Been There, Done That and ThenSome:Timandlesley Do Disneyfor18days!11/2 TR IS UP!pg79

[anbouk]

What an awesome update! LOVE, LOVE your mickey head necklace...that is adorable? Did you purchase that at WDW? Luke..a perfect BIG brother. Don't you just love those kids club. I was SO hesitant in have my son attend the kids club as a first timer, but after he saw it he insisted on going every nite!!!! I think we allowed him to go 2 or 3 times during the week as it sure adds up ($). Can't wait to read more...we'll be heading there shortly!!!

Oh...and for BentleyGirl who asked above prices for kids club within disney hotels...approx $12 per hour per child.

 

[thumperbelle3]

Oh my gosh Jiko looked so yummy. Especially that chocolate truffle dessert!

Tim is so funny...he'd make a great CM!

I'm pushing for a Disney honeymoon next year and I think AKL would be perfect. You've got me sold on it!

 

[mylag1rl]

I love reading your trip reports because it inspires me to try new things. I definitely need to see the Nemo show and try Jiko. Both of those looked awesome. It is good that you and Tim take some time out for yourselves while in Disney. The pics of Tim and Lauren posing are too cute.

 

[stacikristine]

Thank you, you're too sweet, AKL is amazing! We ended up opening a vacation account instead of doing the travelers checks since we had to pay a percentage of the travelers checks that would have been around 70 bucks!

I didnt' know that you had to pay a percentage of the travelers checks! Good to know! Is a vacation account just a normal account you use for vacationing? Or does it have special rules?


Also, the video of the kids waking up Tink was SO cute! Lauren's excitement was obvious

I'm sure your family loved being able to sleep in instead of making it to Tusker House... I've never been to Nemo, and now I think we might just have to go And HOW COOL that the kids actually wanted to go to Simba's Clubhouse?! It sounds like everyone had a fabulous night!!

 

[shannon47142]

Just caught up with the last two days--whew, it surely did look hot!!!
thanks for the links, by the way
it looks like you guys are already adjusting to an extended stay!!

 

[Disneyvirg]

Another wonderful update!

I bet it was nice to be able to sleep in. Especially knowing that you had plenty of days to get stuff done.

Your lunch and supper both looked amazing!

I love the picture of Luke looking at Tim on Everest. Too funny!

 

[cherbear]

Video of waking up Tink was super cute

Hahaha LOVE Tim’s impression of Lauren.

You are SO fast at getting ready! I’m super impressed Lesley!

A great installment, really enjoyed it. That had a ton of food pics, you know we all love those!

 

[The Marsons]

Great update guys, considering you had so little time to get ready you look pretty darn good, i swear it takes an hour for me to look anything near decent!


We missed Nemo in October, but will for sure be doing it next August, have heard so many good things about it. Madeline will be old enough for the kids clubs next year. Both her and George love meeting other children, so i'm sure they won't want to come out too.

Hope your all well


Sarah
x

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Lesley, you are so awesome updating us so often and with such long, awesome updates! I know it takes a lot of time to put together a TR. What a great day at AK and then back at AKL. How nice to be gifted Kali Fast Passes. Sounds like a sorcher of an afternoon! I'm glad you and Tim got to spend some alone time together. You two are such a fun couple!

 

[timandlesley]

I am really enjoying your TR, Leslie. I am a teacher and we had reservations for a trip for August but the baby was born and I think I forgot how crazy life is with a newborn...and how HOT AUgust is in Florida! We are going to go on Spring Break in March (I am also a teacher...) we have been there in March before and I found it perfect weather for a little one (10 months old by then...) I plan on possibly renting points at AKV. Your TR's are always so nice! I love how you update regularly and...well..I guess us teachers don't like to leave ANYTHING out...and we can always find something to write or talk about, huh!?! Thanks for allowing me to live vicariously through your TR. Your little ones sure are getting older and bigger each year!! Before you know it, Lauren will be a sassy 13 year old...like mine! She was 8 the first time she went to Disney...and my middle one was 7 and the younger one was 5...time flies!!

Can't wait to read more...

I am glad you are enjoying the TR - yes, as a teacher I don't like to leave anything out : ) If you could rent points for AKV I highly recommend it, it really is an awesome resort. Yes, time sure does fly!!!

go lauren for riding EE! glad she liked it.

wow....what a hot day! i know since you're a teacher it's next to impossible to go to WDW any time other than summer but i hope you get to some day. i know you and tim are going back in october but i hope you get to take the kids someday when it's not so hot. it's SO MUCH nicer not to have to deal with the heat! when ray and i have been in april/may i don't remember sweating even once. early september was still very hot last year but of course december was nice and even COLD at times!

i wanna try jiko one day. on our next trip we will most likely have a small baby (i'm guessing around 6 months old) but i'm considering doing deluxe dining just to try a few of the 2 TS credit places, like jiko, flying fish, the yachtsman steakhouse and artist point. i don't think we can handle 3 TS meals a day but having 3 credits to play with every day would help get more of those 2 TS meals in. i just don't know about taking such a young baby to places like that???

