Bella’s Very Merry WISH-mas Party ~ 10 Days of Dreams Come True MAW/GKTW Dec 3-10

[kdzbear]

Great update! My kids love the Piggy Bank game too! Soaring is amazing! I am so glad you were able to sit in the front row. Tyler was too small to ride. I think you are doing an amazing job with your report.

I am sorry about Kennedy's friend. A few months before we found out about Tyler's wish trip we attended a princess Make a Wish party at our local hospital for a family friend's daughter. She was three and did not win her battle with cancer. It was a very difficult funeral to attend. I am sending some prayers your way to help your family deal with this difficult situation.

 

[StefaniLyn]

Great update! My kids love the Piggy Bank game too! Soaring is amazing! I am so glad you were able to sit in the front row. Tyler was too small to ride. I think you are doing an amazing job with your report.

I am sorry about Kennedy's friend. A few months before we found out about Tyler's wish trip we attended a princess Make a Wish party at our local hospital for a family friend's daughter. She was three and did not win her battle with cancer. It was a very difficult funeral to attend. I am sending some prayers your way to help your family deal with this difficult situation.

Did you notice a cuple of familiar pictures in there Kristen? Thanks for the help!

Bella just barely made the cut off for Soarin', and I am soooo glad she did because she absolutely loved it. It's to bad Tyler wasn't tall enough. He must have just missed it. I was really hoping to get a Soarin magical photopass picture to commemorate Bella's first ride, but there was no photographer in the place I was told to look.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend's daughter. The loss of a child is never easy. I cannot even fathom being a parent and dealing with that kind of loss. Whenever and wherever it is, we will attend Calvin's funeral. I know it will be difficult because some of the strongest people I know (principal, district administrators, teachers) will all be in tears. Thanks for the prayers

 

[StefaniLyn]

It was 11:15ish at this point and we had less than 2 hours left in Future World before we were due in Norway to assist Kim and Ron on a Kim Possible Mission. The Living Seas was the next stop on our Epcot Touring Plan and we were excited to meet Nemo and friends as the movie is a family favorite.

Bella showed her GAC to a CM (she was a PRO at this by now) who directed us towards the exit. We saw a short line to our right, but quickly realized that the line was for Turtle Talk with Crush and now we were in search of the clamobiles. After asking a second CM for clarification, she led us through a door and to the back entrance of the ride.

We quickly boarded clamobiles and enjoyed The Seas with Nemo and Friends Ride. The girls delighted in assisting the underwater creatures in their quest to find Nemo. To be honest, I find this ride a bit boring, but enjoy watching the kids point and scream NEMO!!! at every orange dot that appears on the screens.

We disembarked and decided now would be a good time to go visit Crush the Turtle. However, the line was now five times as long as it was before the clam mobiles so we decided to skip it. Instead, we spent a few minutes playing in the play area before posing for a photo-op in Bruce’s mouth.

Unfortunately, the GAC doesn’t provide any special treatment when the small play area is swarmed with dozens of kids. At my request, the girls jumped in line behind Bruce’s head and waited for their turn while I waited in front with my camera ready. After a few minutes, they still hadn’t shown so DGma went around back to check and see what was going on. Apparently not everyone was playing the ‘wait in line’ game nicely and the girls had been skipped over. So DGma played traffic cop and made sure they weren’t skipped over again and we got our Bruce the Shark picture!

Our proposed plans called for a little more time spent in Future World but it was already noon and we had to make it all the way to Norway by 1:00. I knew my time was limited to spring a little Club Cool surprise on the family so we headed back over to Innoventions West when I heard AJ screech at the sight of an upside down waterfall near the Imagination building! It was a trivia question in her Disney Journal and she was thrilled to find the answer. (use your imagination or google epcot upside waterfall to view it - the photo I took was among the casualties)

We continued in my quest to visit Club Cool and quickly found it thanks to some helpful signage. Without giving away the secret, I encouraged everyone else (not me, tee hee hee!) to try each type of soda from around the world.

Please excuse the fact that my DD5 points and uses her middle finger instead of her pointer. I have been trying to break her of this habit since infancy with no luck! I assure you she is not flipping me the bird because I made her try Beverly!

DGma was the first to try Beverly! (imagine photo here of grandma with an eeeewwwwww! look on her face)

Grandma’s reaction intrigued Kennedy (weird kid, !) so she had to give it a try too, right after she dared DH to take a sip. Their reaction was identical to Grandma’s.

