Big Disney Conversion Trip - 7 new WDW fans - Installment 6

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We are finally back from our first Walt Disney World DVC trip from April 14th through April 21st.

After purchasing at BWV in January of 2006, we got the bright idea to take both of my sisters, their husbands, and their darling children ages 6, 8, and 9. The kids definitely made the trip very worthwhile.

After seeing posts of people cancelling at the last minute, and being really nasty, we became more and more anxious about whether or not we would pull this off. We did.

In the end, the trip was pretty magical but a little trying. We all had fun. Everyone is still speaking with each other, but...well 9 people at Disney together starts turning into a school field trip.

If you try to pull this off, be forewarned the words..."but we just stopped to go to the bathroom - why didn't they go 5 minutes ago" will go through your mind more than once, and that was for the adults!

Here are the players ME (Mrs. Mickey's Apprentice) : DH (Mickey's Apprentice)
O.K., so I am Mrs. Mickey's Apprentice. Thats because me and Mickey's Apprentice share our DISboard account. I bet that could get confusing. I just turned 38. We live about 180 miles from the rest of the family, and try to spend a lot of time with them. I visited WDW at the ages of 2 and 4 and didn't return until my Disneymoon in '92. This is the 4th trip that I actually remember.

DH is the official Mickey's apprentice. For some reason, I've always called him Bug. We have both loved Disney since our Disneymoon.

DSIS1 DBIL1 and DNiece8
DSIS1 is 45, DSIS1 fell and broke both of her feet back in the Fall, has major back problems, and will be going through WDW in a scooter. DSIS1 will be called Lucille. That is not her real name.

DBIL1 is our Nascar Dad. He is 49, has had heart surgery, and we call him Bubba. Dniece8 is the apple of his eye.

DNiece8 likes lots of attention. She thinks that I am the greatest aunt that ever lived. I think that DNiece8 is the grandest little girl that ever lived. We are a lot alike. Half the time, DSIS1 calls DNiece8 my name instead of hers when she is acting up, just like when I was a kid. Let's just call her, DNiece.
DSIS2 DBIL2 DNephew9 and DNephew6

DSIS2 is 40. Her #1 job is super mommy. She makes sure that my nephews get the best upbringing possible. DSIS2 last visited WDW at the age of 7. Like a bear protecting her cubs, she will make sure that her boys have a most magical time. DSIS2 has been Ossie since she was 2 weeks old. I can't give you any other nicknames. There are no other nicknames. I sometimes forget what Ossie's real name is.

DBIL2 is 39. His job is to keep the super mommy happy. You know the saying, if Momma ain't happy, aint nobody happy." He is really hands on with the boys, and does a good job. DBIL2 has always liked the muppet Beaker, so I'm hoping he likes the muppets in 3D. For the trip, he'll be superdad.

DNephew9 is quiet and studious, and is really the poster boy for eldest child. He loves sports, baseball especially, and really admires Derek Jeter, shortstop for the New York Yankees. DNephew9 made the Allstar team last year in the 7 and 8 year olds in baseball. I worry about him a little because he won't eat anything. DSIS2 thinks he is anorexic but can't find anything about little boys having anorexia. I sometimes call him Brother.

Finally, we have DNephew6. I call him Little Bit. He is a most adorable child. He has many little girl friends, and is always around to amuse everyone. Shall I say it, my least favorite words in the world, "He's the baby."

Here are the accommodations:
4/14
ME, DH, Ossie, Superdad, Brother and Little Bit. - 2 pop century rooms.
Bubba and Lucille, and DNiece - 1 Bedroom Saratoga Springs

4/15-4/19
ME, DH, Ossie, Superdad, Brother and Little Bit. - 2 Bedroom BWV - over Big River Grille 2011-2013.
Bubba and Lucille, and DNiece - BWV Studio at corner of Boardwalk and Courtyard 3057.

4/20
ME and DH - POR
Ossie, Superdad, Brother and Little Bit - Holiday Inn Express - Palm Parkway
Bubba and Lucille, and DNiece- Somewhere in Daytona Beach, FL

In our next installment, we'll fill you in on the whole pretrip discussion over ADRs, travel schedules, last minute ticket purchases. Find out who almost backed out and why.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Here we go with the trip report.

This is our 1st Trip Report, so PLEASE respond if you are at all interested!

Over the several months, ME and DH have both poured over the DIS to create just the perfect trip.

All of the kids were really excited about the trip. Mickey Mouse called on Christmas morning and invited them to WDW. Dniece and Brother were really excited from hearing other kids talk at school. Little Bit was more skeptical. (He had the most magical trip of all!) The parents (my sisters and their husbands) were convinced they had been sentenced to a full week of hard labor, and showed that level of excitement. They were going to WDW because that is what good parents do!

For our 1st night in Central Florida, Ossie decided to stay at POP, so we all reserved. Lucille got a card for an upgrade to either OKW or SSR. Since we were signed up as a grand gathering, we did like any self respecting DISSER and tried to get the whole group upgraded. No dice, but accidentally got Lucille upgraded to a 1 bedroom at SSR. Lucille asked, Is this a big deal? Well, I thought so! We would all move to the BWV the next morning on points because DH wanted his 1st WDW DVC trip to have a Boardwalk View!

