"But Mom, I want to come back to WDW!"

[blue_river]

Of course you do sweetie! I love all the pics you post blue, it was very neat to get to see the ones of JoJo as a baby too...adorable!!

Awww PJ - she was adorable - still IS in my eyes - they both are

 

[blue_river]

For those of you have been following, and have read about my stories of the wildlife where we live, I have posted a thread on the community board with a few pictures of coyotes that Goofy took this morning before school:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1352076

We weren't sure if they were coyotes or wolves but the consensus seems to be coyote!

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

Oh, she's so cute!! I love the look of wonderment on her face looking at the characters.

When we were at Chef Mickey's last fall, we got the biggest kick out of this little girl who was about that same age as JoJo was in those pics. This baby would furrow her brow and look at the characters so intensely. Buzz would really laugh every time a new one would make their way over to her and she'd look at them so suspiciously. It was really cute. It was her older brother's birthday, but she was the center of attention during that dinner! I loved those baby years and as my kids get older and sassier, I really miss those baby years....

We always said we'd never take our kids to WDW until they were about 11 years old, but there we were 4 months after Trey was born, toting him to the World. And again the next year and again the next year and so on....

 

[blue_river]

Oh, she's so cute!! I love the look of wonderment on her face looking at the characters.

When we were at Chef Mickey's last fall, we got the biggest kick out of this little girl who was about that same age as JoJo was in those pics. This baby would furrow her brow and look at the characters so intensely. Buzz would really laugh every time a new one would make their way over to her and she'd look at them so suspiciously. It was really cute. It was her older brother's birthday, but she was the center of attention during that dinner! I loved those baby years and as my kids get older and sassier, I really miss those baby years....

We always said we'd never take our kids to WDW until they were about 11 years old, but there we were 4 months after Trey was born, toting him to the World. And again the next year and again the next year and so on....

Thanks Linnie

I know what you mean. While we were at Animal Kingdom, there was a couple with a baby in a stroller watching the parade and almost every character came over to see her! The mother was ecstatic and the baby
was too cute. Even my hubby couldn't help but smile and he's the tin man!

I guess your kids pretty much know their way around the place now eh? How sweet is that? When JoJo read that you were going again, she mentioned to me how lucky your kids are.

 

[mlill]

For those of you have been following, and have read about my stories of the wildlife where we live, I have posted a thread on the community board with a few pictures of coyotes that Goofy took this morning before school:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1352076

We weren't sure if they were coyotes or wolves but the consensus seems to be coyote!

WoW! Great pictures! They really are beautiful creatures, aren't they? We have a wolf preseve nearby, and we love to drive out there and see them. We don't have too much wildlife like you have, roaming free by us, though. But, we do have a lot of deer. Thanks for posting this link to the pictures!

Oh, and I LOVE the baby pics with Mickey!!! They just grow up too fast!!!

-Michelle

 

[blue_river]

WoW! Great pictures! They really are beautiful creatures, aren't they? We have a wolf preseve nearby, and we love to drive out there and see them. We don't have too much wildlife like you have, roaming free by us, though. But, we do have a lot of deer. Thanks for posting this link to the pictures!

Oh, and I LOVE the baby pics with Mickey!!! They just grow up too fast!!!

-Michelle

Michelle - they are beautiful creatures. There is a problem with too many deer in our area. Not for me of course, I love them but they are causing numerous accidents on the highways and problems for the farmers. I guess that's why we have the coyotes around.

They do grow up too fast and it's distressing because it also means I'm growing old

 

[blue_river]

Day 4 - Part 3

The first thing we did when did when we went back to the Magic Kingdom was take a ride on the train to Toon Town. The girls hadn’t had the chance to see it yet and although they are older, I knew they’d enjoy it.

First we went through Mickey’s house and then made our way to Minnie’s. I took several photos of them here, so many, that they started getting annoyed with me. I should post a few of them with their angry faces but I won’t.

