Celebrating 2007 with two weeks at the World...with pics; updated:a Day at MGM!

[slk537]

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

This morning Goofy woke up about 7:30 EST and I woke up when he did. Max stayed asleep for another two hours while Goofy and I chatted and dozed. At 9:00, I called Member Services to book another day for our day by day reservation at Thanksgiving. I’m one of “those” DVCers. I call 11 months ahead to make my SSR reservations and then call day by day at 7 months to modify them to a different resort. I had begun this before leaving home, starting with a call to establish availabilities. We like SSR, very much. And if we end up having to stay there for an entire vacation, we’d be very happy. And I know there is the “buy where you want to stay” thing, but since we didn’t discover the DIS until AFTER we bought in, we missed out on that gem of knowledge. So currently we have a split stay around Thanksgiving at VWL and BCV – our favorites - with a few days still at SSR with a waitlist. I enjoyed talking to the CMs at MS when I made the day to days...many of them recommended I do it and a few even said "talk to you tomorrow!" So on this particular morning, there I was sitting on the bed at the BCV, modifying a reservation in December from SSR to the BCV. After Max woke up at 9:30, he “helped” me unpack while DH took a little nap. I am not good at sleeping in once I’m awake, so I was glad the boys each got more sleep – someone had to have it. Once I was unpacked and moved in, we all started getting ready slowly. We are not commandos by any stretch of the imagination, but Day One, especially after a late flight, tends to be very take it easy.

This was also the day when Max really got into Hidden Mickeys. I really wish I would have thought about this before we left, as I have the Hidden Mickey book and with Max just really learning to read, he would have loved it. It's on the must do list for our next trips. He found several HM's in the pictures on the walls in the room and this is him searching for some on the carpet:

(Yup, same shirt from the night before. He crashed in it and I didn't want to risk waking him up to change)

We finally got dressed and ready to go – bags all packed with everything we needed, sun block sprayed on, etc. We needed to pick up Goofy's and my AP’s and Goofy's GAC so we decided to go to Animal Kingdom. We parked and went straight to Guest Services with low expectations.

Back story:

Many years ago in 2000 – Goofy and I visited WDW with 5 day park hoppers. We ended up using 3 days. I still can’t figure out how that happened, other than we weren’t the types who stayed on property at the time and foolishly thought there was more to Orlando vacations than WDW (we have since changed on that point dramatically). We kept the tickets when we went back and got AP’s and figured we’d use them or turn them in someday towards another AP.

Fast forward to last May 2006. Goofy and I already had our AP's and I had called ahead of our trip to see how much the old hoppers were worth so we could apply them towards Max's AP. I was told they could only figure that out at the parks and while they could indeed apply them towards a child’s AP, they couldn’t tell me how much. No problem.

We went to the TTC to get Max’s AP and they told us it had to be at Guest Relations in a park. Okay. We wanted to get lunch at DAK that day, so we headed there. I went to one window to get the AP, Goofy went to the next to get his GAC (Guest Assistance Card).

First the AP:

A very rude woman was working that day and in no uncertain terms told me I could not use adult park hoppers towards a child’s AP. Now, not only does that not make any sense to me, but I had been told over the phone when I called about the tickets that it was okay. I was also told by the gentleman at the TTC that it was fine. Now this woman was extremely on the offensive to head off any temper tantrum she seemed to think I was about to have. And her tone with me was extremely “I have been to Customer Service Training in “How to Deal with Difficult Situations and People” …” and she was using every line in the book – with a very unfriendly and assertive tone. I have not only been in Customer Service for eleven years now, but I manage a large group of people and have to handle internal and external customers complaints and issues. Oh yeah…and I TRAIN a national customer service program. I know when I’m being “handled”. And it was insulting. My DH came over while I was in the middle of this and he was pretty irked too. We ended up having to pay about $100 more than we had planned for DS’s pass and we weren’t happy about it.

And THEN…

The guy at the counter DH had gone to was giving him a hard time about his GAC. DH has issues with his legs since birth. He has had countless surgeries. We are now consulting with physicians at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN about the possibility of more surgery. He has a true medical problem where while he can still walk (albeit with a pronounced limp) he has to limit his stopping and standing. And we would trade the GAC any day for him to have normal legs. We had a letter from his doctor detailing enough of why he needed the GAC, even though this is unnecessary. We had a GAC from the trip before. Yet the guy still had to come over to the woman I had just dealt with to get her to give the final okay. Reluctantly, she did. And then as compensation for us getting the “wrong information” from other CM’s, causing us to have to pay $100+ more on DS’s pass, she gave us a Fastpass for 3 people for any ride in DAK that day.