Early on, we stressed the importance of making ADRs early so that we would have places to eat. Ossie insisted that there would be no need for ADRs while Bubba insisted that he have a convenient sit down dinner every night. DH and I saw a disaster in the works!

We ended up making lots of secret ADRs for 9 people and then called and repeatedly cancelled them throughout the trip. Lesson Learned If Ossie insists that there is no need for ADRs while Super Dad gasps at the price of the dining plan...listen. From their perspective, they were right. There was no need for ADRs. Everyone managed to get to Cracker Barrel without ADRs. We missed some attractions, most notably fantasmic. Only DH and I noticed.

Enough of that.

So off we go...

9 people, 3 vehicles piled high, 2 coolers, 4 cases of Diet Mt. Dew, 2 cases of water, piles of food and suitcases, 2 gas stops, 2 food stops, numerous bathroom stops, the Florida Welcome Center, and one overheated engine later, we make it to WDW!

The kids checked out every car, in every possible configuration, getting in a different car/truck at each stop.

Brother and Little Bit rolled into WDW with ME and DH via the Western Way. We were thrilled. DH really felt like he really was being Mickey's Apprentice.

Little Bit was absolutely adorable. He said, "I'm at Disney World, Pinch Me! We showed them orange trees, and was able to make out the Contemporary, Space Mountain, the castle, and I think, expedition everest.

They were so thrilled, and we were pretty happy too!

Oh yeah, about the backing out...one of Bubba's employees quit the week before the trip, but he couldn't disappoint his , so off we went.

On the next installment...

Checking into POP and SSR, and our 1st full day at WDW!

 

[TenThousandVolts]

keep it comin' -this is cute, I was the main planner in our GG last year- we had 22 people, and I can SO relate to your thoughts on ADRs and sticking together!

 

[rocketriter]

When we've gone with friends, we've always made a few ADRs (not every night) and a few required times to run around together or see a show (not every day), and let folks make their own way the rest of the time.

BTW, I love trip reports and yours is no exception. Keep it coming!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Can't wait to hear more! Actually I'm a little afraid to hear more because I think it may resemble our upcoming trip! There will be 10 of us: me, DH, DS3, DS1, SIL, BIL, nephew4, niece2, MIL, and FIL. We're staying in a three bedroom villa so we will be together day and night!...for a week!

 

[Ciciwoowoo]

Ohh... I'm hooked!

More, more!!!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Thanks for the encouragement!

We've about got our pictures together, and hope to add another installment really soon with pictures! We have pictures of really, really cute kids!

I'm thrilled! We've got groupies!!

dr&momto2boys: Don't be too nervous! This trippie will give you the good, the bad, and if we're lucky some sage advice that will assure a good time.
If you can get them in the parks for any amount of time, something magical will happen! Just imagine everyone in your party gazing at Wishes with their mouths open in awe.

Here's some pixie dust just for you.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

In our last installment, we left the real world and entered Disney World.

With a Green Chevy SUV, and a Red F150 the kids automatically made the connection with the CARS movie. The Red F150 was Lightnin' McQueen of course, the Green Chevy was the villian car that we can't remember the name of, and the White Nissan Altima was the Blue King Dynaco car by default.

Anyway, the Green car and the king turned into POP while Lightnin' McQueen drove on into the Winners Circle at SSR.

As DH and Super Dad checked us into POP, ME, Ossie, Brother and Little Bit hung out in the lobby and gift shop. We looked at all of the memorbilia and recognized most of it. It was a good moment with Sis. She showed the kids some of the items. I was really surprised at how much of the items I had or recognized. Since Ossie had worked at the local Drive-In, we had a good laugh with the pole and speaker, but also 8 track players, the Thriller Album, TV Guide with J.R., etc.

BY this time its after 7p.m. After checking in Super Dad decided he wanted to go to MK that night. We all go to the concierge desk to put our park tickets on our POP room keys before heading over to SSR for BBQ Lucille brought from home.

ME, Ossie, Brother, and Little Bit headed to our room in the 70s right behind the big Mickey Mouse phone while DH and Super Dad drove the cars around. We walk out into the pool area and the whole thing looked like the Toon Town scenes in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It was magical and surreal.

When we got to the room, DH was excited, he had one of the Mickey phones as a youngster. We had connecting rooms with a King Bed in one Room and 2 Doubles in the other. We thought that this would be a really good setup for a family with 3 kids or older kids. We freshen up and head to SSR.

When we get to SSR, Lucille lets us know that they are changing rooms because the first room was non-smoking. They head to the new room and insist that the resort bring them new room keys instead of them going back to the front desk. (I roll my eyes.) We wait a few minutes and someone comes and gives them the room key. The room is gorgeous. The view is gorgous. Bubba and Lucille's room is in Congress Park directly across from Cirque De Soleil. We are all very impressed. We hear...oh you mean you got AN UPGRADE!!!