I'm glad she liked EE too. We're actually going back in October (we have decided to take the kids) for MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival. Can't wait to experience Disney at different temperatures. Yes, if you can try Jiko one day I highly recommend it, although it was romantic there were lots of kids in there too. Are you expecting???
Lesley

What and amazing update and day! I agree that Mara is a great CS place to eat. It is just a little bit bigger than Roaring Forks but the seating area makes all the difference. Plus I really like the breakfast wraps at Mara. I thought it was really sweet that Luke was trying to calm Lauren down when she could see you while buying breakfast. I am glad Lauren enjoyed Expedition Everest. The Nemo show is amazing and you got some great pictures. I love Jiko...yum yum! The picture of you and Tim on the balcony before dinner is a great picture!

Can't wait to read about your next day!

Glad you enjoyed the update. Yeah, I am a big fan of Mara. The Nemo show is so awesome, glad we were able to see it this year. Yes, Jiko is a new favorite!!!
Lesley

I'm really enjoying your TR. Can you hire Tim out for disney trips, I love that he provides entertainment for the long line waits.
Love the pics of AKL, brings back great memories from our March trip. We loved the bridge over the lobby, such beautiful pictures from there of the window out back.
Also love that more people can wake up tinkerbell, and that you got to see the fairies. Me and my 11 yr old were like 5yr olds when we got to see them last trip. I love the waiting area there and the baby giggles are so sweet.

We also just loved the Nemo show. I couldn't get good pics in there. But I found some good ones to add with my ok pics online for our scrapbook. My kids know I love to take tons of pics, so on rides they say "no flash photography", they look at me like I'm breaking the law taking no flash pics. Or they remind me after the announcement, "did you hear that mom, no pictures." too funny.

Glad you are enjoying things so far and our trip brings back good memories for you. Nemo show was hard to photograph, I did my best. That's funny about your kids, I'm sure my kids will be there in a few years : )

Love tinkerbell video

Lauren's expression is great

The CM was awesome with kids

Glad you enjoyed it, yes that was an incredible CM!

WOW! Another fabulous day! We just loved Animal Kingdom - the day we went in December it was a scorching hot day and when we done the Rapids I was the only one that got absolutely soaked! But thankfully the beautiful sunshine dried me out!

Nemo was one of the things we missed and looking at your pictures looks like it would have been amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed Festival of the Lion King though, it was an amazing atmosphere! Paddy and I went to see The Lion King show on the West End in London in May and although we enjoyed it I don't think it was as good as the FOTLK show at Disney- but I really do think that is just the Disney Magic - it gets you every time doesn't it?

I have to say we are very interested in using the kids clubs on our next trip and I'm always keen to read others reviews of how their kids enjoyed it so I'm glad your little guys enjoyed it so much too!

So nice to be able to have some couple time isn't it!

Another fabulous day guys!

Carreen
xxx

Thanks Carreen, glad you liked it, yes I'm sure AK is much more enjoyable in December. I like the Lion King show at AK, we've seen it two times, but honestly Nemo to me was much much better. The kids clubs are great, this is our second time using it. Our kids actually beg to go there and if we could afford it they'd be in there more because they love it so much. Yes, couple time is a must for us, especially on this 18 day venture!
Lesley

Oh I just loved loved loved this installment!! Action packed and fun!!! You all looked like you had a great time, I know we rode Kali a few times BEGGING to get soaked b/c of the heat... which worked for us one day, twice, totally wet, the other day, we got a little wet then had to rely on the Dawa Bar to cool us off ...

Date night looked so fun And your family photos !! You all just seem to be having a great time

Good for you about skipping the breakfast... I am sure that leisurely am helped with the whole day!

So glad you enjoyed the installment. Yeah, we didn't get as soaked on Kali as we would have liked. The date night was GREAT, we had such a good time. Yes, we go it very leisurely in the mornings this trip as you will see : )

Great updates as usual

Good call on cancelling the early morning reservation...sure everyone was more rested that way

what a great big brother Luke is comforting Lauren

BOY....did it look hot at AK
Boneyard looks like a ton of fun. Have to check that out sometime.
That was awesome of Diane and perfect timing to give you those Kali Rapids FPs
Eating a dinner kid free sounds heavenly...that is nice they enjoy the kids club so much
Pic of Tim imitating Lauren's pose is hilarious

Can't wait to read your next update

Yes, it sure was hot that day at AK, glad it came accross, because it was a scorcher. Boneyard is fun, you'll have to check it out. Yes, Diane was a saint with those FP's. The kid fere dinner was wonderful! Glad you enjoyed Tim's posing : )

great update..

How much is it for the child care clubs at disney?

The child care is expensive but for us well worth it. I believe it is 12 dollars per child per hour - so for us it was 24 dollars an hour. We got a 10% discount as DVC members which was nice.

I don't even know where to start but I'm surely happy from reading the reports and seeing the beautiful pictures!! Waking up Tink - priceless! We didn't go in the Boneyard last year although we walked right by it. My DS is a massive Dino fan so it's a must this year. I think because the entrance didn't feel so obvious to us we must have overlooked it. I haven't seen the Nemo show either so thanks for the details - it also sounds like a must and I see why everyone raves about it!

I'm anxiously awaiting to see why "no one cries in the MK"!