Right after she okayed the guy to give us a GAC which right on it stated pretty much the same thing. Sigh.

The compensation was unnecessary - I have been on the other end and I don't expect to be compensated for any little inconvenience. I resent how sue-happy people have eroded some of Disney's service for handling complaints.

But anyhow...I thanked her politely for the gesture, we went in the park, we had lunch at Tusker House and we found a nice group of three people who were up for the day, dying to ride Everest (which had just opened), and we handed over our Fastpass. We had a nice lunch….we made some people happy. It all turned out okay.

Back to present time…..

So on this day, we walked up to Guest Relations to apply these tickets towards Goofy's AP, pay outright for mine, and to get the GAC. Again, we had a fresh letter from Goofy's doctor and his GAC from last year.

Wow. What a difference a year makes!

There were two CM’s working the window again. They checked how much we had left on the tickets: $168. WOO HOO! She did tell us that normally you only have 14 days to upgrade your tickets, but they would make an exception for us. I thanked her, not bothering to mention we bought them in 2000, back when hoppers were “good for life” and not as part of the Magic Your Way tickets. With the DVC discount, the two AP’s came to $543 (with tax!). We were thrilled, as we had budgeted $50 more than that. While she was taking care of the passes, we chatted pleasantly with her and with her coworker and it was really a great experience. We talked about DVC and how much we love it. They mentioned the new villas at AKL and told us they had taken down an entire wing for DVC at the Contemporary. I have heard this Contemporary rumor all over and it was fun having CM’s talk about it as though it was fact. When the AP transaction was finished, we asked about the GAC. She said (gasp!) that she would be “happy to help” us with that and took it, copied the info from last year's GAC, changed the dates and handed it back. I offered to give her the letter and she said, “No thank you – I’m not a medical person, I wouldn’t understand it anyway.” Then she paused and said, “but thank you for getting one.”

We took our AP’s and our GAC and thanked both CM’s for the great conversation and all their help. It was night and day from last year…!

Max picked up the map they have for the 5 and under set and he immediately began leading us to Dinoland. We followed him, going through one of the shops, stopping for a moment and driving him crazy. Finally, we made it to the Promised Land, where he headed straight for the Boneyard to play. We then headed over to Primevel Whirl after lack of sleep created crabbiness and Goofy and I squabbled a bit. He told Max we should go see if he’s tall enough. I sniped back that he wasn’t and that I had already told Goofy that (which I had). He sniped back that no, I hadn’t told him that (yes, I had). I told him Max and I were going to go and he could call me on the cell when he lost his attitude.

Yup, lack of sleep makes this princess a drama queen...

We both settled down and then went over to PW so Goofy could ride and I could show him that Max, at 44.5 inches, was nowhere near tall enough to ride the 48 inch ride (which, in case I haven’t mentioned it already, I had already told him). Goofy rode while Max and I took photos and waited. We stopped to get a cool drink of delicious Florida water from the bubbler. I took this photo - love it!!

When Goofy got off, we were going to go on Triceratops Spin, but the wait was 30 minutes and although we could have used his GAC, we were starving by this point since we hadn’t eaten since the airport the night before.

We went to Flame Tree and had a nice lunch. DS and I found a table and got the napkins and sauces while DH ordered our first CS meals on the DDP. We had:

DH: Beef sandwich, baked beans, coke, frozen lemonade
Me: Pork Sandwich, baked beans, bottled water, chocolate cake
DS: Hotdog, grapes, applesauce, chocolate milk.

Total? $34/3 CS credits $34 for this meal was a big YIKES!!! Thank goodness for the DDP...

DH liked his sandwich (makes us go here every trip because he loves BBQ. We have a smoker at home and his hobby is checking out every possible BBQ place available to compare. Since I like BBQ too, I willingly tag along). He ignored his beans, and shared his lemonade with DS.

I like my sandwich too, ate about ¾ of it and gave the rest to DH to try. I tried the beans. I was proud of myself since I have hated baked beans since childhood. They were okay. Slightly sweet and smoky, but still baked beans. I shared my chocolate cake with DS. It was marginal to good. It would have been a lot better if it hadn't mostly melted in the sun before I ate it.

DS liked his hotdog and grapes. He drank most of his milk and shared our desserts. The applesauce? We threw it in our bag to take back to the room.

After lunch DH ran back to the shop to check out some of the funky wood masks. They didn’t have prices, which was disappointing. He was hoping to get one for DS’s daycare director – a fantastic and quirky lady. But we knew we’d be back.