On SSR, I understand the comments on the DIS. I really liked the room setup and furnishings. Everything was so neat and new, and well...I'm really a cherry wood furniture and granite countertops kind of gal. However, just driving in, it seemed confusing, and I didn't care for the concrete floors in the hallways. I could see how some people love it and some people hate it. My opinion...I'd be thrilled to go to SSR on a last minute trip or for an upgrade.

It takes a while to figure out what is in the car, what needs brought up, etc. We warm up the BBQ, eat, etc. etc. Its 9:30 and the kids want to swim. Everyone asks what time we are headed to BWV the next morning and we say 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

We head back to POP. No parks tonight. The kids hop in the pool and blow off some steam.

For some reason, my feet already hurt , Ossie has already changed the agenda from MK to Epcot for our 1st morning , Bubba and Lucille have already complained about an incredible room, and cooking dinner took hours , and that sums up all the reasons that the trip was only pretty good.

Sunday morning, we get up bright and early, head to the POP food court, and its nearly empty. We grab our breakfast while Ossie and Super Dad get the kids food, and then stay with the kids while they get theirs. It looks like our presence will be good for the parents during the week.

The POP people load up and head to BWV. ME, Ossie, Brother, and Little Bit ride in our SUV, while DH and Super Dad take the Altima. We get to BWV, and show our DVC cards to the luggage attendants and valets. Ossie and I handle the vehicles while the guys go check in. (Bubba and Lucille parked in disability parking all week while me and DH plus Ossie and Super Dad had valet parking.)

I have never seen anything go off as slick as the luggage and valet. Within moments we have 2 luggage slips and 2 valet slips and are done. The boys attempt to ride the luggage cart into the hotel with the luggage. The CM sweetly tells them that they will be tagged with the other luggage and will have to stay in a storage bin all day. It was cute.

Once inside, we realize that we have our purses and lots of other belongings that we don't want at Epcot. We go outside and our cars are still there. We put some stuff in the cars - but don't get the rain ponchos. We call Bubba and Lucille and DNiece who are about to leave SSR. We get our tickets changed from our POP room keys to our BWV room keys and head to Epcot via boat.

We get to Epcot, and the room keys (tickets) don't work. We get temporary paper tickets, and into Epcot we go. We'll have to fix that later. Its 9:05 a.m. and DH and I are ecstatic. Ossie calls Lucille who is at check in and gives her info about where to look for rain ponchos. (I'm thinking, pay the $5, buy the poncho!)

We go in a gift shop and Ossie almost purchases a $30 hooded windbreaker, but alas not the right size. We head through World Showcase as it begins to mist. We see the wonderful topiaries for the 1st time, and take a few pictures.

The guys head to Soarin' for fast passes as the girls and kids head to Mission Space. We go in through the gift shop and let the boys run through the advanced training labs. When the guys get to MS, there is a short wait, and we get in the standby line for the "No Spin Zone."

Next time...we spend the morning in Epcot, DNiece meets Cindy in the castle for a late lunch, and BWV pushes the 4:00 p.m. envelope.

 

[IkeandMike]

Great report so far, you've got me hooked. Although you are scaring me a little, because I'm about to take a trip with 9 people. I think I could learn a little from you.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

O.K., so we take the pictures of the topiaries, and head to Mission Space. So far its just ME, DH, Ossie, Super Dad, Brother, and Little Bit. The guys get the Soarin' fast passes and we all head to Mission Space.

Its the kids 1st rides at WDW and we choose Mission Space as the 1st ride. What were we thinking? We are with Brother and Little Bit, and we do MS 1st! At least it was the non-spinning version. DH and I get in one line while Ossie and family have a space capsule to themselves.

It went well. There was no motion sickness or uncontrollable bawling, but looking back, Little Bit seemed timid of all rides for the rest of the trip. We even had to force him to ride Peter Pan and Goofy's Rollercoaster. Poor kid! It gets worse for the little feller later on.

Ossie loves going on cool rides, and she thought Mission Space rocked. I think everybody else liked it, except maybe for Little Bit.

We come out of MS and the rain is pouring pretty good. We started to head to Test Track and decided it would probably get stopped because of the rain before we got on it. I give Ossie my poncho and we head on. We call Lucille. They are leaving BWV and getting to Epcot.

They want to know where to meet us. I've read 1,000 times. Never have someone meet you in front of a big icon. I then realize. They don't know where anything is. Meeting us at Test Track or anything else requires reading a map. Throwing my best judgment out the window, I say...meet us at the ride entrance to Spaceship Earth. Lucille says "Spaceship Earth?" I say, "The Golfball." Lucille says, There's a ride inside that thing? Yes.

Everybody heads toward Spaceship Earth. DH and I unknowingly shortcut through Innoventions. I think, here's this thing we never go in and have no interest in. It will be a good shortcut in the rain. The newbies look around and go, gee this is an interesting place to go in and look around. Great! I just told Lucille to meet us at Spaceship Earth and we're spending 1/2 hour in Innoventions. Anyway, I pull them out of Innoventions just in time for the Spring Hurricane in Epcot. Is there a wind tunnel effect because of Spaceship Earth? I'm not sure. Boy it was raining hard. I call Lucille back and they are rational and are in the other innoventions building waiting for the rain to slow down. (This would be the 1st hurry up and wait episode of the trip. - It really wasn't that bad.)

