breakfast. After breakfast we headed back to the room to drop off our mugs and pick up the day bag then headed to catch the bus to MK. We arrived at MK with plenty of time to watch the rope drop ceremony. I must admit I was tearing up again…I am such a sap.

We started down Main Street and I can’t describe the feeling other than saying I had come home. I started remembering little things from when I was a kid and pointing them out to Payton and Craig. They both seemed to be in a state of shock, like they didn’t know where to look next. I was so happy to see them both like that. The only thing that took away from the whole experience is that Craig had huge blisters from wearing the wrong shoes the day before and they were making him a little grumpy. Rightfully so, they were pretty big. Then she saw it! Cinderella’s Castle! I wish I had the camera ready for that moment to capture her face, it was priceless. Craig’s feet were really hurting but he was great and didn’t complain or take anything away from this moment for Payton and me. As we were walking along I saw a Photo pass photographer and headed over for our first shot in front of the castle.

We continued to walk down Main Street and were soon joined by a super nice CM named Robin. She chatted with us as we walked to the statue of Walt and Mickey and was incredibly nice to Payton. She commented on DH’s walking and we told her about his blisters, she offered to take us over to the First Aid station after we had our picture taken in front of the statue.

One the way over to the First Aid station Robin kept chatting with us and then it happened….she asked us to be the Grand Marshall’s in the Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade that afternoon! I immediately started to cry and hugged her! This was more than I could have ever ask for and a once in a lifetime opportunity. Again, Craig though I was crazy for crying, but I think he understood how much this meant to me and what it would mean to Payton. Robin took us over to the First Aid station and got Craig all fixed up with some “magical Band-Aids” for his feet. They must have really been magical because he didn’t complain even once about his feet for the rest of the trip. Robin made arrangements for us to meet her at 2:00pm at Town Hall to get ready for the parade. I don’t think that Payton really understood that we were not only going to be watching the parade, but we were going to be in the parade, but she knew it was something big because Mommy was crying again. With another big hug to Robin we headed to the castle for our day in MK. Once we reached the other side of the castle we met with The Fairy God Mother. Next we headed to Dumbo and Payton and I took that for a ride. I wasn’t sure how she would do with the height (she is not very brave) but she loved it. Next it was Peter Pan, and then the one that Payton had been waiting for…Small World. She sang the entire time. I have to say that the crowds were very low. The maximum wait time was about 10 min and that was for Dumbo. This continued for most of our trip.

 

[calderli]

Next we headed to Toontown and visited Mickey and Minnie’s houses and on to The Judges Tent. We met a little girl in line in front of us named Mandy and Payton and she became best friends while we waited in line to meet Mickey and Minnie.

Once we met Mickey and Minnie (whom Craig loved) we moved on the meet the Princesses.

Here we met Cinderella:

Aurora:

And Payton’s Favourite Belle:

After meeting everyone, we were all getting a little hungry, so we headed to Pinocchio’s for lunch. It was again nostalgic for me as I can remember eating there as a kid. No, there were no tears for this one.

Next we headed for Snow Whites Scary Ride. I was not sure how DD was going to take this one. She was a little scared at moments, but did just fine. Next was Winnie the Pooh, this was the longest wait at 20 minutes. Not bad at all.

Craig’s favourite was next. Mickey’s Philharmagic! I will never forget Payton trying to catch Tinkerbell. This was her first experience with a 3-D movie and now she very excited to see another one. This is my new favourite too.

 

[calderli]

By this time it is getting closer to 2:00pm when we are to meet Robin to get ready for the Parade. We head towards Main Street and see that The Dream Along with Mickey show is on in front of the castle. Craig goes to get Payton an ice cream, while we watch the show. I start taking pictures and Payton comments that a man has just moved in front of her and she can’t see. I placed my camera down on the fence and helped her up onto the little knee wall so she can see well. I turn back around to pick up the camera and take a picture of her on the wall watching the show and my stomach drops. The camera is gone. I start to frantically search all over the area for it thinking that it might have fell down, but no. Someone has actually stolen my camera. In Disney World. Who would do such a thing? All the pictures that I have taken up to this point are gone. All the pictures of Payton on the flight, buying her dress, dinner at 1900 Park Fare, riding Dumbo, meeting Mickey and Minnie and the princesses…gone!! Surprisingly I don’t start to cry (guess I am just a happy crier) but I am in a state of panic when Craig comes back to us and I tell him. He says that we can’t worry about it now; we have to get to Town Hall to meet with Robin for the parade. Fortunately I did have my video camera that takes still shots, they are not very good, but at least I have something. It does not cover the pictures that I have taken on the camera, but it is something. So we head over to Town Hall and meet with Robin. Craig tells her about the camera and she is very sympathetic, she tells us to hold on she will be right back. She comes back with a disposable camera for us so that we have something to take pictures with while in the parade. Then she gets us “dressed” for the parade. She has also chosen another family to be in the parade with us. They are a very nice Dad (James) and his two girls (Mandy and Pilippa) from England. Each of us receives Mickey Ears with our names embroidered on them, a FastPass that is good for the entire day on any ride that uses FastPass and a certificate to say that we were Grand Marshalls in the Parade that day. Then she takes us behind the doors and we get a small look at the behind the scenes where everyone is getting ready for the parade. We are greeted by Chip and Dale and Pluto and the Mouse Himself. Then the car pulls up and we meet with Vic our driver, she is super nice and is one of the rare CM’s from Orlando. I noticed that even the tread in the tires has Hidden Mickey’s in it!