We had promised DS an ice cream if he ate a good lunch and decided he could. We’re on vacation – what’s a little extra sugar??!! He picked out a Mickey bar and ate it as we walked out of DAK, ready to run our first WDW errand before going back to the room to get ready for dinner.

I like to call this photo: I ate it so fast, it was blurry!!!

Up next? Walmart on vacation, Cape May Dinner, and DTD!

 

[wilma-bride]

Somehow I managed to miss your pre-trippy but found my way here after reading your dining report. Great start to your vacation

There are so many things you mentioned where I found myself nodding while I was reading - especially the bit about being able to share all the details with your friends on the DIS. My family and friends just don't 'get' WDW so writing my trippies is a way of telling people about my trip, which I am always real excited to do when we get home.

I totally 'get' the snarkiness that creeps in, even at the 'Happiest place on Earth' - loved the exchange over whether Max was tall enough to ride PW. I am also very relieved that our DS won't be tall enough to ride either - means I get to sit out with him while the others ride it. It makes me feel nauseous anyway

Looking forward to reading more about your trip

 

[betsywdw]

Love your TR! I found your dining report earlier today and linked here from that. You have a lovely family and I'm really enjoying reading all about your planning and the trip! Can't wait for more

 

[DisneyJo]

Hopped over from your dining report! Loving it so far your DS is a cutie

 

[missmun52]

I really love your report. I still have months to go before my trip back to the world and reading reports makes me feel closer.

Great job!

 

[dancemomnj]

I'm enjoying both your reports! Thank you so much for all your detail!

 

[Blue Skies]

I am also enjoying both of your reports! I love how they are so detailed!


....Waiting for more....

 

[oybolshoi]

Finally made it over here to check out your trippie - great start! And you can be as snarky as you want...my DH and I are pretty snarky ourselves sometimes (all in good fun!).

Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[slk537]

Walmart on vacation, Cape May Dinner, and DTD!

After leaving DAK, we headed to Walmart to pick up a few items for the room (mostly drinks). We chose Walmart over Target for one reason only: Sonic. There is a Sonic up in the front of the store and DH and I are addicted to the Cherry Limeades. And this day was hot and humid and we were desperately in need of a couple. So I sighed and decided to forego my beloved Target this time in favor of Walmart. We picked up a few staples we thought we'd need and got lots of bevvies. Goofy picked out a bunch of teeth numbing sugary sodas for him and for Max (I believe one of them was strawberry and another was apple. Urp!!! ). We also bought some English muffins, a jar of grape jelly and some butter that all followed us from resort to resort and were never opened. Darn DDP. Too much food.

I picked out a ton of the flavored sparkling diet fruit flavored waters and a bunch of limes for myself (instant summer n/a yum drink: squeeze a wedge of lime into any of the fruit waters from WM or Target over ice...). We checked out and Goofy went out to load the car while Max and I picked up two cherry limeades from Sonic. I seem to recall Max pitching a mini fit because I wouldn't buy him a matchbox car. I do know that while we stood in line for those tart and delicious limeades, he was very irritated with me. No matter - we got the drinks and Goofy and I were happy. I believe Goofy and I would love a Sonic up at home solely for these cherry limeades….

We headed back to the BCV’s for a rest and it was sorely needed. We all vegged and Max took a great nap while Goofy and I also caught up on some sleep. When Max woke up, we plunked him in a bubble bath (the child gets filthy) and pulled him out in time to walk over to dinner.

Dinner tonight was Cape May Café – a first night at BCV tradition, you may recall. We waited for about 4 minutes before getting called in. Dinner was very good, but when the bill came and was close to $80 I couldn’t believe it! I like Cape May. I do. But we’ve never eaten there without a DDE discount so I had no idea it was so expensive! Thank goodness for the DDP. Also thank goodness for Oreo bon bons….but I digress…

Oreo bon bons...

(Lest you think this is all we had for dessert, rest assured it is most definitely not. Max and I snuck this one onto the table for Goofy while he was getting a fourteenth serving of the carved beef, since this is his favorite dessert at WDW)

Max spent most of the meal not eating and instead drawing on the table and being obsessed with having as many crayons as possible. He did manage to eat some corn and some fruit and olives (the Dinner of Champions) and he also created this masterpiece for his loving mom:

And a close up of the work of art. Please note the "love Mom" in the middle of the rainbow