We finally all get to Spaceship Earth and find a real line. We found each other with no problems. Cell phones Rock!

Anyway, Lucille is in a scooter, and we are directed to the side entrance of the golf ball in the rain. We go in, sit in a nice air conditioned area for a moment and then go to the ride vehicle. This was pretty slick. I like this. Super Dad starts referring to this as the Lucille fastpass. We all like how the scooter got us in certain areas, but Super Dad thinks it is great!!

Anyway, we all get on the SE ride. I see Bubba and DNiece riding up ahead. Bubba is pointing at things and showing them to DNiece. I thought that was really sweet. After we got back, DNiece8 said that SE was her favorite ride. Interesting.

We then head to the new Nemo ride. DH goes to take a picture of the fish.

We get in the line for Nemo ride. We are all pretty much single file and I am not paying attention to who is with us and whose not. I watch out for Lucille who is going through the regular line in her scooter. The line area goes up and down, and makes corners, and I'm a little nervous about that. (No need the scooter goes through very well.) DH takes another picture outside.

After 5 or 10 minutes, Super Dad asks "Where is your DH?" (or something like that) I said...well he's up there with you right? I'm bringing up the rear with Lucille and the scooter. Super Dad says "He is not here." I've lost a 41 year old man I've been terrified of losing track of a child. I've read and learned what CM's do in case of a missing child. I've instructed the children to go find someone with a Disney badge. I've taken every precaution necessary and I've lost my husband!! O.K. no problem. Get the cell phone out. CINGULAR CELL PHONES DO NOT WORK DEEP WITHIN THE NEMO BUILDING WHILE IN LINE. O.k. at this point we are very deep within the Nemo line. I was amazed at the length of this line. It didn't look that bad going in. What do you do? O.K., DH is a grown man. He is not going to be abducted. We're staying in the same Hotel. It will be o.k. I crane my neck in the line at every chance, and see no sight of DH. We finally get to our clam mobiles, and I realize that I have to ride NEMO all by myself.

We get on the ride. It was pretty cute. Somehow I thought we would see Nemo in the actual fish tank throughout the ride. We finally get to the end. I tell one of my DSIS's that I am going outside to call DH. I somehow go the wrong way and get behind the lines of people waiting to get on the Nemo ride. (Intereting) I finally see a CM who sends me back in the other direction. By this time, DH has finished his Nemo ride, and we reconnect.

The kids, Bubba and Super Dad go up stairs to the aquarium.

I sit up against a fish tank, and check out my feet. My decision to wear 2 pairs of really thick socks was terrible. My feet are both wet and sweaty. They hurt really bad, and their are big blisters on both heels. I take one pair of socks off and stick the other pair in my pocket. Great its 1:00 p.m. on the 1st day.

Bubba, Lucille, and DNiece head to Magic Kingdom to eat lunch with Cindy while we go catch Soarin'. (We'll catch you up on the visit with Cindy in a minute.)

Little Bit sees Pluto in the Garden Grille and has to go up and hug him. Its their 1st real live character. We get a little nervous because he has ran into a restaurant with a lot of people that we aren't eating at, and don't have an ADR for. Anyway, both Brother and Little Bit spend a little time with Pluto and we are on our way. It was really cute!

We get to Soarin with our fast passes and Little BIt wants no part of it. He has somehow figured out that this is a major attraction like MS and there is no way he is going to ride it. About that time, Brother chickens out too. So, Super Dad decides to stay behind. (The childswap never enters my mind!) ME, DH, and Ossie ride Soarin'.

It was our 1st time. That was really cool. Even with fastpasses, it probably took 10 minutes or so to ride. My feet were killing me, and I felt every minute of it. The show was really neat. We all liked it alot. We get off, and offered to wait for Super Dad, and wouldn't even mind if somebody rides again with the extra fastpasses. He passes.

Its after 2pm, and we decide its time to get something to eat and try to get in our room. We walk back to BWV. Its not a bad walk. We get to ESPN club and sit down. My feet are on fire.

We are cold, wet, and the food is not that good. Its time to get back to the room and take that nice long afternoon break.

O.K. back to the castle with DNiece8 and family. This is a little sketchy, but I'll do my best. The folks take the Epcot monorail to the TTC and then over to the MK. They see some new parade before getting to the castle. I think they rode a couple of rides before lunch, but I don't know what.

Lucille has to walk up a winding staircase because the elevator was being refurbished during the week. Lucille said later that it wasn't a problem. Whew! I've seen the picture of DNIece with Cindy. She was really, really, happy to meet Cinderella. Anyway, they liked the experience. DNiece met 4 princesses, and really enjoyed it. LUcille wished that DNiece8 had already purchased the autograph book. Oops! That came up early. The other girls were a little younger and all had on princess garb. I had hoped that it wouldn't be all of the little girls. However, DNiece still had a grand time. I wish I knew more about it. They all took the bus back to BWV and seemed to like it fine.

O.K. Back to the BWV - its 3:00 p.m. and the room is not ready. We wait a few more minutes and call back.
4:00 p.m. comes and goes.