AJ, now knowing that Beverly would likely not taste very good, took a little convincing – and bribery. I told her I’d give her $1 if she tried it. She pushed the button and got herself a little Beverly in a cup. Cautiously, she took an itty bitty teeny tiny sip –

Her eyes lit up. “Hey, it’s not so ba. . . . . “ and then she had this reaction:

followed by a little gagging action. I am such a mean mom!

As the self-designated photographer, I exempted myself from tasting Beverly (or any other sodas from around the world!) and given that Bella already has severe aversions to every food and beverage that exists, we gave her a pass too! I wonder if I'll ever be able to talk them into going back for some more Beverly so I can capture those precious moments in photos again.

It was decided that we had time for just one more Future World ride. Using my handy Wish Trip guide, we discussed our options. Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Figment? What would our final Future World ride for the morning be?

Test Track!!!!

This time Bella’s flash of the GAC sent us through the exit. Once we reached the ride itself, we were then sent to the left, up a stairwell, over an archway (where we passed by a conference room that overlooked the track - I wonder what kind of meetings they hold in there?) and down another set of stairs where we were immediately escorted to our waiting car.

We love Test Track and this trip was especially exciting as Bella was finally tall enough to join us on the ride. When the ride was over (all too soon), the girls begged to go again. However, after checking the time and being unsure how long it would take us to walk to Norway, we promised another trip later today if time permitted.

So if you’re keeping track, here’s the score for Future World:
RED = DID NOT ACCOMPLISH GREEN = SUCCESS! WE DID IT!
Explore Innoventions East and West (specifically the Great Piggy Bank Adventure, Club Cool, and the Plastics Council), Free Disney Visa Character Meet and Greet, Soarin’ the ride, Photopass special Soarin’ picture, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Test Track, finding talking water fountains and an upside down waterfall, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, and Journey into the Imagination with Figment.

That's a lot of RED!

We took the shortcut past Odyssey Center over to World Showcase and made it to Norway by quarter til 1. Kennedy spotted the Kim Possible sign immediately and we approached to see if we could check in early. Denied! We had to wait.

DH peeked around the corner and noticed no line for Malestrom so it was quickly decided we could indeed take on the Vikings and still make it back in time to save the world with Kim Possible.

Off to Maelstrom we went. The GAC ensured us virtually no wait. I have loved this ride since childhood and the girls enjoyed it as well although Bella was not a fan of going downhill backwards!

We skipped the movie at the end (I wish they didn't make you wait for the previous movie to end before going through the theater though) and headed straight to the Team Possible Recruitment Center to begin our Kim Possible World Showcase Mission!

Act 3: Scene 3 - We're Your Basic Average Girls, And We're Here to Save the World

 

[Chelley00]

Please excuse the fact that my DD5 points and uses her middle finger instead of her pointer. I have been trying to break her of this habit since infancy with no luck!

DS5 does the SAME thing! It drive me batty. At his preschool Christmas program (which is through the church where I work) they had to point out to the audience, and there is O, middle finger pointing (in front of half the people on staff with me, including pastors!)

 

[StefaniLyn]

DS5 does the SAME thing! It drive me batty. At his preschool Christmas program (which is through the church where I work) they had to point out to the audience, and there is O, middle finger pointing (in front of half the people on staff with me, including pastors!)

HA! LOL about the Christmas program. Did your face turn bright red? I'm glad to know Bella isn't the only one! I have a portrait of her doing the same thing at 3 months old. You know how they prop the babies on their belly on that incline and their arms are hanging over the edge. Well, wouldn't you know, we get the pictures back and my DBrother asks - "why is she flipping you off?" I couldn't even bear to pass those adorable pictures out to family and friends. It wasn't terribly obvious, but once I knew it was there, it was like a spotlight on her hand!

 

[ladybugmom]

My FIL uses his middle finger to point at things, too--especially when he's reading. Hee hee!! Those pics from Club Cool are too funny!! I need to take my unsuspecting family there in May!!

 

[StefaniLyn]

My FIL uses his middle finger to point at things, too--especially when he's reading. Hee hee!! Those pics from Club Cool are too funny!! I need to take my unsuspecting family there in May!!

OH NO! I was hoping she would eventually just grow out of it. Looks like it may be a permanent thing if your FIL still does it!