We then stood in line for some more autographs but gee…the line just didn’t seem to budge and we didn’t want to waste precious time and the girls wanted to head over to the Barnstormer rollercoaster. They rode it…….rode it again……and then again…and again. Yep, 4 times people. There were no lines at all because the parade was going on.

Then we went on the Pooh ride without DH and Goofy was in her glory. She’s just adores Winnie The Pooh. Sadly, she’s growing out of that stage now and we are in the process of changing her Pooh-bear bedroom to a more teen style theme.

After that we headed over to the teacup ride and the place was empty! We each had our own teacup and we were able to go on it twice.

We thought we should start making our way back but stopped along the way for a few pictures

We arrived back at our resort at 9:50 only to be alarmed with a storm warning on the television. As the announcement was played, we listened intently for news of hurricane Ernesto. I could have died. We’ve never experienced anything like this and really had no idea how it would affect our trip. There was also a message on our phone to watch channel 19 to keep updated with the storm. They said that movies would be played all day (Wednesday) and Typhoon Lagoon would be closed. There went our plans for heading back to the water park. Actually, I think Blizzard Beach was still open but we had no desire to be in a water park during a hurricane! It was also announced that the extra magic evening hours at Animal Kingdom had been cancelled. That was also our plan for Wednesday. The station also said to call the airlines directly for travel information. ACK….that was something I hadn’t planned on at all and didn’t even have the airlines number.

I decided to call my father and check in with him. He told me not to worry about Ernesto and calmed my nerves. The girls each took a turn talking with him and then said their good-byes.

The four of us went to bed, with no plans for the next day, wondering what to expect.


Coming Up - Day 5 - Ernesto Hits!

 

[lennon2004]

I'm a few months late, but just started reading..enjoying it so far, thanks for sharing! I also must thank you for providing links in your first post, that was very helpful.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

...the girls wanted to head over to the Barnstormer rollercoaster.

Our kids just love Barnstormer. We go every time. Usually, the line isn't too bad. The secret to this ride is to try and get in the back. It's a lot more exciting back there.

I think this holds true for most of the smaller roller coasters at Disney (like Big Thunder). If you're in front, you have to wait for all the cars in back to make it over the hill before you start going fast. When you're in back, there is no wait and the experience is better.

On the big rollercoasters (like Rockin' Roller Coaster) it doesn't matter where you sit.

We arrived back at our resort at 9:50 only to be alarmed with a storm warning on the television.

In October of 2005, we were in WDW when Wilma (I think that was the one) was pounding Cozumel and Cancun and then headed towards Orlando from the West. It was a massive CAT 5 Hurricane and I was afraid for our lives.

We lucked out and it stalled over Mexico for a day longer than they expected and we were home by the time it hit Orlando. The Mexicans were not so lucky

Last year was a good year for hurricanes so you guys lucked out. 2005 was a crazy year and we lucked out. Those pesky hurricanes can really put a damper on a vacation.

 

[Goofster57]

First we went through Mickey’s house and then made our way to Minnie’s. I took several photos of them here, so many, that they started getting annoyed with me. I should post a few of them with their angry faces but I won’t.

Oh come on now, go ahead and post them I don’t want to be the only parent in trouble with their kids. Mine have begun to dread hearing, “I posted a another Installment”

We arrived back at our resort at 9:50 only to be alarmed with a storm warning on the television. As the announcement was played, we listened intently for news of hurricane Ernesto. I could have died. We’ve never experienced anything like this and really had no idea how it would affect our trip.

We got hit by Charlie while we were there in 2004, it hit the night before we were supposed to leave. Our flight was canceled the next day and we got held over for two days before we could get out of Orlando. Sadly we didn’t get any extra park time since we ended up getting rooms near the airport. It was neat to call the boss and say I’m not going to be back for an extra couple of days were stranded by a hurricane.