Heather

I'm so glad you are enjoying the report. You'll have to try boneyard with your DS this year, he will love it. Nemo show is fun - hope you get to squeeze it in. I'll be posting the MK installment soon.
Lesley

Another great update!! Your meal at Jiko looks wonderful! Sounds like the kids had a great time at Simba's. What a great thing for Diane to do with the fast passes. Cannot wait for the next update..

Punkin413-are you expecting??

Glad you enjoyed it, yes Jiko is outstanding. Update coming soon.

Your Jiko meal looked amazing! So lucky to have an adult only dinner, childcare, in YOUR RESORT. I would love to take advantage of the childcare for one night...my youngest will just turn 4 the next time we go and his older brother will be 8. Not sure if they would like us to leave them.

Jiko is awesome, hope you get to try it someday. Yes, the childcare in the resort is awesome, we've done it at WL before too and the kids loved it there also. Our kids weren't so sure the first time at WL but then BEGGED to return the rest of the trip, I've never heard a negative story from anyone, the staff there is incredible, tons of things fo rthe kids to do and we found the kids really enjoyed the down time to just play and be kids instead of running around the parks!
Lesley

Wow it must really have been an extremely HOT day. I can't believe all the people drenching themselves in the fountain outside of Kali. We've been there in September when it was hot but I don't think it was ever THAT hot!

You all should consider a Disney cruise. There the kids care areas are included with the cruise and the kids could play in there (giving you adult time) all you want without it costing extra!

Yes, it was EXTREMELY hot that day, that's why I threw that picture of the fountain in, sooooo hot!!! I would love to do a Disney Cruise sometime and so would the kids, maybe some day
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

Looks like another great day! We haven't seen Nemo in years and your pictures make me want to see it next trip!
Lauren, you rock girlie! EE, how brave!
Can't wait for the next update!

It was another great day, hope you get to experience Nemo again, such fun. yes, Lauren is quite the brave one!

Lovin' your newest TR. It's so neat that you're still discovering new things. And your family is A-Dorable.

So glad you are enjoying it, thanks for the adorable compliment, too sweet of you ; )

DD and I are loving your trippie. She laughed so hard at the pic of the 2 dogs, meeting one another. we also loved the pics of fairy hollow and the video of waking up tinkerbell, she is very excited to try this. We will keep looking for installments. Great job !!!!

So glad you guys are enjoying it together and that we can bring you some laughter : ) Hope you get to wake up tink someday, just get there early

As always, great update! I can't wait to see the Nemo show, sounds awesome. Yay for Lauren riding EE (and front seat no less! ) Love the pic of the kids eating the dessert at Yak and Yeti. Isn't that the way it goes, you want to get soaked on Kali and you don't... you don't want to and you do... How nice of Diane to leave you the FP's.

Glad you are enjoying it, yes Nemo is awesome - gotta see it someday! I loved that pic of them eating that desert, so funny! Yes, Diane was amazing to do that, we were so thankful and excited!

Another fun update. UGH, I'm not looking forward to that heat! We'll deal though, it's worth it for all the fun I'm glad you all had a great time and found some time to relax too. Can't wait for more!

Glad you are enjoying it. You'll make it through the heat, just drink lots of water and go into as many air conditioned events as you can - like you said, it's all worth it for the fun!!!

I loved the video of waking Tink!

You and Tim looked great on your date! Too bad the couple you ran into didn't get to meet you when you were all cleaned up! By the way, I would not have been able to get my hair washed and dried and looking so nice in that short amount of time!

The kids look so happy having their snacks in bed.. it really makes it feel like a "vacation"!

Glad you enjoyed the video. I know, I was hoping we'd run into them again later on the trip : ) I got ready super quick, thank God for my straightener in the Florida humidity!
Lesley

I just wanted to thank you for the TR. I had an unexpected surgery last week and it has been great reading along since I can't do much else. I just love your TRs and how you update regularly!

The picture of Lauren with the Mickey bar all over her face is just priceless! We also loved Nemo. I had read from lots of people here that it was boring and only good for an air conditioning break, but I am one to try things and see for myself. I am so glad that I did, b/c I agree with you that it is full of talent and just awesome! My DH and DD loved it too!

I don't know how you guys braved the heat though. I am such a heat wimp! It must be the adrenaline, b/c I felt sweaty just reading the last installment!

You are too sweet, sorry you are off your feet for a while but glad I can bring you some entertainment, that's what it is all about. I know, that pic of Lauren covered in ice cream is halarious. If you look closely you can see her nose pressed against the glass, I see it now but didn't see it originally. The heat was hard but we pushed through : ) Hope you feel better soon!

oh yet another great installment! How nice that with all the time you had you could decide to take it easy Loved the tink video, loved the pictures of the resort. I can't wait to explore it ourselves. Glad the kids enjoyed Simba's, too bad they were hungry. Jiko looked great as well as your choices. How great was Diane with those FP's100 min, no wonder with the heat

Glad you enjoyed it, we have a lot more "taking it easy" moments this trip! The kids LOVED Simba's- they fed them at Simba's Luke had a pizza and when your used to deluxe dining he just wasn't full : )

Another great installment. I don't think I could have taken the heat.