Now we are handed these streamers and we are to wave the whole time the parade is going on (very tiring for your arms) and we sat waiting for the gate to open and the parade to start. The characters and dancers continue to come up to the car and wish Payton and Craig a Happy Birthday and they talk and play with the kids while we are waiting. Then we hear over the loud speakers in the park that the Grand Marshalls leading the Parade today are the Calder Family from Ottawa, Canada and they are celebrating 2 birthdays and the Murray Family from England. That is when Payton realized how big of a deal this was. The gate opens and we are off. It was like nothing else, all these people on the sidewalk waving and yelling Happy Birthday to us. It was very exciting.

The parade lasted about 30 minutes. It was so hot in that car and we were all sweating profusely. Robin met us at the end of the parade route where she escorted (running) us beck to a roped off spot so that we could see the parade behind us. The characters obviously know that this is the Grand Marshalls spot because they each came up to us specifically and the ones on the floats made a special effort to wave at us. Payton was overjoyed when Belle yelled happy birthday to her and the Fairy Godmother sprinkled her with fairy dust. It was all so overwhelming and an incredible experience that none of us will ever forget.

After the parade we decided to tackle Adventure and Frontier Lands. I had not planned on doing anything in these two on the first day, but the lines were so short that we had done everything that I wanted to in Fantasyland already. The Haunted Mansion was first and Payton loved it so much she wanted to do it again. She seemed now to be getting into the whole thing and realized that no matter how scary it was, it was not going to hurt her, just frighten her for fun. On to the Jungle Cruise, “very cool” rating from Payton. Then there was Payton’s new found love: Pirates of the Caribbean. This is the one ride at WDW that she continues to this day to rave about and can’t wait to ride again.

I had made ADR’s for Tony’s Town Square so we went to check in and got our free 5x7 photo at the same time. Dinner at Tony’s was great! The table was decorated with confetti and streamers for Payton’s birthday and she got a special sundae and a birthday card. We all loved our food and the service was good too. I could tell Payton and definitely Craig were getting tired after such an exciting day (I could have kept going all night I think) so we headed to the bus stop. I was a little disappointed that we would not be seeing Wishes, but then I saw the storm starting to roll in and decided that we should get back to POP before we get soaked. It was a short wait for the bus and as soon as we sat down on the bus the rain started and Payton fell fast asleep in my arms. We woke her up to get her to the room and tucked her into bed. I smothered my feet in foot cream and went to bed.[/COLOR][/FONT]

 

[KathyRN137]

About all I can say is, "WOW!!"

I'm so glad you decided to write this report... I'm really enjoying it.



Kathy

 

[Raecheal]

Linds, this update touched my heart. I cried while i was reading it (in my cell).. I"m so sorry your camera got stolen...I love the photos of the lil one with Princesses. Incredibly sweet!

Your experience being the Grand Marshalls during the parade was amazing to read... I"m glad everyone enjoyed the experience.

 

[calderli]

About all I can say is, "WOW!!"

I'm so glad you decided to write this report... I'm really enjoying it.



Kathy

Thank you so much for reading! I am so glad that you like it. It is great to re-live the whole experience and to have people to share it with.

 

[calderli]

Linds, this update touched my heart. I cried while i was reading it (in my cell).. I"m so sorry your camera got stolen...I love the photos of the lil one with Princesses. Incredibly sweet!

Your experience being the Grand Marshalls during the parade was amazing to read... I"m glad everyone enjoyed the experience.

Aww thanks Rach. I am sad that the camera got stolen and that we lost the pictures that I took up until that point. I wish we had some of Payton in her dress all done up. One good thing is that I will now be able to get a new camera and definately a better one for the next trip (gotta think positive) The first picture I have up of Payton in the begining of the TR is Payton waiting to meet Belle. I just love it and the one of her and Belle.

Being the Grand Marshalls was something that none of us will ever forget. I can't belive that we were chosen and so randomly. It was incredible! Craig did not enjoy the experience ( he hates being the center of attention..)but he loves his girls and knew it was special for us.