Super Dad starts hinting that we need an upgrade, or a free room, or something. I get nervous. I know DVC doesn't really work like that. I have no desire to be less than pleasant with the CMs at BWV.

We call back again.

They finally tell us that the studio part is ready and give us the room numbers. Hallelujiah!! Moments later the 1 bedroom part is ready.

We get in, get our luggage, and groceries, and relax! We have rooms 2011 and 2013. (Right above the Big River Grill) Jackpot!!! Who could ask for more?

I hope Bubba and Lucille like their studio when they get back from MK.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Here we go!

We were so glad to hear from IkeandMike, Ciciwoowoo, DrandMomto2Boys, TenThousandVolts, and rocketriter. Feel free to pipe back in at anytime. We would love more comments. Yes, I am pandering for more posts. Come on! Its our 1st trippy! I know, I know, I said the trip was a mixed bag, but it was pretty magical too! We'll see the 1st really, really, magical moment in this post.

But first...

Bubba, Lucille, and DNiece return from their magical luncheon with Cindy. Remember, they were upgraded from a standard POP room to a 1 bedroom at SSR the previous night. They now have a preferred view studio at BWV away from the 2 bedroom BW view that ME, DH, Ossie, Super Dad, Brother, and Little Bit are staying in.

Here's the good part.

They get room 3057. This room is in the courtyard, with a pretty decent boardwalk view. It is close to the elevator, is not attached to a 1bedroom and has a daybed where the lock off door should be. Plus the balcony is huge!! Wow! this is pretty cool for a preferred view studio.

Here's the bad part.

Bubba and Lucille were pretty upset that their studio was not particularly close to the 2 BR villa. The fact that she had a 1 BR villa at SSR the night before that they fell in love with added to the disappointment. They wanted to go back to SSR because they loved it and was not able to. She eventually got over it. For you guys planning a trip with a lot of people, keep this in mind. Unless they tell you otherwise, get identical rooms that are all adjoining if at all possible.

After dinner in the 2 BR, the whole gang finally arrived at MK during the 9PM spectromagic. We snaked through the Main Street shops and watched Spectromagic near the walkway to Tomorrowland. Of course, we were behind a lot of people. We then positioned ourselves immediately behind the "partners" statue of Walt & Mickey but in front of the castle for Wishes. Everyone was a bit anxious while waiting for Wishes to start. DH took control of the situation like a general going into battle. As the troops became restless to see the park and ride the rides, he calmly said "No, No, you're fine". A few minutes later, someone said "But we're just sitting here". DH said "Five more minutes. You'll like this."

So, after a full day of driving, then a morning of getting wet at Epcot, and a disagreement about the rooms, it happened.

WISHES!!

There we were. ME, DH, and 7 newbies. We are all sitting indian style, looking up at the castle, with our jaws dropped. It is the most magical view of Wishes that DH and I have ever had, and everyone is completely stunned. Tinkerbell flys from the castle and we see every moment. There is no doubt that tink looked down from the castle and sprinkled lots and lots of pixie dust.


The kids loved it. The adults loved it. Wishes was truly magical. Of course, in my trip planning mode, I wished for a happy trip. Thanks Jiminy Cricket! I knew you could make my wish come true!!

I would prove the pixie dust, if I could figure out how to post my photopass picture of us in front of the castle. Of course, there is pixie dust all over the picture. More importantly, have you ever seen 9 people make a good picture. Its impossible right. Not on that night. Everyone was wonderfully happy. Its a fantastic picture. Disney is going to make some money off that shot!

We then head into Adventureland! Its EMH and not crowded. We ride the jungle cruise, Aladdin's Magic Carpets, and the new Pirates of the Caribbean. Its a happy time had by all. The pixie dust is still working. We head into Frontierland and are stopped by the 11:00 p.m. Spectromagic! Everyone watches. Cinderella waves at DNiece8 and Brer Bear gives a big bear hug to Brother. Afterwards, we all head to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Lucille asks about the scooter entrance and we are sent around to the exit. I notice that the whole time, we never see a mine train go around, not one. Anyway, everyone loads into a mine train. Little Bit is a little apprehensive but Uncle Bubba says its going to be o.k. and says he will ride it with him and make sure he is o.k. Little Bit musters up all of his guts, and takes his uncles assurances that it will be o.k. I'm a little surprised that nobody but Little Bit is trying to chicken out, but don't make the connection.

Everything happens fast, and we are all seated in the very front of a mine train of BTMRR. (Why do they put people with disabilities on the front of the mine train.) I'm seated in the back of our party, which is still only about the 5th row with DNiece (my roller coaster buddy) for the trip. With my best efforts, DNiece has a pretty good distance between her and the lap bar. DH ends up by himself on the 2nd row.

Unbeknownst to us, everyone but DH and I are expecting a nice PoC, Jungle Cruise type experience. Keep in mind, Bubba has had bypass surgery, Lucille has very severe back problems, the kids aren't dare devils, and Ossie is concerned about Little Bit who is afraid to ride anything, and nobody is even sitting with the right people.