Glad you enjoyed it, the heat was rough I'm not gonna lie : )

Sounds like a fun, but hot day at AK. It is the hottest of the parks, not sure why that is, maybe it is the lack of indoor attractions that have air conditioning. So glad that you were able to see Nemo, it is such a cute show. AKL looks so beautiful, and the kids look like they are having so much fun.

We did have a lot of fun. Yes, definitely the HOTTEST of the parks, just such an unforgiving park.

Great update! What a magical day! Yay for sleeping in a bit at Disney. Also that Lauren got to ride EE and loved it. So brave to ride in the front too. I put Nemo Musical on our must do list for next after reading your post. We missed it in May. Yak & yeti looks great too. Ending the day with dinner at Jiko with no kids couldn't be any more perfect. How come mine never want to gp in the kids club and yours beg to stay. Love the AKL pics.

Glad you enjoyed it. Oh we sleep in a lot more this trip, trust me, you'll see : ) The kids club has always been a huge hit with our kids, they just love it and beg for more, wish they were cheaper!

I'm enjoying your TR sooooooooo much!!!
Nemo show seems awesome!!! I'm super
excited because I can see ALL the terrific
pics in all of todays installments
I can truly feel all the magic and miss all that magic..one
thing I don't miss is the intense florida summer heat!!
oh, one more thing, all the food looks delish!!!

So glad you are enjoying it, AND that you could see hte pics, YEAH!

Love the spur of the moment decision to go to Jiko's Seems like the kids have just as much fun at the clubhouse!!!

Another wonderful installment, as I was reading it, I realized we still have 15 more days of reviews WOOHOO

Yes, we jumped on the decision for Jiko's and Simbas and neve rlooked back : ) Yes, still 15 more days to go!!!

Another great update! I want to go back so badly! Chris tells me I'm obsessed. Oh, well. He enjoys it but not as much as Tim.

We had some awfully hot days there too. Our last day the heat index was like 105 or higher. That was our stay-at-Magic-Kingdom-all-day day - from opening until after the fireworks. We did leave for a while and take the monorail to the Poly for CS lunch and air conditioning.

And yes, we have talked DVC. But with the economy right now and me working for the State and budget cuts and all that, we decided to put it on hold for now. Maybe someday.

Jiko looks beautiful. I think I'm definitely going to consider AKL for our next trip. Abby and I love giraffes. That would be awesome to see everyday like that. We have friends here with DVC points that might not be using them next year so I might talk to them about buying some off them.

Can't wait for the next update! Gotta get the kids in bed. Yeah, it's late. It's summer! Love it!

Alice, yes, I am lucky that Tim is as obsessed as I am. Hope you get to make the DVC jump someday. Yes, I would consider AKL, it is wonderful, you could rent points and stay there cheaper. They had 2 baby giraffes on property, it was great watching them!
Lesley

I lurked on ur PTR. We are looking at DVC and I think you have sold me on AKL. I just love your writing style and pics. Our DD's are the same age and both have those big brown eyes. Tim is a hoot. Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for coming out of lurkdom to post. If you have any DVC questions or need a great guide let me know. Glad Tim is entertaining you : )

 

[timandlesley]

Great update! I swear watching the animals from our SV never got old. It was just amazing!

I think the AKV gift shops are so fun too. Lots of drums and cool hats; just different than the usual garb.

Glad you enjoyed the update, yes I loved the AKL gift shops.

YAY! One of my favorite Trip Reporters!!! I couldn;t post until I got through it ALL and I can't wait to continue on with your 18 day adventure. I am JEALOUS! I would #1 love to get into DVC and #2 spend that many days in WDW in a row. Its amazing though all these trips watching your kids grow up---Lauren just keeps getting more and more beautiful.

I will have to remember some of your tips (seating at Nemo for example) and jot them down for my August and September trips.

Well thank you, you are too kind. Glad you are enjoying it so far. Thank you for the Lauren compliment, I think so too but of course I'm her mother : )

Yes it was hot and HUMID that day. The early morning rain made it sooo humid. Looks like you enjoyed your day even with the heat. We spent the morning in AK too and I thought we would melt.

Looks like you really enjoyed your adult dinner and evening.

I have a picture of the girls in the exact same place in the line for Everest. Lauren is one brave girl.

It sure was wasn't it. Wish we would have run into one another. We did enjoy our evening out!!!

Hi Lesley,

All caught up. Great tr so far and really enjoying the pics.

Can't wait for more.

Glad you enjoy it so far adn are all caught up, thanks Scott.

Jiko looks awesome! I have to try that one day. Looks like we had the same seats for nemo! weren't they awesome!?

I love that show

Too funny, we did have the same seats, same exact looks like! Yes, Jiko is incredible!

Great installment (again)!

Sometimes, you just have to let them sleep. You are thankful for that later in the day when you hopefully have less moodiness.

How sweet of Luke to take care of her like that when she was upset. What a good big brother!

Lauren was very brave going on EE and riding up front! There simply is no other way to experience that ride for the first time. Up front is a must!