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[tinkgurl]

the girls wanted to head over to the Barnstormer rollercoaster. They rode it…….rode it again……and then again…and again. Yep, 4 times people. There were no lines at all because the parade was going on.

The Barnstormer is quite a bit fun when you get to ride it over and over when there's no one in line!

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

Thanks Linnie
I guess your kids pretty much know their way around the place now eh? How sweet is that? When JoJo read that you were going again, she mentioned to me how lucky your kids are.

They do know their way around pretty good-Amazingly enough, even with his disability, Trey is a really good map reader. He can look at a map and tell you what the attraction is. His first question that he asked, EVER, was "What is that?" on a Disney map. We've had a lot of major firsts in Disney-his first question, his first real sentence, LA going potty in the big potty for the first time, her first steps... That may be part of why I'm so fond of it -HUGE happy memories for us there.

My kids really ARE lucky. I wonder if they'll realize how privileged they are. Our vacations as kids consisted of driving to a relative's house and staying with them for a week, which was fine, but boring. Our vacations had a purpose, we never went anywhere just for fun like Buzz's family did. We took my mom with us one year to WDW and she nearly had a heart attack at how much we spent. I warned her ahead of time we spare no expense, but she wasn't prepared...

Buzz never lets us go to Mickey or Minnie's house-it's usually at the time Trey starts to turn on us and we have to rush out of the park. I swore the next time I'm taking LA to Minnie's house. I know she'd love it and your pictures just prove it!

We love Barnstormer too! Kind of a goofy ride... Oh that was a bad one...There's a roller coaster like that in Disneyland called Gadget's Go Coaster-Trey's first ride. He loved it. We rode it over and over.. Another happy memory!

 

[blue_river]

I'm a few months late, but just started reading..enjoying it so far, thanks for sharing! I also must thank you for providing links in your first post, that was very helpful.

Better late than never!! I'm glad you joined and are enjoying it so far. Sometimes after rereading, I wonder why anyone is even bothering to read because my writing skills are terrible - perhaps they are enjoying the photos?

Our kids just love Barnstormer. We go every time. Usually, the line isn't too bad. The secret to this ride is to try and get in the back. It's a lot more exciting back there.

Thanks for the tip Buzz!

In October of 2005, we were in WDW when Wilma (I think that was the one) was pounding Cozumel and Cancun and then headed towards Orlando from the West. It was a massive CAT 5 Hurricane and I was afraid for our lives.

We lucked out and it stalled over Mexico for a day longer than they expected and we were home by the time it hit Orlando. The Mexicans were not so lucky

Last year was a good year for hurricanes so you guys lucked out. 2005 was a crazy year and we lucked out. Those pesky hurricanes can really put a damper on a vacation

Were you really afraid for your lives? From what I've read on the boards and what I told my family was that being in WDW is actually fairly safe. Should I be more worried for our next trip????

The Barnstormer is quite a bit fun when you get to ride it over and over when there's no one in line!

Yes, especially since it's a small one. JoJo is not fond of the big roller coasters and we didn't go on the Aerosmith one or EE which was a disappointment to Goofy but I've told her that on our next trip, I'll take her on them.

Oh come on now, go ahead and post them I don’t want to be the only parent in trouble with their kids. Mine have begun to dread hearing, “I posted a another Installment”

Welp, after reading this I thought I just might. However, I changed my mind because DD JoJo just could decide on a little payback and post some of me I wouldn't want to share!

We got hit by Charlie while we were there in 2004, it hit the night before we were supposed to leave. Our flight was canceled the next day and we got held over for two days before we could get out of Orlando. Sadly we didn’t get any extra park time since we ended up getting rooms near the airport. It was neat to call the boss and say I’m not going to be back for an extra couple of days were stranded by a hurricane.

OMG! I'm curious to know how that worked. Did your insurance cover the rooms near the airport?

BTW - I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to comment on your next installment yet - I'll be doing that Sunday evening.