Club Cool was a lot of fun! Especially since I was the only one who knew about Beverly. I was giddy with excitement as I saw them make their selections and kept hoping that Beverly would be their next pick! Is that mean?

 

[Chelley00]

I have a portrait of her doing the same thing at 3 months old. You know how they prop the babies on their belly on that incline and their arms are hanging over the edge. Well, wouldn't you know, we get the pictures back and my DBrother asks - "why is she flipping you off?"

Owen brought home an "All About Me" book from preschool last year. The last page is this lovely picture of him holding onto the teeter totter, with his middle finger sticking WAY up.

 

[praisehisname]

Your Future World list may have a lot of red in it, but you really enjoyed what you did and that's what counts! Better than having rushed everyone through everything and risk frustration...That's awesome that Bella was tall enough to ride Test Track!!!

Denise

 

[yinyanggirls]

I think Kennedy's expression should suffice for the whole family.

 

[All7OfUs]

Well, that is a fair amount of red. But the things you DID get to do were awesome choices. That GAC probably helped you do about twice as much if you hadn't had it!! Sweet!

Can I just say one more time? Your girls are absolutely adorable in those sweet little capes!! They made for some really great pics!

Speaking of pictures, you still have just enough. That face that Kennedy made was classic! Very funny. I can't wait to pull that one on LeeAnn!

I always skip the Norway movie too. Snooooozer!

Just plain girls can do a lot!! Abraham Lincolns' mom was just a lady like you and me!

 

[StefaniLyn]

Your Future World list may have a lot of red in it, but you really enjoyed what you did and that's what counts! Better than having rushed everyone through everything and risk frustration...That's awesome that Bella was tall enough to ride Test Track!!!

Denise

Not to spoil the surprise, but consider that list a 'rough draft." I think Test Track may have been Bella's favorite at Epcot, so it's super-duper great that she was able to ride!

I think Kennedy's expression should suffice for the whole family.

That's actually AJ but don't worry, everybody gets them mixed up! Poor Kennedy gets called 'Little AJ' at school all the time!

Well, that is a fair amount of red. But the things you DID get to do were awesome choices. That GAC probably helped you do about twice as much if you hadn't had it!! Sweet!
It definitely helped and considering we accomplished all that in less than 3 hours, I'd say we did pretty good!
Can I just say one more time? Your girls are absolutely adorable in those sweet little capes!! They made for some really great pics!
Thanks, I had no idea when I bought them that they would be so perfect for this trip! Did you notice that the skirts matched the ponchos too? Total accident, I swear!
Speaking of pictures, you still have just enough. That face that Kennedy made was classic! Very funny. I can't wait to pull that one on LeeAnn!
That was AJ. The one I took of Kennedy didn't turn out quite as well so I only printed AJ's. Kennedy's reaction is forever immoratalized in my mind though!
I always skip the Norway movie too. Snooooozer!
total snoozefest!
Just plain girls can do a lot!! Abraham Lincolns' mom was just a lady like you and me!

That line is from the Kim Possible theme song!

 

[that's nice]

WHEW! I'm all caught up! (it was only the 2 Epcot updates)

More rain? I hope this December isn't as rainy!

I've never tried the Beverly. I think I'm going to put it on my list of must do's for March. How cool that Bella got to do Soarin & Test Track. I wonder if Juliana will be brave enough to do it? Your girls look like they were having a blast on TT!

I hope you do better with your must do's on the second part of the day.

 

[All7OfUs]

Oops! sorry, I'm forever getting those girlies mixed up!! I did notice those skirts. I thought maybe they were part of a set or something.

 

[Chelley00]

Okay, lady. I've been updating my trip report, and you've stopped.

So, if I stop updating mine, will you update yours???

 

[goldielocksraj]

Her eyes lit up. “Hey, it’s not so ba. . . . . “ and then she had this reaction:

That is a PERFECT SHOT-I mean very good photographic skills, perfect timing that we've all had when eating something nasty. Loves it!

 

[StefaniLyn]

On our way out of Norway, we made a quick stop to pick up KidCots for the girls. The girls each received a Viking ship attached to a giant mask on a stick and had just enough time to write their names before we had to rush out the door. Why, you ask? Because We’re Your Basic Average Girls, and We’re Going to Save the World. (Those are lyrics from the theme song!) We are Team Possible! It was time for us to help Kim Possible and her friend Ron save the world on our first Kim Possible Mission!