Don't you just love Jiko? It's our favorite on property. The coffee there is so good, too! The sugar is considered "raw" sugar. Very neat. Glad the kids were up for a club visit - it's always nice to have quiet meals. Somehow I don't remember what that is like, really. All I know is we'll be one happy couple when both of our kids are club-age. Ern's only 2 now so we have a few trips to wait, still.

Victoria Falls is one of our favorite lounges. They have yummy snacks there, too.

Cool! Can't wait for more!

Raw sugar, DUH, I should havfe known that, very fancy none the less though don't you think! Yes, Jiko was incredible, a new favorite for sure!

What a great (hot) day! I think AK is so hot because of all the tropical plants/trees. There really is no air circulation.

Can't wait to try out the boneyard, looks so fun. We are also trying Y&Y, looked yummy as well.

So nice that the kids wanted to go to kids care! I dream of that day.

Yes, AK sure is super hot! Our kids always beg to go into kids care, they just run them so well, but it's Disney what else should we expect, right : )

Another great day at the World! I can just feel the heat from your descriptions though! Yikes!

Hurray for Lauren riding Everest -- brave girl!

Jiko is on our must-do list for some point -- so glad you enjoyed your meal there!

Glad you enjoyed the update. Yes, try to put Jiko on your must do list, it's incredible!

Hey gang!!!! All caught up!!!! You have had 3 fantastic days at Disney so far!!!! I have enjoyed reliving them with you every step of the way!!!! I also loved the videos and commentary ala Tim!!!! Funny, funny guy that one is!!!

So glad Lauren enjoyed EE....we are taking Megs on it this year too, and I am so excited for her! Can't wait for more!

Hey, glad you are all caught up and you have enjoyed our adventures so far! yes, Tim certainly keeps us all laughing, and now Luke too : )

Lesley,

what a great update, I never thought that we would try AKL, but hmmm your TR is making me 2nd guess...its great writing, just makes me feel like I am there...can't wait for the next update..

Glad you are enjoying the updates. AKL is GREAT, you really should try it!

What an awesome update! LOVE, LOVE your mickey head necklace...that is adorable? Did you purchase that at WDW? Luke..a perfect BIG brother. Don't you just love those kids club. I was SO hesitant in have my son attend the kids club as a first timer, but after he saw it he insisted on going every nite!!!! I think we allowed him to go 2 or 3 times during the week as it sure adds up ($). Can't wait to read more...we'll be heading there shortly!!!

Oh...and for BentleyGirl who asked above prices for kids club within disney hotels...approx $12 per hour per child.

I love that necklace too. Tim bought it for me on Disney property a few years back. Luke is a great big brother, it was nice to get it confirmed by a stranger.

Oh my gosh Jiko looked so yummy. Especially that chocolate truffle dessert!

Tim is so funny...he'd make a great CM!

I'm pushing for a Disney honeymoon next year and I think AKL would be perfect. You've got me sold on it!

Jiko is so yummy, yes the dessert was delish!!!! Tim is hysterical, keeps us all laughing! Yes, AKL would be perfect for your honeymoon!

I love reading your trip reports because it inspires me to try new things. I definitely need to see the Nemo show and try Jiko. Both of those looked awesome. It is good that you and Tim take some time out for yourselves while in Disney. The pics of Tim and Lauren posing are too cute.

Glad you enjoy reading it and we can inspire you to try some new things : )

I didnt' know that you had to pay a percentage of the travelers checks! Good to know! Is a vacation account just a normal account you use for vacationing? Or does it have special rules?


Also, the video of the kids waking up Tink was SO cute! Lauren's excitement was obvious

I'm sure your family loved being able to sleep in instead of making it to Tusker House... I've never been to Nemo, and now I think we might just have to go And HOW COOL that the kids actually wanted to go to Simba's Clubhouse?! It sounds like everyone had a fabulous night!!

Yes, I was surprised by the percentage for travelers checks too. Yes, it's a checkinig accountwith a debit card that we just use for traveling, worked out really nice. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Nemo is great, you should check it out next time.

Just caught up with the last two days--whew, it surely did look hot!!!
thanks for the links, by the way
it looks like you guys are already adjusting to an extended stay!!

Glad you are all caught up, next installment coming tonight.
Lesley

 

[timandlesley]

Another wonderful update!

I bet it was nice to be able to sleep in. Especially knowing that you had plenty of days to get stuff done.

Your lunch and supper both looked amazing!

I love the picture of Luke looking at Tim on Everest. Too funny!

Glad you enjoyed the update, yes sleeping in was great ,much more of that too come, you'll see : )

Video of waking up Tink was super cute

Hahaha LOVE Tim’s impression of Lauren.

You are SO fast at getting ready! I’m super impressed Lesley!

A great installment, really enjoyed it. That had a ton of food pics, you know we all love those!

Glad you enjoyed the video, yeah Tim's impression of Lauren cracked me up. More food pics to come, not of all meals but of some.

Great update guys, considering you had so little time to get ready you look pretty darn good, i swear it takes an hour for me to look anything near decent!


We missed Nemo in October, but will for sure be doing it next August, have heard so many good things about it. Madeline will be old enough for the kids clubs next year. Both her and George love meeting other children, so i'm sure they won't want to come out too.