 

[calderli]

Day 3: EPCOT up-close and personal with nature

The wakeup call from Mickey was at 6:30am, but I was already awake and excited. When I was a kid Epcot was my favourite park. I was even Figment for Halloween one year.
So we had breakfast in the food court at POP using or Snack credits again and then caught the bus to Epcot.

Spaceship Earth was first. Payton was not impressed. The Living Seas with Nemo and Turtle Talk with Crush. She was really looking forward to this one, because Payton’s cousin had talked to Crush in February and Payton watched the video. However, Payton’s shyness took over and she did not raise her hand to talk to Crush. Maybe next time. We then went over and got a FP for Soarin’

It was now 11:00am and time to hit the World Showcase. I thought Payton would find it very boring and too educational. Boy was I wrong!
The first country was our own: Canada.
Payton immediately recognized it and loved the mini Chateau Laurier (which is in Ottawa).

DH and DD were very hungry so we stopped in England and got her and DH Fish and Chips. I had to wait to eat as I am allergic to fish. While they were eating this little friend appeared at our table.

All of a sudden it jumped on Payton’s lap and ran up on her shoulder and then jumped off and ran away. She was so surprised and thrilled at the same time. The remainder of her lunch that she was too full to eat went to the ducks that were hanging around looking for scraps.

We continued on to visit each country one by one. Payton was having so much fun. She loved learning about all the different countries and playing at the Kidcot stations. She met Mulan and got her autograph.

She commented that she was really pretty. By this time my feet are getting really sore. I can tell that I have a blister but I don’t want to take my shoe off to look at it, because I might not get it back on. I am really surprised that Payton is not complaining about her feet or being tired after all that walking, but I do notice that she is starting to slow down. We complete all the countries and head back for Soarin’ with our FP. All I can; say is we all love it. That was such an amazing ride.
Then we did the Circle of Life movie. Now it was time for me to see Figment. I was so disappointed. This was nothing like I remembered. I know that they have changed and updated the ride in the last 20 years, but I do not think that it was for the better. I felt so bad and apologised to Craig, I was telling him how great it was and it was definitely not what I built it up to be. Next we did Honey I Shrunk the Audience, let me tell you when the mice go by, I just about jumped out of my seat. It was great.

It is not quite time for dinner reservations, but we start heading back to France anyway. I knew then that Payton must be very tired because we saw Jasmine and Aladdin with a very short line, but she said she did not want to meet them she just wanted to sit down. We reached Chef’s de France where I had a dinner ADR. We had to wait outside the restaurant for it to open, but we were lucky enough to get a seat on one of the benches outside under the canopy because by this time it has started to rain. I was shocked to see how many young people would not give up their seats to older people. I actually had to say to them on a few occasions “can you let this lady have your seat?” They never refused me and frankly looked embarrassed after I asked, but I was still upset that they did not do this automatically. But more about that later……

We finally get called into the restaurant and are seated by the window in the corner. Our waitress arrived and her name was Lyndia. I can’t tell you how amazing she was. This was the best service that we had the entire trip. My daughter and I both speak French, my daughter much better than I as she is in a French only class at school. It was so much fun to be able to speak to Lyndia in her native language. She really seem to like chatting with Payton and came back to talk to her often. The food was wonderful, the best we had all trip. The crème Brule was the best that I have ever had! During dinner Remy came out on his platter to meet the guests. Payton really liked him and thought it was really funny to be talking to a mouse. They had a great little conversation. I have a video of it but no pictures. When dinner was over we went to the front podium and I asked to speak with the manager. He arrived and I told him that not only was the food incredible but the service that we received from Lyndia was way above and beyond. Ii want to make sure that her manager knew what an incredible job she did. He did take note of her name, so I am hoping that there is some sort of kudos that go out to the CM’s that make your visit a special one. I am so sorry that we did not get a picture with her.

After dinner we were all full and very tired. We decided to forgo Illuminations and just head back to the room. It was all I could do to get Payton to walk on her own two feet back to the bus stop. She is just a little too big for the strollers or I would have rented one that day. Craig kept her laughing though at the bus stop.

Finally we reached POP and headed to the room. The light was flashing on the phone that we had a message. I checked the message and my stomach sank. It was my Father-in-law calling to say that my MIL was going in to the hospital for emergency surgery to drain blood from her brain. We were all very scared at this moment and called my BIL to get more info as my FIL was not reachable. He explained it all to us, but also said that there was nothing to worry about, they just wanted to let us know what was going on and not to leave our trip. Craig and I talked it over and decided that we would stay in Disney, but wanted to make sure that we were kept in touch with what was going on with MIL. If things got any worse we would catch the next plane to Halifax.

Neither one of us slept well that night….