We approached the Kim Possible Kiosk with time ticket in hand. The heavily accented CM gave us a detailed explanation and handed us a Kimmunicator. Unfortunately we were thoroughly confused as I couldn’t understand a word he said. Of course, the first argument then ensued then over which agent would hold the Kimmunicator. I solved it by declaring myself “first” so we could move aside and let the next Agents in.

We took the Kimmunicator and listened to Kim and Wayne explain our mission.

By the way, if you happen to run into one of those giant bows next time you are in Epcot, let me know because Kennedy lost hers!

Thankfully Kim and Wayne are not heavily accented and so we sort of understood the directions they gave us. Apparently some evil villains had stolen a precious jade monkey and it was our job to find it! Our instrucitons were to head East to China!

Thankfully, in the land of Disney, Norway is just next door to China so it was literally just a hop, skip and a jump until we saw those golden arches! No, not McDonalds – CHINA!

After our arrival, we found a bench and sat down to listen to our first clue.

I handed the Kimmunicator to Bella and the traditional ‘youngest to oldest’ order was decided upon. The first clue involved “Tomb Warriors” and AJ remembered the rows of soldiers from our previous trip so she led the way to these guys:

In one of the display cases off to the side was a painted tomb warrior and when we brought our Kimmunicator within range of him and pressed a button, he magically nodded his head to confirm we were on the right track to finding the Jade Monkey! I must say, from that moment I was hooked on KP Missions!

With Kennedy now holding the Kimmunicator, our second clue lead us to this lion statue.

Once again, when a button was pushed magic happened. This time, the green ball the lion was clutching magically changed and a picture of a water lily appeared.

Clue #3 took us over near the store in China where we found a cute little cricket in a cage painting our next clue for us! I had a picture, but it is among the lost. If anyone out there has this one could you please share it? Thanks!!

From previous trips, we knew that the KidCot station was inside the store so the girls jumped in line! The wonderful Chinese CM asked the girls their birthday and how old they were to determine what year they were born. Then she stamped their masks and wrote their names in Chinese!

After picking up our KidCots, we sat down to review our next clue. It directed us to a pond and a specific rock. Looking around, we spotted our destination and headed towards the pond to the right of the temple. On our way there, we spotted Mulan and stopped for a couple of pictures.

We then continued on our mission. The girls found the rock, pressed a button on the Kimmunicator, and MAGIC!

The center of the pond started bubbling up and suddenly the Jade Monkey statue rose from the water. It had been in China all along. Mission: Complete!

We really enjoyed the Mission and I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Epcot. It was a wonderful way to explore China for the adults while keeping the kids entertained! We returned our Kimmunicator to a drop box and headed over to watch the amusing Monkey King tell the story of Chinese New Year while DH and DGma checked in for our 1:45 reservations at Nine Dragons.

After the show, it was time for our lunch reservations. We went to Nine Dragons and our table was called quickly. Unfortunately, while checking in, the hostess gave DGma a really hard time about the Candlelight Processional tickets. Because Bella isn’t able to eat, we didn’t feel we should have to pay for a meal for her just to get a reserved seating ticket to a free show. The hostess refused to give DGMa a CP ticket for Bella, even after explaining Bella’s situation, the fact that she was here on a Make A Wish trip, and determining that they could not even make Bella a pureed, gluten free meal if we paid for it! The manager suggested we go speak to someone at guest services after our meal.

The food at Nine Dragons was good, but I was very disappointed in the service. Our waiter explained how the dinner package worked and didn’t come back for another 15 minutes to take our order. For appetizers, we ordered shrimp and taro lollipops, pot stickers, and General Tso’s chicken dumplings. They were all delicious! I had Sesame Chicken for my entrée but it honestly took over ½ hour from the time we finished our appetizers and the serving size was ridiculously small! There were only 6 or 7 small pieces of chicken. I had to wonder if this was because it was a CP package dinner because I saw other plates of the same dish coming out with heaping portions on it. In between our appetizer and entrees, I fed Bella her lunch. She did well, and then fell asleep on my lap just before our food arrived.

After a disappointing lunch (especially considering we had to pay $40 for AJ’s meal – 10 year olds should NOT be considered adults IMHO), we stepped outside and caught the last few minutes of the Chinese Acrobatics show. The girls enjoyed watching the incredible balance, flexibility, and talent of the acrobats.

