Better Late Than Never, Right? A Sept/Oct 2009 TR **FINISHED 3/25/10!!**

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 4, Part 2: Fun Times at Fulton’s

I really should have just included this part with the last installment, as I just realized that I have ZERO pictures from our time at DTD! So I’ll just make this short and sweet and we’ll move on to Day 5.

After we left AK, we caught the bus back to Pop so that we could all freshen up and get ready for dinner. Then we caught the bus over to DTD and walked to Fulton’s. This was the only TS meal that was paid for OOP this trip, and it was very expensive, but SO worth it!! I had a New York Strip was to-die-for (I’m NOT a seafood person). DH got Surf and Turf with Alaska King Crab Legs, and he said they were the best he’d ever had. I’m sorry that I don’t remember what everyone else got, but we all left fat and happy. We shared the Classic Tollhouse Cookie Sundae for dessert.

After dinner, we decided to explore DTD. There was some live entertainment going on outside of World of Disney that we watched for a little while. It was a performer teaching kids (and some adults) choreographed dances from movies and music videos. It was really funny! After a few minutes, the kids started getting cranky, so I knew my shopping time was limited. I ran in World of Disney and picked out a few things for the kids. Then we walked down to Once Upon A Toy. I wanted to do the Potato Head box, but DH talked me out of it. I got a Fantasmic! cd and the kids each got a toy. Our last stop was Goofy’s Candy Co. I don’t remember what all we got, but it was yummy!!

After that it was time to head back to the hotel to try and get some rest. Tomorrow we were heading to breakfast at Boma! and then Hollywood Studios!

Next!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 5: Breakfast at Boma and will the bus ever come?

I’m going to start this off by saying that this was probably the worst day of our trip. By this point, everyone was starting to wear on each other’s nerves and it just seemed like everything that could go wrong – did. As a result, I don’t have many pictures of this day. So I’ll apologize in advance.

The day got started off on the wrong foot. We weren’t sure what the best way was to get over to Boma for our 7:45 ressie, so we asked the front desk and they told us to catch a bus to AK and then from there catch one to AKL. Well, you can probably guess (and I should have known) that wasn’t such a bright idea since AK doesn’t open until 9. To make a long story short, we waited forever for an AK bus, got off on the wrong stop at AKL, Dakoda threw up on our way down the stairs to Boma, and we were about 20 mins late for our ressie. Yeah. So not our day.

Since we were late, we ended up waiting for a table for about 30 mins. Once we sat down, things got a bit better. The food was excellent, and the service was good. We tried to eat quickly so that we could hurry and get to DHS. Well, I guess I should say that I ate quickly and tried to hurry everyone else along. Once we finally finished our meal, we headed to the DHS bus stop and it was INSANELY CROWDED!! I mean everyone and their mother was headed to DHS that day. So you can guess what happened. Part of our group ended up on the bus, and Darren, Sarah Kate and I had to wait and catch the next one. While we were waiting, we realized that we didn’t have a binky for Dakoda, or an extra change of clothes (since he had already been changed once that day), so we needed to go back to the hotel. We jumped on the first bus to arrive (MK) and then caught a bus to Pop. Sarah Kate and I waited at the Pop bus stop while DH ran to the room and grabbed what we needed, and then we were (finally) on our way to Hollywood Studios.

Meanwhile, Mam, Pap, DNephews, and Dakoda had been sitting outside the DHS gates waiting for us. They didn’t really mind doing this. It gave MIL some time to “get some sun” and FIL and the boys enjoyed some unstructured playtime with Dakoda. (Note to self: On next family vacation, allow for more downtime.)

We arrived and met up with them, and then headed for the gates. Darren and I went through first with the babies, but when MIL tried to go in – NO ENTRY! What?!! Turns out that when SIL had added an extra night onto their reservation, she forgot to have them add another park day. Easily resolved at Guest Services, but it took another 30 minutes out of our day.

Our first stop was Toy Story Mania.

I’m not sure what time it was at this point, but you know how popular that attraction is – all of the FP’s were already gone and the wait time was something like 40 mins. We decided to bite the bullet and wait in line. It was hot, crowded, the kids were cranky, and people kept coming through cutting the line for some reason. Tempers were flaring. By the time we actually made it on the ride, we were all just ready to move on.

We decided to try a show next, and it was almost time for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. It was a good show, though a bit intense for my little ones. I’m pretty sure MIL and FIL slept through most of it.