Hope your all well


Sarah
x

Thanks so much, yeah, I've learned to get ready quick over the years. Yes, give Nemo a try in August, it's great. Hopefully your kids will want to do kids club, our kids love it and so do we : )

Lesley, you are so awesome updating us so often and with such long, awesome updates! I know it takes a lot of time to put together a TR. What a great day at AK and then back at AKL. How nice to be gifted Kali Fast Passes. Sounds like a sorcher of an afternoon! I'm glad you and Tim got to spend some alone time together. You two are such a fun couple!

So glad you are enjoying it, trying to get it all done before I head back to school. Yes, we did have a great date night. thank you : )

 

[dddisrunner]

GREAT update as usual!!! I was laughing about the stroller finding though, let the STALKING begin! Jiko looks AMAZING, maybe we'll have to try it someday soon! Tim imitating Lauren is TOO MUCH! Glad you both enjoyed such a nice impromptu evening! LOVE the fusion lemonade!

 

[codyvt]

Hi Lesley -

Thanks so much for the EXCELLENT trip report. You are getting me excited for our LONG trip to the World in December - January. The updates are fantastic and I can't wait for more!

 

[timandlesley]

Day 4/ June 24th
Well, on Day 4 of our wonderful Disney adventure I had a 7:45 wake up call, once again the family slumbered through it, so I got to hear Mickey and Stitch and then opened the blinds to let the light in to give my family the hint that it was time to move. Once everyone awakened and put clothes on we went down to Mara for breakfast. We headed to Epcot and were there and in line at the gates by 8:45. We picked the WRONG line, it was a line that apparently merged with another line (that we couldn’t see when we got into the line since we were behind a pedestal) and it took FOREVER to get into the gate. We finally entered the park by 9:10- RIDICULOUS!!! Tim said “well, we really screwed the pooch on this one!” I had to laugh!
Tim ran ahead to get Soarin Fast Passes and the kids and I headed to Test Track to wait for him, hoping we could meet up and ride it via the stand by line.
The kids enjoyed the misters as we waited (it was another scorcher of a morning)

Then I got Shae and Tyson out to enjoy their favorite park:

Tim stopped at Innoventions to get a Kim Possible Fast Pass on his way back and got turned around and went the wrong way back to us, so by the time he got to us there was a 25 minute line for Test Track and only 5 minutes for Mission Space, so we rode Mission Space

Green side for us please!

Luke was ready for his mission:

It is such fun riding this together, it feels like a family team. Tim spotted a hidden Mickey in this ride, right before you take off there is a silver hidden Mickey on either side of the big metal doors right before the bay doors open. , check it out next time you ride.
Tyson enjoyed his mission and was inspired to try on some head gear:

After our wonderful family space mission we needed to kill some time before soarin’ and wanted to stay close to Test Track so we could get fast passes for it before Soarin (phew, sorry, that’s a lot of info crammed in there : ) So we headed to Innoventions West. We found a GREAT new activity there called “Don’t Waste It”- WHAT FUN!!!!

You go to a computer station and answer a bunch of questions about your family (they are trying to figure out how many pounds of garbage your household has in a years time):

Then they put all of your garbage from the year for your family into a small garbage truck that you take with you from station to station:

The first station we each stood at a computer screen next to one another and we had to sort our garbage by plastic, metal, paper, and glass. Lauren was READY:

It was such fun, the garbage comes quick and you have to quickly put your items in the recycling bin and pass by pushing the item towards your team members screens so they can recycle their items- LOTS of fun!
Then you move your garbage truck to the next station:

Here are Tim and Luke at the next conservation station, you had to load up trucks with the garbage:

The ultimate goal was at the last station your family used all of your garbage from the year to build something new like a baseball field, nature preserve, etc. Loads of fun and team work. At the end you get a score and a certificate:

They even email it to your house – fun had by all!!! I highly recommend you checking it out next time your at Epcot.
Next up, we headed to Test Track to grab FP’s and then to Soarin’ to use our Fast Passes.
We were so excited to SOAR for the first time this trip:

We took Sooze’s advice and waited for the middle section front row – WELL WORTH it! So after our feet were firmly planted back on the ground we were on a mission to squeeze a Kim Possible Mission in before our lunch reservation at noon. By this time it was 11:25 (lunch was at Chef’s De France) and we were told each mission takes 25 minutes. We took the HIKE FROM HELL to Italy. It was so stinkin hot and we were walking at such a fast pace to check in and get the phone as quickly as possible. We were SO beat by the time we got there.
A VERY excited Luke ran up to the station in Italy to get his phone:

Here he is phone in hand, VERY excited to begin:

We were assigned Japan. This was SO cool and became Luke’s OBSESSION this trip. Every time we were at Epcot he begged to do a mission and HIS mission was to do a mission in each country (you’ll have to wait and see if we accomplished that goal). This really was cool though. The phones are so interactive with the park. Here are Tim and the kids on our first mission in Japan:

They had so much fun listening to the clues and searching for the locations, it was a blast:

At the location pictured above, when Tim pressed the button on the phone the bonsai tree lit up and smoke came out- it was funny, there were people walking by and they looked at their watches and said “well, that must happen every day at noon or something” . I explained to them it was the Kim possible phone that was activating it, they thought that was so cool (it really was).