We take off and I put my arms firmly around Dniece. She starts crying almost immediately. Even though I had a pretty good ride, I start realizing from the start how rough BTMRR could be on Lucille's back. (Its amazing what 2 years will do for your memory.) Ossie and Lucille are sitting together right ahead of me. About that time, Ossie is saying she is sorry to Little Bit that didn't want to ride who must be in the seat in front of her. I can hear her, and I think she is saying this to Lucille with the really bad back. So I'm thinking that the steel rods in Lucille's back have exited the ride vehicle and that she is paralyzed for life. (Its odd what will go through your mind while riding a roller coaster.) Anyway, we get off the ride. The kids go to their parents, and suddenly the jovial mood is gone, and nobody is even making eye contact with me and DH.: CMs ask Super Dad if he is going to ride back around to reconnect with the scooter. He is caught up in the hysteria as well, and says, NO WAY! You want me to stay put and ride again! He about told them where they could stick their mine train. O.K., I wasn't laughing at all then, but thinking of Disney trying to get one of us to stay and ride again, about got me. I think of BTMRR as such a tame coaster.

Its late, and we all decide its been a long day. Ossie and Super Dad take all of the kids inside the castle and go on the other side. They see Pluto again, signing autographs. Little Bitlooks up at his parents and says, I'm ready for my autograph book now. While they are at the castle, I tell Bubba and Lucille that I didn't realize that they didn't know what they were getting on. They let me know everything would be a.o.k. in the morning. Bubba kidded me that I was trying to kill him with his heart condition. Of course, Little Bit was now frightened of all rides.

Overall, it was a pretty magical night. I wish we had went in the tiki room, or into fantasy land or something. BTMRR, how do you time Big Thunder to not view any trains? It wouldn't happen again in a million years!

We take the bus back to BWV and arrive very tired about 1:30 a.m., and of course, my feet are killing me. Ossie has some kind of muscle cream. I'm skeptical of putting that on my feet, but it really, really helped.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

We have posted 5 installments of our trip, and hope that many of you will enjoy it. Tomorrow night we will post installment 6. Promise.

Please read through the Trippy and let us know what you think.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

OK. We're back. This is Mickey's Apprentice posting this installment. It's monday morning after EMH at MK. Everyone finally rolls out of bed and into the living room part of the 2 BR for breakfast. In what becomes one of the things that holds us back from our schedule, breakfast is finally served at 9 AM. Rope drop is one of those unknown things this week or so it seems. It is MGM day so we get there about 10:30 or 11 AM. The first place we go is Indiana Jones. The show is great and the kids love it.

Then DW started complaining about not feeling well and wanted to go back to the room. In some background info, DW was in the hospital 3 weeks before the trip with a high heart rate and shortness of breath. After many tests by doctors and cardiologists and being put on Coreg and Protonix (acid reflux medicine), she was declared fit for Disney. The real problem, however, was that DW is severely allergic to Aleve. She had taken some due to a painful hip and ended up in the hospital with a high heart rate. We didn't figure this out until she took some as a preventive measure against foot pain at WDW. The same symptoms showed up again. So we left the others and headed back to the room so she could go to bed. Thus Monday was pretty much shot for us. However, there was a silver lining to this. Late that afternoon, we decide to get room service from Boardwalk instead of trying to go somewhere or cook. We thought it would be the usual tray of food brought to the room and given to us through the door. We forgot this was Disney and had never had room service. Two CMs appeared with the food. They brought the food in and spread out a white tablecloth over the round table in the living room. They then proceeded to place the food and silverware just like we were at Spoodle's or some other restaurant. We really appreciated that after spending the afternoon in the room. That small amount of pixie dust helped us the rest of the night. BTW, DW was just fine the next morning so we now know she can't touch Aleve.
We watched what we could of Illuminations from the room that night. It was still great from BWV.

Everyone else had a fantastic day at the studios. The kids met Mater and Lightning McQueen, the green army men, Star Wars stormtroopers, Woody & Buzz, and the Power Rangers. They loved the Extreme Stunt Show, Pizza Planet, and the Muppets.


They all came in about 6:30 and said they were going off-property. So what would you choose; Fantasmic or Logan's Steakhouse? They said they enjoyed it.

Tomorrow: Chef Mickey's at 7:40 AM. Will we make rope drop?

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

O.K. - This is going to be from memory.

Background - Someone on the DVC board sent me a PM and asked that I add to my trippie report that linked to the thread about the perils of preparing a big extended family trip.

So, if you are interested, please respond!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

O.K. when we left off...

I had gotten sick and stayed in the room all day instead of staying and enjoying Disney-MGM studios. The culprit...an unknown allergy to Aleve. Who knew? It turns out that a group of 7 moves faster than a group of 9. Anyway, we unknowingly had suspicions about us that we were slowing the group down. (Later we discovered that 9 moves slow - anytime we had 2 groups instead of 3, things moved faster.)

O.K., so it is Tuesday morning and the family heads over to the Contemporary for our 7:40 reservation at Chef Mickey's. I'm pumped. People have been in my room frying bacon at 9:00 am every morning. Rope drop...what is rope drop? Is that important? Gee whiz!