After that it was time for some fun for the big kids. First up – Tower of Terror. The boys and I rode, but we couldn’t get Darren on it. He’s not a big fan of heights. Or drops. After that, we headed over to Rock n Roller Coaster, which DH did ride. (I may have forgotten to mention that he had sworn off roller coasters several years ago, but I got him on Everest the day before and he loved it, so I told him he had to try RnRC.) He LOVED it!! Wanted to ride it again, so we got FPs. Then – somehow – Dnephews talked him into trying ToT. Bad idea. He absolutely hated it from start to finish and was in a bad mood for a while afterwards.

After our thrill rides, everyone was getting hungry and cranky, and I was in a hurry to try and make it across the park for Playhouse Disney Live. So we decided that Darren and I would take the kids to PDL and meet up with the rest of them after. We grabbed a bite to eat at Starring Rolls and then headed to the theater. The kids LOVED the show! It was really cute. We’re looking forward to seeing it again.

After we met up with the rest of our group, we headed over to Star Tours, and then back across the park for the last showing of Beauty and the Beast. It had been a l-o-n-g, hot day (probably the hottest of our trip), and DD was just not having the show. I ended up standing off to the side of the stage holding her for most of it.

After the show, the boys wanted to ride Tower one last time, so we did, and then used our RnRC FP’s before heading back to the hotel. It was the boys and Mam and Pap’s last night and they had to finish packing and do some laundry.

We said good night around 11:30 and went to bed. We were sad to see them go, but we still had two days left of Disney fun!
Here are a couple of random pictures from the day.

Next installment

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day Six: Magic Kingdom

This was our first day “on our own,” and we were somewhat nervous about handling both kids and the double stroller by ourselves on the buses. It wasn’t easy, but we managed. I carried both kids on and sat Dakoda in the seat beside me while DH folded up the stroller and carried it on.

We had an 8:15 ADR at The Crystal Palace, and we were very excited to see Main Street without the usual crowd of people. Here are a few early morning pics.

We arrived right on time and there were already quite a few people there. I stayed with the kids while Darren checked us in, and they called us for a table within about 10 minutes. Characters were already coming through, so I told Darren to hurry and grab some food while I sat with the kids and kept the camera ready. Piglet was first, followed closely by Tigger, and then a few minutes later, by Pooh. As per usual, Dakoda wanted nothing to do with them, while Sarah Kate was fascinated.

After we had eaten our fill, we set out to start our day. I really wanted to get the kids some personalized Mouse Ears, so we headed over to The Chapeau. We ordered their ears (pink Princess ears for Sarah Kate and regular ears for Dakoda) and DH bought a hat. We headed back up Main Street. Our handy Times Guide told us that it was nearing time for Dream Along With Mickey, so we decided to stake out a spot in front of the castle. I sat with the kids in the stroller while DH ran and got us FPs for BTMRR. The kids really loved the show, and even DH said he enjoyed it. It’s on our “must” list for next trip.


Here we are waiting for the show to start

Beautiful castle

Mickey and Minnie

Princesses and Princes with M&M

Peter Pan

Captain Hook

Maleficent

End of the Show

After the show, we headed for Fantasyland. I snapped this picture on the way.

We briefly considered Dumbo

but the line was pretty long already, so we decided to try out…

The Mad Tea Party

Yes, we all went on it. I told Darren that he wasn’t allowed to spin it, but of course he did. The kids were not big fans, but they didn’t cry or get sick, so I guess it counts as a success, right?


Doesn't he look thrilled?

After the Tea Party, we joined Snow White for her Scary Adventure, and then Darren wanted to take Dakoda on the...

Tomorrowland Speedway

After that, it was time for...

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin!

Continued in next post...

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 6: Magic Kingdom, continued

By this point the kids were starting to get cranky, so we decided to head over to Dakoda’s favorite ride (or maybe just the our favorite, since it had put him to sleep last time ) – The Haunted Mansion.

On our way, we walked through Mickey's ToonTown Fair.

Adorable Mickey-o-lantern that I want for my house!

We didn’t any luck this time getting Dakoda to go to sleep, so we decided that maybe a snack would help. (Looking back, I realize that this would have been a good time to head back to the resort for a nap. Would have made the rest of our day SO much easier. Oh well. You live and learn, right? ) We headed over to Sleepy Hollow and got an ice cream cookie sandwich. The kids enjoyed.