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST!

 

[timandlesley]

Then the mission took us inside the gift shop in Japan:

Do you see that light up robot thing at the top of the display, well that is a “baby beebee” that we were hunting it, this ended our mission, we had captured it. Again, these missions are so cool. Every where you go there is something interactive with the phone and the park, such fun. Don’t worry, you’ll see MANY more of these missions along our trip report this year. If you have a son who would be as nuts about this as mine you may want to wait until later on in the trip to introduce it, WARNING it is ADDICTIVE!!!
So after we had saved the world from the Baby Bee Bee’s : ) it was time to head to France for lunch.

I was excited to eat at Chef’s De France. We had never eaten there before and I was excited to try it.

It really was a beautiful restaurant. Our waiter was super friendly. The kids and I had salads as appetizers:

They brought out bread which was delicious.
Then I noticed in the next room they had started bringing Remy around- I was so excited. Lauren was the only one in our family who had NO IDEA this occurred at this restaurant. Luke, being the sweet brother he is was so excited for her and wanted her to be surprised. So he tried to keep her occupied (eyes on him) while Remy made his way around the restaurant and to our table. It was so funny because Lauren LOVES to sing and sings CONSTANTLY and it normally drives Luke NUTS. Well, he said “Lauren, sing me a song, any song”. Here is a happy but very confused Lauren responding to his request:

She wouldn’t sing though and was taken aback as to why he would be asking this of her, here is Luke’s reaction:

But. . .mission accomplished, he was able to distract her long enough until this special visitor arrived at our table:

LOOK AT HER FACE…………. PRICELESS!!!!

The guy who is with Remy is HYSTERICAL, he asks the kids questions and he AND Remy responds. Remy squeeks and shakes his head yes and no – so lifelike, soooooo cool! It was such a great experience.
Well………. Back to our lunch. I ordered their ham and cheese (there was a VERY fancy French name for this that I can’t recall) but it was OUTSTANDING!!!!

Lauren and Luke had the chicken nuggets and fries:

Tim had a burger and fries which he said were very very good:

I also ordered a glass of wine with my lunch since they serve a French wine there that is my favorite, delicious! It was a GREAT meal. We decided to pass on desert because we were so full. As I settled the bill Tim took Lauren outside because she had seen a French parasol outside that you can personalize that she wanted to spend her money on. Tim took her out and was disappointed because apparently they aren’t Disney owned and won’t take room charges or Disney gift cards, luckily he had cash. It would take 1 hour for the personalization so we had some time to kill in the world showcase.
When we did the mission in Japan Luke had spotted tons of Pokemon stuff (which he is VERY into) so we headed back to Japan so Luke could spend some of his money.
Tyson was in Bakugan heaven (he told Luke he liked these when we met them in Indy):

Luke was in Pokemon heaven:

Look at his facial expression as he is looking at this Pokemon stuff in the case, cracks me up:

And Luke spent his money on some Pokemon cards. I was excited to find a toy from my childhood, remember Munchichi???

We watched some people picking pearls, they are SO entertaining there, such fun!!!

After that, Tim went back towards France to pick up Lauren’s umbrella and the kids and I took a hike around World Showcase with the goal of meeting up at Test Track.
We saw lots of things along the way:

There were TONS of characters out by America, TONS. Everyone from Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch, Susie and Perla, penguin from Mary Poppins, cats from the Aristocats, it was AMAZING, we stopped to take pics with the characters with the shorter lines : )

As the kids and I were approaching Mexico I got a call from Tim, he was right behind us. So we met up in Mexico. Lauren was thrilled when she saw her daddy with this:

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST!

 

[timandlesley]

So happy Lauren skipped through the world Showcase with her new purchase:

We headed to test track, LOOK AT THIS FAST PASS LINE, yes, you got it right, the FAST PASS LINE:

We waited in it for 20 minutes, FINALLY got inside the door and then they announced that the ride had broken down. I knew that Tim really wanted to ride it but I was SO hot and SO exhausted that I felt like I was gonna loose it if we didn’t leave and head back to the room, so Tim took pity on me and we bailed and headed for the bus stop.
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[COLOR=black][SIZE=3][FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=purple]So when we got back we all put our suits on and headed down to the pool. At AKL they have great pool games for the kids every day at 3:00, these were just starting when we got down there:[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
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The kids are all lined up (they separated them into two groups according to age) and the lifeguards threw tons of little animals in for the kids to search for at the bottom of the pool, the kids LOVED this!

Here is Tim enjoying the pool:

Here is Luke at the beautiful AKl pool (ahhhhh just love it there)

Then we headed back to the room and I jumped online while Tim and the kids grabbed showers. I teach online courses and I had some work I had to do (HATE working on vacation, but it’s my reality). I logged on and started to panic and cry because of this bad email I had gotten – I don’t want to go into too much detail but let’s just say I was being accussed of something that I did not do, of following a policy that really didn’t even exist (I later, after many phone calls was able to defend myself and prove the person wrong who had sent me this email). Well, this email meant that it would effect my scheduling for the time being which effects us financially. Let’s just say I was in a total panic and NOT very happy. I finished my work, Tim calmed me down with the “we’re in Disney, let’s just try to forget about this and have a good time”. All of this put me behind MAJORLY for our reservations at the Plaza at the Magic Kingdom. I thought our reservation was at 6:30 (Tim knew otherwise, but that’s to come later). I didn’t even get into the shower until 5:00 and we were on the magic Kingdom bus at 5:40- luckily we had a bus right away. We pulled into the magic Kingdom at 6:10 and I said to Tim “Wow, we made it here with time to spare!” and he said “Les, the reservation was for 5:05!!!!” OH MY GOSH!!! I couldn’t believe it. We ran to the Plaza and checked in and were seated quickly.