They do know their way around pretty good-Amazingly enough, even with his disability, Trey is a really good map reader. He can look at a map and tell you what the attraction is. His first question that he asked, EVER, was "What is that?" on a Disney map. We've had a lot of major firsts in Disney-his first question, his first real sentence, LA going potty in the big potty for the first time, her first steps... That may be part of why I'm so fond of it -HUGE happy memories for us there.

I'm terrible at reading the maps and DH was the one who followed them for us, but for some reason he had to always turn it upside down to do it - so good for Trey

What wonderful family memories and especially since you've scrapbooked them all

My kids really ARE lucky. I wonder if they'll realize how privileged they are. Our vacations as kids consisted of driving to a relative's house and staying with them for a week, which was fine, but boring. Our vacations had a purpose, we never went anywhere just for fun like Buzz's family did. We took my mom with us one year to WDW and she nearly had a heart attack at how much we spent. I warned her ahead of time we spare no expense, but she wasn't prepared...

I'm sure they don't realize it now but they will when they're older. Myself, I only had the one vacation to Florida with my parents growing up.

My parents owned a campground so we could never go anywhere in the summer and since they had 7 kids I don't think they wanted to take us anywhere except visiting relatives. I was a deprived child

Buzz never lets us go to Mickey or Minnie's house-it's usually at the time Trey starts to turn on us and we have to rush out of the park. I swore the next time I'm taking LA to Minnie's house. I know she'd love it and your pictures just prove it!

Aww...I'm sure she would Linnie!

We love Barnstormer too! Kind of a goofy ride... Oh that was a bad one...There's a roller coaster like that in Disneyland called Gadget's Go Coaster-Trey's first ride. He loved it. We rode it over and over.. Another happy memory!

What? You've been to Disneyland also? What is the difference between the two? I've only heard that Disneyland is much smaller.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

What? You've been to Disneyland also? What is the difference between the two? I've only heard that Disneyland is much smaller.

After the 9-11 attacks on NY, Lin was done flying for a while so we spent two years (2002 & 2003 -- You'll notice them in my sig below. I also went back to WDW with my sister one year then my brother. Lin finally decided she was going back with me and ended all my trips down with people other than her ) driving to California for two weeks and visiting Disneyland & California Adventure which are side by side.

Both are Disney parks and there is even a Downtown Disney (right between the two parks) like in WDW. Disneyland is bigger than Magic Kingdom but the castle isn't as tall. Kind of lame actually. Cal Adventure is great. They have a huge roller coaster like you see in the old days (only new) plus a winery They also have a log flume ride and recently added the Tower of Terror like at MGM. Cal Adventure is our 2nd favorite Disney theme park after Epcot. MK then DL are third and fourth.

It's not quite as good but still a lot of fun. We have a ton of hilarious stories about Disneyland. One day we showed up at Disneyland and it was "Gay Day". All the gay people wore red shirts and you know how families wear the same colors so they can keep track of each other better? Well, one family showed up in red along with 20,000 others. We heard them complaining about it. It was funny...

We really drove down slow only driving about 4 or 5 hours per day. We stayed in Vegas for two nights on the way down and one night on the way back. It was a lot of fun. We also stayed in West Yellowstone and Provo Utah. Those two trips were totally different than the WDW and we loved them both. We keep talking about doing it again sometime.

The nice thing about DL is you don't need a car once you get there. The parks are so close to one another we just walked over from the hotel then walked back and forth between the parks. We stayed at a Marriott which had free dinner and breakfast every day. Our hotel room also had a private hot tub on the porch outside. The rooms are so much cheaper also. We paid $159/night for a 2 bedroom w/ kitchen and hot tub.

Man, maybe I need to rethink my March trip and go to California

 

[soupy11]

I am loving your trip report, giving me lots of ideas for our upcoming trip! Definitely going to check out Chef Mickey's!