We then headed over to Frontierland and Darren rode BTMRR. For some reason it took forever, even with our FPs, so I opted not to ride. Instead we decided to do something that we could all enjoy, so we headed to

and rode Pirates of the Caribbean. Up next on our list was the Jungle Cruise, but Sarah Kate was asleep and I didn’t want to wake her, so I sat with her while the boys rode. Afterwards, we headed back over to Liberty Square and took two more tours of

Kids waiting in line

DH wanted a picture with the Liberty Bell

At this point we decided to leave the park for a little while, and we figured the easiest thing to do would be to ride the monorail for awhile so the kids could sleep in their strollers without having to get in and out a bunch. But when we got outside the gates, we found out that the monorail had been shut down indefinitely. We didn’t want to go all the way back to Pop, so we took the boat over to the Grand Flo. We walked around the resort for a while, and unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures. It was absolutely stunning, though! DH said he would like to stay there someday. (I don’t have it written in my notes, but I’m assuming that we ate lunch at some point during our break. I know I didn’t starve my children.)

After an hour or so, we headed back to the dock to catch the boat back over to MK. When we got there, we decided to take the plunge – literally – and ride Splash Mountain. I was a big dork and wore my poncho, hoping to not get too wet. I think it might have worked had I not been in a seat by myself – when the water came in, it stayed in the seat and splashed over to me and soaked my rear end. Always fun to walk around in wet jeans!

After that adventure, we decided to go stake out a spot for Spectro and Wishes. We found a spot in front of the castle and I sat with Sarah Kate and the stroller while Darren let Dakoda run around and stretch his legs for a while. I snapped a few pictures of the castle while they were gone.

When they came back, I ran to Cosmic Ray’s to get us some dinner. Then we all sat together and watched Wishes as a family. It was the first time seeing it for all of us, and it was absolutely magical. Definitely a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.


After Wishes, we headed back to our room to get a good night's rest for our last day in the parks.

Up next: Where did we decide to spend our last day?

 

[praisehisname]

Finally all caught up again. That's so nice that you had those two days by yourselves, even though you were a little nervous about it. I'm sad that you're trip is coming to an end, but looking forward to hearing more!

Denise

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Then we all sat together and watched Wishes as a family. It was the first time seeing it for all of us, and it was absolutely magical. Definitely a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I know and remember this feeling! I'm loving your TR!

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Great updates

 

[that's nice]

First off for the laptop!!!! Is it going to be 'yours' or the family's?


It think it would of been better taking a cab over to AKL for your breakfast ADR. You were probably thinking the same thing afterwards. LOL

How was Boma? I would like to eat there someday.

Glad you got your DH to try some coasters. RnRC is my favorite ride in all of WDW!

Funny pic of you and your DH... did he carry you all the way to the bus like that?

The crowds seemed pretty small in your pics at MK... Did you try the puffed french toast at CP?

I'm just filled with too many questions tonight.

Isn't watching Wishes the best.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Finally all caught up again. That's so nice that you had those two days by yourselves, even though you were a little nervous about it. I'm sad that you're trip is coming to an end, but looking forward to hearing more!

Denise

It was really nice to have some time for just the four of us.

I know and remember this feeling! I'm loving your TR!

Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Best feeling in the world!

Great updates

Thanks!

First off for the laptop!!!! Is it going to be 'yours' or the family's? Mine! It is a trade-off so that I won't complain about DH spending so much time on the PS3.


It think it would of been better taking a cab over to AKL for your breakfast ADR. You were probably thinking the same thing afterwards. LOL That is EXACTLY what I was thinking afterwards.

How was Boma? I would like to eat there someday. Really good!

Glad you got your DH to try some coasters. RnRC is my favorite ride in all of WDW! It is his favorite now, too. It's all he talks about riding again...well, that and EE. I'm looking forward to getting him on Space Mountain.

Funny pic of you and your DH... did he carry you all the way to the bus like that? Ha! No he did not. I think the PP photographer told him to do that. It was a fun pic, though.

The crowds seemed pretty small in your pics at MK... Did you try the puffed french toast at CP? It was definitely less crowded on our second day at MK than our first. I don't think I tried the puffed french toast, but I think DH did, and like it.

I'm just filled with too many questions tonight.

Isn't watching Wishes the best.
YES IT IS!!!!

Answers in bold above. Ask away! I like answering questions. It makes me think and remember things.

 

[Charlefours]

Great updates--sorry I missed the notice that they were released. DHS--I am looking forward to some of the things like PDL, B&B and VOTLM but it is probably the park I am looking forward to the least. I think I get the most turned around in there too.

Solo MK day: seems like you got a lot accomplished. Good to know about the Dream Along With Mickey--I will definitely jot a note to catch it this September. Love the empty Main Street shots. We are hoping to get those too when we got to BBB before the park opens.

gorgeous photos!!