As we were getting to the table Diane (dddisrunner) texted me and asked where we were at, I told her we were at the Plaza. They said they were at MK that night too and maybe we’d see them, sounds great to me!
Here’s Lauren inside:

It was a very beautiful restaurant but I couldn’t believe how SMALL it was! The kids ordered tomato soup and grilled cheese (gotta love comfort foods):

Tim had the turkey club and fries and LOVED it:

I had the chicken salad on crossaint, it was delicious (sorry for the bites already taken in the photo)

After being on deluxe dining for so long it was INCREDIBLE to just have yummy sandwiches for dinner. During the meal I started to cry thinking about the stress of work. I looked at Tim and said “I HATE this, I’m on the MAGIC KINGDOM and I can’t have fun because of the stress of work, this should not be this way. As always, Tim was awesome, rubbed my back and comforted me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, just did the nice husbandly things to calm me down. We ordered our dessert and tried to enjoy it.
The kids LOVED their creations:

Tim had this incredible banana split:

I ordered a hot fudge sundae, but forgot to photograph it, it was delicious though. As we were wrapping up desert my cell phone rang , when I picked it up it was someone I was mentoring for the University I work for so I had to take the call. I stepped outside while talking on the phone and looked up and saw Diane, Matthew and Eric standing there. I had to continue the conversation (very work related) but mouthed to her “hold on. . .I’m sorry!” When I was done she said “ARE YOU WORKING?” I poured my heart out about what a horrible afternoon it had been and how upset I was, etc. They were great and instantly helped put a smile on my face.
We decided to do some attractions together so we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor together. Before we went in Bryan noticed they were still giving out Fast Passes for Buzz so Tim and Bryan grabbed those for our families.
Here are the kids in line:

Instantly friends, Luke’s already getting onto Matthews back for a piggy back ride:

The show was awesome as usual, no one in our party was picked but it was still hilarious! After that we headed over to Haunted Mansion. Bryan and I talked as Tim and Diane forged ahead pushing Lauren and Eric in strollers:

Here are the kids in line for Haunted Mansion (who knows what Matthew is saying to Luke here, too funny):

As we walked into Haunted Mansion into that room Lauren FREAKED OUT. The CM there was AMAZING. She said “can I talk to her” and of course I said “sure”, she got down on her knees next to Lauren, held her hand and talked quietly to her to calm her down and explained bit by bit the intro, etc. It was incredible and helped Lauren amazingly. I wish I had that CM’s name I would have filled out a form, she was incredible!!!!
After haunted mansion we headed back over to Tomorrowland to use our Buzz fast passes. Matthew and Luke decided they wanted to ride together, Tim and Lauren were together and Bryan and Eric were together so that left me riding with Diane, YIPEE!
I tried to take this of us as the ride started but I realized my flash wasn’t on.

I couldn’t stop to take another, because as I said to Diane “ IT’S ON!!!!” : ) : ) It was such fun, we laughed throughout the entire ride- EXACTLY what I needed that night.
Here are Luke and Matthew on the ride:

So we both did TERRIBLE because we were laughing so hard, but I did beat Diane (sorry Diane, have to post it : ) : )

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST!!

 

[timandlesley]

Here is our ride photo, you can see us dying laughing:

What a great time. I’m telling you, after the tears I shed at dinner, this was EXACTLY what I needed to put a smile back on my face!!!! We parted ways after that because they had some Splash Mountain fast passes from earlier in the day they wanted to use. We headed towards the exit. I wanted to stay for Spectro SOOOOOOOOOO badly but the clouds were completely black above so we decided to head out:
One last look at the castle for the night:

Dark skies looming above:

When we got back to the room the kids were exhausted and fell asleep quickly:

Before Tim and I hit the sack we took advantage of the online Disney dining system again (gotta love being able to change dining reservations at 11 o’clock at night). We decided we didn’t want a counterservice breakfast in the morning and we didn’t want to go back to Sci Fi for lunch again after our Father’s Day experience. So I went online and made a reservation for Boma for Breakfast and Brown Derby for lunch. We went to bed with visions of Boma dancing in our heads : )

For Day #5 Click here:http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2224335&page=20 then scroll down a bit past comments to see Day 4

 

[nateryan]

Awesome update! I plan on eating at Chefs de France and The Plaza...both for the first time. Glad they were good! I love Lauren's parasol...I want one! Luke's face while looking at the Pokemon was priceless!
I can't wait for my boys to do the Kim Possible Adventure!! Look forward to hearing about more adventures!
I'm glad that everything worked out with your work. That stinks you had to deal with that...in Disney no less!