Anyway, the valet parking at DVC is wonderful beyond words. We get the valet, Ossie and family ride with us, and Bubba and Lucille are in the nearby handicapped lot. (I found out later that Handicap gets free valet, but nobody offered.) I think Bubba had it well under control all week though.

We park at the TTC, and I see an old friend from college. We are nice, but...its been too long.

Anyway, between GF and MK, the monorail stops for a good 10-15 minutes. Long story short...we get to the ADR at about 8am. We then wait...and wait...and finally get seated at Chef Mickey's. The kids love meeting Mickey and the gang and getting their autographs. I purchase the group picture, and have the pictures sent to the resort, and that was wonderful!!

Bubba and Lucille decide to pay for our Breakfast this morning sense we are giving them 5 days in a studio at BWV. Back to Chef Mickey's, the interaction is good, the kids enjoy it, the food was fine.

We head to MK and its probably 9:30-10am. The kids get in line to see Pinocchio and Gepetto. That takes a while. The kids really want to see Buzz, so off to Tomorrowland we go!

We get Buzz Fastpasses, and go into the new Monsters, Inc. show. It has only been for about 2 weeks. Everyone really enjoys this show. It was a hit. We then head to Carousel of Progress. (I ride almost everything at Disney.) Afterwards, Ossie told me that ride was very boring. We ride Buzz, and the TTA, skip Stitch and SM, and head to Tomorrowland Speedway.

Lucille is getting anxious about being stared at and ran over and everything else on the scooter. Anyway, several in the party run into the speedway without her and she gets upset. Me and DH never ride the Indy cars, so we can't figure what the big deal is. Anyway, so that is the beginning of a tense day. Afterwards, it seems like Bubba and Lucille stop and smoke every 10 minutes. We don't seem to get anything done for the smoke breaks.

Ossie and Superdaddy then takes all 3 kids on the teacups. Its good. Meanwhile, Bubba and Lucille start their domestic squabbles. DH and I walk away, Lucille follows us. I'm trying really hard not to be in the middle of this. They are squabbling, and threatening lawyers, and making a less than happiest place on earth.

Anyway, we go into Tune Town. The kids and parents go check out the different houses while me and DH stay outside. We then all ride Goofy's Barnstormer. I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this ride. By this time, we are ready to go! In retrospect, I guess I was still a little under the weather from the day before.

We drive back while Ossie and family take the monorail over to EPCOT and ride with the Monorail Captain. Later we see happy faces with very special certificates.

As for you large families out there...please do not fight at the happiest place on earth. It rips the magic right out of there.

Gotta go, and figure out what we did that night. I'll be back with another installment. I think we all went to WCC that night. Lucille Luuuuuvvvs ketchup!

 

[robinb]

So, if you are interested, please respond!

Yes! Thank you. It's very entertaining .

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Hey RObinb:

I failed to notice that you had responded back about the trippie! Thanks so much for the response.

I will try to remember what we did from this point forward. Anyway, I'm going to tell you about Whispering Canyon. (Just pretend that this happened on this day. - I think it did.)

We have a really late reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Of course I had made a reservation somewhere else at a reasonable time at a park that we were not at, and Ossie who was running the show decided to change it. Did I tell you that Ossie had last visited WDW at the tender age of 7.

Anyway, I think we all took a long nap during the afternoon. I'm not sure. O.k. so we get to WL, check-in and have like a 20 minute wait. I take several people outside and show them the courtyard. I don't know if they thought it was cool, but I enjoyed showing it to them.

Anyway, we finally get seated, and order. Dniece automatically asks Lucille to go with her to the bathroom. Meanwhile, someone in the restaurant asks for KETCHUP! So everyone witnesses the KETCHUP!! Event except for Lucille. Now we all ordered the family skillet that includes Barbeque Pork. Now the interesting thing about this is that Lucille eats her Barbeque with...can you guess...could it be...that's right...(KETCHUP!!!) So while Lucille is in the bathroom. We let everybody (but Lucille) in on the fun. We are all about to have a great laugh at Lucille's expense. Finally, I have a good reason to have put myself through this torture. Anyway, Lucille and Dniece come back from the bathroom, we wait for a very short time, and the food comes out. Without hesitation, Lucille quickly makes sure to ask for (KETCHUP!!) Of course, she got a bottle, or two, or three, or 20 of KETCHUP!! I'm not sure how happy she was with all of us.

Also during dinner, the kids rode the hobby horses, and had to promise NEVER to go to Universal Studios. (I'm going to hold them to that one.) Little Bit loved taking Ketchup to everyone's tables. He went and got Lucille's ketchup, and took our ketchup to another family, and then helped that family take it to yet another family.

At the end, I told our waiter that Ossie and SuperDad would celebrate their wedding anniversary on our last day. Well they had no problem telling the waiter that me and DH would have an anniversary the following week. (This scared me a bit because I didn't know what they were going to do.)