 

[HG_MOM]

I am jumping in a little late but I am enjoying your TR. We are planning a trip around the same time this year and I am curious about the weather...other than your one downpour!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Great updates--sorry I missed the notice that they were released. DHS--I am looking forward to some of the things like PDL, B&B and VOTLM but it is probably the park I am looking forward to the least. I think I get the most turned around in there too.

Solo MK day: seems like you got a lot accomplished. Good to know about the Dream Along With Mickey--I will definitely jot a note to catch it this September. Love the empty Main Street shots. We are hoping to get those too when we got to BBB before the park opens.

gorgeous photos!!

Definitely try to catch Dream Along With Mickey. It was one of our favorite shows. Even DH enjoyed it! I get turned around at DHS, too, for some reason.

I am jumping in a little late but I am enjoying your TR. We are planning a trip around the same time this year and I am curious about the weather...other than your one downpour!

Hi and Besides that one big downpour, the weather was gorgeous! It was actually really hot the first few days (like, in the 80s), and then cooled off for our last couple of days (but still shorts weather). But I know Tim (that's nice) was there the next week (arrived the day after we left) and it was HOT!!!! So it really varies, but for the most part, pack shorts and tee shirts!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 7, Part 1: Animal Kingdom *very pic heavy*


According to the itinerary, the plan for this day was to have a free morning either playing at Pop or at DTD, and then spend the afternoon/evening at Epcot, with lunch at Le Cellier and dinner at Chef Mickey’s.

What actually happened was that we both agreed that the kids didn’t have a good time at Epcot since they were too little to really do anything, so there was really no reason to visit it a second time this trip. We had already had 2 days at MK and 1 and ½ days at DHS, so we decided to visit Animal Kingdom.

We slept in and had breakfast in the (extremely crowded) Pop food court. I wish I had written down what we ate, but I know it was really good. We caught the AK bus and I want to say we arrived there within an hour of rope drop.

This is not a great picture, since neither of my children were looking, but there were a LOT of people waiting to take pics with the sign.

Rafiki was the one character that DH wanted a picture with. He had been on the lookout for him all week, and we finally found him on our way into the park.

I love the detail on the benches here.

We did a little bird watching.

The tree!

We decided to try It’s Tough To Be A Bug! Since none of the other attractions that we had been to that week had bothered our kids, I felt like they would do fine with it. (And I was right. )

The detailing in this queue always amazes me.

Obligatory glasses shot.

On the way out, I took more detail photos.

When I finally stopped taking pictures, we headed over tothe Oasis exhibits and then did the Maharajah Jungle Trek. I wish I had written down the names of the animals that I took pictures of. Oh well, enjoy these random animal pictures. LOL

Creepy bats

On to the tigers

Look at those big paws!

Right after I took that picture, I remember that I got stung or bitten by some kind of bug.

And some pictures of my cuties.

After our Jungle Trek, we got FP’s for Everest, then headed over to Camp Minnie Mickey to try and catch Festival of the Lion King. Did we make it in time?

Next

 

[Charlefours]

Yay for AK! Cute picture of DH with Rafiki. I am glad you were able to find him. I want to look up and close at the Tree of Life on our next trip.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 7, Part 2: Animal Kingdom (cont.)

After our Jungle Trek, we headed over to EE to grab some FPs.

Love that mountain!


Then we decided to try and make the next showing of Festival of the Lion King, so we headed towards Camp Minnie Mickey.

I’ve never noticed this sign before.








I want a birdhouse like this for my yard!


We got to the theatre a little too late and Sarah Kate was asleep, so we decided to do take advantage of the low crowds and do the Character Greeting Trails.

First up was Donald Duck!


Next was Minnie Mouse.


The line for Mickey was kind of long and Dakoda was getting cranky, so we opted to skip it.

Pocahontas was walking around near the Trails.


Then we ran into Kenai and KODA!! (We love Koda because that is what we sometimes call Dakoda.)


They were so funny! They interacted with DS and DH for a long time, and then they noticed Sarah Kate in the stroller and motioned for me to bring her over for a picture. I didn’t understand what they meant at first, so Kenai came over and got the stroller and pushed it over there!


After we said goodbye to the Bears, we decided to grab lunch. Pizzafari was close and – more importantly – air conditioned! We both ordered the pepperoni pizza. I wasn’t expecting much since I’ve heard some bad things about Disney pizza, but we actually liked it!