When the show finished, we took a detour back to Future World to discuss the CP ticket situation with Customer Service. I was a little irritated at this point. Lunch had taken a long time because of the slow service and now we had to take even more time out of our day to straighten out the tickets.

The CM at customer service listened to our plight and made a phone call over to Nine Dragons to confirm that we had indeed eaten there. She then gave us another ticket for the Candlelight Processional for Bella. Why couldn’t they just do that at Nine Dragons? Ugh.

We figured that since we were already in Future World, we should cross a few more things off our list. Spaceship Earth was looming overhead, just begging for us to ride. So we found a CM who led us to the back entrance of the ride and up, up, and away we went! I love the new and improved Spaceship Earth.

So if you're still keeping score, the total is now:
RED = DID NOT ACCOMPLISH
GREEN = SUCCESS! WE DID IT!
Future World:
Explore Innoventions East and West (specifically the Great Piggy Bank Adventure, Club Cool, and the Plastics Council), Free Disney Visa Character Meet and Greet, Soarin’ the ride, Photopass special Soarin’ picture, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Test Track, finding talking water fountains and an upside down waterfall, Mission Space, Spaceship Earth, and Journey into the Imagination with Figment.
World Showcase:
Kim Possible Mission, KidCots and Trading Cards, the Hedge Maze in UK, Malestrom, Mexico boatride, O’Canada movie, Rare characters in World Showcase , Mayuki (candy artist in Japan), Christmas (in China)in every country and the Chinese acrobats show.

I checked the time and realized it was nearly 4PM (see, I told you lunch took forever!) and remembered that the Visa Cardholders meet and greet closed at 4:30. We bypassed the games at the end of Spaceship Earth, much to the dismay of the kids, and scooted over to Innoventions West and were surprised to find a lengthy line. Would we be able to squeeze in a visit with the Mouse before the Candlelight Processional?

Act 3: Scene 4 - Magical Moments when we Meet Mickey Mouse and Pluto

 

[StefaniLyn]

WHEW! I'm all caught up! (it was only the 2 Epcot updates)

More rain? I hope this December isn't as rainy!

I've never tried the Beverly. I think I'm going to put it on my list of must do's for March. How cool that Bella got to do Soarin & Test Track. I wonder if Juliana will be brave enough to do it? Your girls look like they were having a blast on TT!

I hope you do better with your must do's on the second part of the day.

One more update for you now Tim!

I'd like to make and excuse and pretend that I'm only slow in posting updates so you can keep up but the truth is I've just been lazy!

I think Juliana would enjoy it. The only scary part is when the truck comes at you. But if you're prepared maybe you could cover her ears/eyes for that.

So will you be trying Beverly in March?

Oops! sorry, I'm forever getting those girlies mixed up!! I did notice those skirts. I thought maybe they were part of a set or something.

No problem, everyone mixes them up, including me!

The skirts/ponchos match was an accident. In fact, the shirts were purchased at a different time as well. Just so happened that they all coordinated.

Okay, lady. I've been updating my trip report, and you've stopped.

So, if I stop updating mine, will you update yours???

OUCH!!!! That kick in the pants actually hurt But seriously, thanks! I needed it I've been busy ghost writing some articles for an author friend of mine and seriously neglecting the DIS. Bad me! The articles are finished however so I'm back with an Epcot update for you to enjoy! BTW, I've been lurking on your TR updates and loving every word! Keep going - I promise it will just motivate me more!

That is a PERFECT SHOT-I mean very good photographic skills, perfect timing that we've all had when eating something nasty. Loves it!

Thank you!. I think this photo will be enlarged to an 8X10 for my scrapbook album because the rest of them are gone and It pretty much sums up everyone's reaction!

 

[kdzbear]

Another fabulous update! I am glad you were able to crop some of the photos and use them. I thought I had the cricket, but I must have missed him. We have never eaten at Nine Dragons and it is now not on the top of my list. We had several meals that I felt took entirely too long during our trip too. I am glad you were able to get right on Mission Space! I can't wait to hear what you and the girls thought about the Candlelight Processional!

 

[Chelley00]

OUCH!!!! That kick in the pants actually hurt !

Crap, now you updated and that means I'm going to have to update mine.