 

[blue_river]

After the 9-11 attacks on NY, Lin was done flying for a while so we spent two years (2002 & 2003 -- You'll notice them in my sig below. I also went back to WDW with my sister one year then my brother. Lin finally decided she was going back with me and ended all my trips down with people other than her ) driving to California for two weeks and visiting Disneyland & California Adventure which are side by side.

I don't blame Linnie after 9-11. I'm sure there were many people who felt the same way.

It's not quite as good but still a lot of fun. We have a ton of hilarious stories about Disneyland. One day we showed up at Disneyland and it was "Gay Day". All the gay people wore red shirts and you know how families wear the same colors so they can keep track of each other better? Well, one family showed up in red along with 20,000 others. We heard them complaining about it. It was funny...

The nice thing about DL is you don't need a car once you get there. The parks are so close to one another we just walked over from the hotel then walked back and forth between the parks. We stayed at a Marriott which had free dinner and breakfast every day. Our hotel room also had a private hot tub on the porch outside. The rooms are so much cheaper also. We paid $159/night for a 2 bedroom w/ kitchen and hot tub.

Man, maybe I need to rethink my March trip and go to California

Gee you guys have so many wonderful memories

Thanks for the description of DL Buzz. Sounds like you do need another trip there. Myself, I'd rather go back to WDW but then again, I haven't been as many times as you have

 

[blue_river]

I am loving your trip report, giving me lots of ideas for our upcoming trip! Definitely going to check out Chef Mickey's!

I'm glad you're enjoying it soupy. Yes, you definately should go to Chef Mickey's if you like character dining

 

[Goofster57]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofster57
Oh come on now, go ahead and post them I don’t want to be the only parent in trouble with their kids. Mine have begun to dread hearing, “I posted a another Installment”

Welp, after reading this I thought I just might. However, I changed my mind because DD JoJo just could decide on a little payback and post some of me I wouldn't want to share!

Hey you know the garage isn’t that bad and it eases the pressure about selecting pictures to go in future installments.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofster57
We got hit by Charlie while we were there in 2004, it hit the night before we were supposed to leave. Our flight was canceled the next day and we got held over for two days before we could get out of Orlando. Sadly we didn’t get any extra park time since we ended up getting rooms near the airport. It was neat to call the boss and say I’m not going to be back for an extra couple of days were stranded by a hurricane.

OMG! I'm curious to know how that worked. Did your insurance cover the rooms near the airport?

It really worked out good, we made the best of it and we rented a car and you will never guess what we did….you get three guesses and the first two don’t count. We didn’t have any kind of travel insurance or any thing, so that’s what an overdraft account is for any way right?



We have made six trips to WDW now and I still have never been in Toontown yet. It looks like fun, I guess that we have to go on my too do list for the next trip.


Looking forward to reading about more adventures of your trip

 

[SpaceMounatin]

I really love the Trip Report. I'm kind of jelous, they wouldn't let me take my camera in Stitch's Great Escape!

 

[blue_river]

Hey you know the garage isn’t that bad and it eases the pressure about selecting pictures to go in future installments.

You almost had me talked into it but JoJo is home today and she just threatened me with doing the same
What's up with that anyhow? kids threatening parents - hooboy.

It really worked out good, we made the best of it and we rented a car and you will never guess what we did….you get three guesses and the first two don’t count. We didn’t have any kind of travel insurance or any thing, so that’s what an overdraft account is for any way right?

Hmm....three guesses eh? First of all, I can't believe you went anywhere in a hurricane but here goes:

My first guess: Drove around taking pictures of the disaster?
Second guess: Drove as far away as you could from the disaster?
Third guess: Went back to WDW - is there really any better place to be during a hurricane?

Do I get a prize if I'm right????

I really love the Trip Report. I'm kind of jelous, they wouldn't let me take my camera in Stitch's Great Escape!

Really? They wouldn't let you take your camera?? No one stopped us from taking our cameras inside and didn't stop us from taking the pictures

Thanks for reading roller coaster kid!