When we finished eating, it was our FP time, so we headed over to EE. Then DH somehow talked me into going on Kali River Rapids, where I once again wore a poncho, and once again got soaked in spite of it.

It was nearing time for FOTLK, so we headed BACK over to Camp Minnie Mickey (have you kept track of how many times we have crossed the park today?). We made it this time and had great seats. We just love this show!

After the show, the park was closing and we decided to head back to the hotel for dinner and some pool time. (And packing, since I hadn’t done that yet.)

We caught a few minutes of the closing show on our way out.


We didn’t have to wait long for a bus and were soon on our way back to Pop.

Next

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Yay for AK! Cute picture of DH with Rafiki. I am glad you were able to find him. I want to look up and close at the Tree of Life on our next trip.

Thanks! You should definitely take some time to explore the Tree of Life. It's amazing!!

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Day 7, Part 3 – Pop, Pool, and Packing

We left AK around park closing time and caught a bus back to Pop. We went to the room and changed into our swimsuits, and then headed to the food court for dinner. On the way, we took pictures beside our years of birth.

Mine


Darren's


We ate dinner, and then decided that it was time for ...........................................

Dakoda's first Mickey bar!!!



He liked it.



The kiddie pool was closed, so we went over to the Goofy fountains, which Dakoda LOVED!!



His favorite thing to do was wait until one went down all the way, then stand over it and let it hit him when it popped back up again. He was so funny!





We let him play until it started getting dark and then headed back to the room. Darren got the kids changed and settled while I packed. It was a loooooong night, thanks to my procrastination, and the dreaded morning came way too quickly.

When the alarm went off, Darren and I got up and showered, packed up the rest of our things, and then got the kids up. I packed up our leftover goodies and had Darren take them down to the front desk for Tim (that's_nice), who was arriving the next day. The kids and I headed out front to wait for ME, while Darren waited in the room with the luggage for bell services with a luggage cart, which took FOREVER for some reason. By the time he and the luggage made it out, there was a huge crowd waiting on the ME bus, and we ended up having to wait for another one along with about 10 other guests. We waited for about 15-20 mins, and then it arrived. In no time, we were at the airport. We grabbed breakfast at Chickfila, browsed in the Disney store for a few minutes, and then made our way through security (which went a lot smoother at MCO than it had back home in Knoxville, thank goodness). Soon, we were on the plane and headed back home to TN. I may or may not have cried a little when we took off, not knowing when we would be back.

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to share our adventures with all of you. I apologize for sometimes going way too long without an update. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

 

[that's nice]

Way to make changes on the fly!!!!

Great pics of the tree of life!!

So the kids didn't mind tough to be a bug??? I remember Melody carrying out Juliana when she was screaming in there!!! (when she was 2)

So were your feet tired after all the walking??????

Looks like Dakoda loved his Mickey bar!!!!! I wish I was eating one right now!

How did you guys do with the heat? I feel like it kicked our butts!

You were born in 1984?????? You're a baby!!!!


And once again, THANK YOU so much for leaving all that stuff for us! We loved everything, and Juliana's favorites were the glow wands and the water sprayer!!!

I'm glad you are going back!!!!!

 

[Charlefours]

Pop looks like a great resort! I think it is one I would want to try. The one thing I think I would miss would be the fridge in the room but who knows if we really would.

Thank you so much for doing your TR! I have reallyenjoyed reading about your trip!! :

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

Way to make changes on the fly!!!!

Great pics of the tree of life!! Thanks!

So the kids didn't mind tough to be a bug??? I remember Melody carrying out Juliana when she was screaming in there!!! (when she was 2) They didn't mind it! I have a feeling DD will this year, though.

So were your feet tired after all the walking?????? YES!!!

Looks like Dakoda loved his Mickey bar!!!!! I wish I was eating one right now! Me too!

How did you guys do with the heat? I feel like it kicked our butts! It definitely did us in. I think the last day was our hottest. Must have been getting ready for you!

You were born in 1984?????? You're a baby!!!! I sure don't feel like one!


And once again, THANK YOU so much for leaving all that stuff for us! We loved everything, and Juliana's favorites were the glow wands and the water sprayer!!! You are SO welcome!!!

I'm glad you are going back!!!!!

Pop looks like a great resort! I think it is one I would want to try. The one thing I think I would miss would be the fridge in the room but who knows if we really would.

Thank you so much for doing your TR! I have reallyenjoyed reading about your trip!! :

We paid $10/night for a fridge in our room. It was totally worth it. Thank YOU for reading!! I'm glad that you have enjoyed it!