Anyway, the waiter comes back after a few minutes with 4 flutes of champagne. Wow, how special, what a Disney moment. But...remember this is the super non-magical Disney trip. We don't drink. Nope, none of us. Shock! Shock! We are those non-drinking, Baptist, mutants. O.K., actually our parents are the mutants, but we were all so old when we finally tried alcohol, we hated it. Well, Ossie and DH who really are stringent non-drinking mutants said...We haven't tried alcohol before now, we have our kids with us, we aren't trying it now. DH drunk his Champagne, and I took a sip. Of course, I thought it was nasty. That is the biggest reason that I don't drink. Other than wine coolers, I can't stand any of it. So after seeing my face, Ossie and SuperDad absolutely were not going to try it. There is no telling what the waiter thought about us.

Finally, we go back to the room for the rest of the night before heading to Animal Kingdom the next day. DH had had 1 full glass of Champagne and gets turned around. (We are the Disney experts remember, and we can't find our turn.) Bubba and Lucille are behind us and watch us miss the turn 2 or 3 times. We are wondering if its obvious that we are missing the turn. We finally pass the Gaylord Palms. Its obvious. We finally get back to the room. We find out later that Bubba and Lucille put a nice fat tip on top of their automatic 18% gratuity. Oops!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

O.k., so now I am suffering through my terrible insomnia again. My last post was some 3 hours ago at 1:30 a.m., and now its 4:30 a.m. here in Alabama. I've been to bed and am now back up. Not a wink for me tonight. I will so want to sleep come 7am.

Anyway, back to the trippie.

After a late night at the WL, we head to the AK. It is fairly early and everybody in the 2bdrm heads out to AK. The bus from the boardwalk has been great all week.

We get to AK and the kids see some characters out front. I don't know who some of them are. I do recognize flick, the chimp from Tarzan, and maybe Stanley? I'm not sure, but a definite playhouse Disney character. We go through the Safari, and one of the jungle trails. We do some other stuff (that I can't remember) and eat some kind of McDonald's lunch. I had no idea there was a McDonald's disguised as a Disney restaurant. However, after begging Ossie to do her homework for months, she had decided this was just great for the kids, knew exactly where it was, and exactly what to expect, and by the crowds, I would say...so did every other parent at WDW.

Anyway, me with my aching feet grabbed a table and sat with the kids while DH, Ossie, and Super Dad grabbed food. When we got it, the 9 year old anorexic wannabe didn't want to eat anything. He finally put half a hamburger patty in his mouth and just kept it there. This is gross. This kid had hamburger in his mouth an hour after he put it there. He was waiting for Momma and Daddy to finally say spit it out, but they weren't going to do that. He would try to get rid of it, and we would all watch, and stop him. Anyway, my sister has to always force this kid to eat. I'm surprised he hasn't ended up in the hospital.

Anyway, we get through lunch (except for the hamburger patty) and head over to the kitschy dinoland. I have never hung out in this area before. About this time, Bubba, Lucille, and DNiece finally show up. Huh? O.K., Whatever. We get on the dinosaur ride like Dumbo, and then DH decides he wants to go to DS. Anyway, he heads off by himself, and then me, Ossie, and DNiece have a girly twirl on the Primeval Whirl, while the guys go dig in the boneyard.

About this time...uh-oh...the scooter gets a flat. It is a 3 wheeled scooter with a small front wheel, and the front wheel is flat! Ossie goes to the boneyard with DNiece. I decide to stay with Lucille, and Bubba goes to try to find somebody to help with the scooter. Anyway, about 1 hour and $35 later, Bubba returns with a different scooter. (They are not amused!) Anyway, they do more stuff at AK. We go on the other jungle trek together.

By this time, I am selectively finding places to sit to not slow down the group. They finally notice that I've not had a great week. I've had 2 blisters on my feet the size of half dollars since the 1st day, and I've recently gotten out of the hospital, and am probably not up for the trip. I need a scooter just like Sis. However, Sis has problems that she can't help. I can help my problem, so I refuse to go with the scooter. Anyway, we eventually split off from Bubba and Lucille again. They go to the Safari and we head off to the Kali River Rapids.

Dh and Littlebit chicken out. The wait isn't bad and before we know it, we are in the boat. I start to sit by myself and Ossie says..."Come sit by me." I should know better. I have some vague memory of why I shouldn't sit in the seat with Ossie. Off we go! We head down the 1st chute, and I realize...Ossie always gets soaked on these rides. Surely, it won't be that bad. Whooosh! It hits! I am now more soaked than I have ever been on a ride. The bottom 3/4 of my body is soaking wet. We go around and a few other people get a little wet including Brother and SuperDad. We go down again, and Whooosh! Water comes over the top and gets our hair, back, and upper 1/4 of our bodies. No need for a bath tonight! I've had one. I now have a 2 inch patch on my shirt that is not wet. What fun!

As we get off, the attendant ask if we want to ride again. Ummm, no. However, SuperDad and Brother go for it. We say, why don't you guys switch seats. Ah, no. We're fine right here. Anyway we wait on them while dripping on the sidewalks. My 6 yo nephew carries on an indepth conversation with my DH about how the 2 of them are obviously the smartest people in the whole family. At this point, I'm agreeing with him. Ossie and I find a rest room and use the hand dryers to the best of our abilities for a few minutes. We are now only 95% wet, and decide that its time to head back to the resort. DH and I have reservations for our Anniversary dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse - just the two of us. I better change clothes.