After dinner, we got the car and drove to DTD. It was great! We hit World of Disney first. Max kept telling me he wanted to see the pens. Since he loves to color and draw, I assumed he wanted some Disney pens to use. I pointed out the character crayons and he said, "No...I wanted to look at the PENS!" Okayyyy...? I figured we'd go to the Scrapbook place and he could pick out a pen. We then followed Goofy into the jewelry area and Max made a beeline over to the wall of pins. This is where I finally discovered that Max had decided he wants to collect PINS. He was intrigued by them. It reminded me of when he was 2 1/2 and we took him to Chef Mickey's. He took one look at the "blue book!!" and decided then and there he needed to collect autographs in his own book. So on this trip, somewhere along the line he had seen some kids wearing pin lanyards and decided it was for him. Since Goofy had been bit by the pin bug a few years ago and Max had never cared I had been hoping we could put off pin collecting for a while. Nope. Goofy came over and discovered this new obsession and was beaming with pride. We took Max over to the pin store to take a look.

On the way to the Pin Shop, I popped over to the DVC stand. I asked one of the guides, “so what’s up with the Contemporary?”

He looked at me and replied with a question: "So, how long have you been members?"

I guess I was obvious

I told him three years and then he told me there were rumors all over about the Contemporary. He told me there are also rumors about the GF. We joked about the rumor mill and he did tell me that they have open houses for VAKL at SSR from 5-7 every night. Sign us up! I knew we’d love to see that and put it on our list for the rest of vacation. I said goodbye and he told me to go forth and spread the rumor about the GF. So now I have. He then said, “just say, yeah…I read it on the DISboards.” I laughed and said, “I probably have!”

So lest anyone out there doubt the guides read the DIS... It really amuses me that they do.

I met up with Goofy and Max at the Pin Store. Max was fascinated and had picked out a lanyard to buy himself. But he couldn’t pick a pin. I finally said, “why don’t you get one for the Beach Club?” He thought that was a great idea – Max is in LOVE with the BC! Goofy took the lanyard and snuck a Little Einsteins pin with him to buy. Once he paid for both, he came back to where Max I were waiting, just at the moment Max was admiring on the rack the same LE pin his dad had just bought. I snuck away to attach the pin to the lanyard while Goofy and Max looked just one more time for BC pins. I came back and put the lanyard around Max’s neck. He walked with us to Goofy’s Candy Co., holding and playing absently with the pin on the lanyard, while he talked about wanting to buy his “first pin” at the Marketplace back at the BC. Goofy and I watched, laughing, until he finally realized he HAD his first pin and was holding it! He was thrilled.

We went into Goofy’s Candy Co, where Max picked out a Mickey rice krispie bar. He had the ears dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles. It was fun to see her make the treat, and he chatted with her about pin trading and the Beach Club the entire time. He would tell anyone who would listen that we were staying at the Beach Club (Villas) for NINE NIGHTS (emphasis Max's).

The finished product:

Afterwards we split up and Max and Goofy went to the Art of Disney while I checked out the Days of Christmas. They came to get me and we decided to head back "home".

Once back at the Beach Club, we had to stop and check out the pins in the Marketplace. No Beach Club. We determined to persevere the next day. Max and I picked up a couple boxes of doughnuts for the room (2 snack credits) and went back to meet Goofy back up in the room.

And then, everything hit the fan.

Max was tired and his meds had long since worn off. Normally not a problem, but it was a long day after a late travel night. He asked me when he would be going to the Sandcastle Club. I told him "Saturday". Well, he wanted to go to the Sandcastle Club right away and was peeved that he had to wait until Saturday. He was swinging his new lanyard around because he was mad at me. And then we got up to the room and found a little black Mickey head on the floor. And no Little Einsteins pin anywhere to be seen. In swinging the lanyard, he lost the pin. This, along with the attitude he had accumulated, really set us in a tailspin. We tore the room apart looking for the pin. We had the back, just not the pin. Max tried, but his meds had long since worn off and he was tired so suddenly he became snotty and entitled. Not a good combo. We looked in his shoes, behind the couch, under the bed. Goofy even left and went down the hallway, onto the elevator and back to the Marketplace to see if it fell off there. Finally we came to a terse truce, made Max apologize for some very snotty comments he made and he went to get to bed.

But for some reason, before he laid down, he picked up his Crocs (which he had already looked in) and found the pin pushed up into the bottom. We had hugs and kisses all around and it was like night and day. I got genuine and sincere hugs and apologies and so did Goofy. Max was suddenly less giggly and snotty and entitled and was happy and excited again. Our little boy was back. This was this year's Twister Incident.

A trip back in time again....

Last year, Max had ADHD already but we didn't know it yet. We just thought he was impulsive and a bit of a runner with listening issues. The first few days of our vacation had been tough. He was whiny and entitled and spoiled and snotty on and off. It drove us crazy and we didn't know what to do. And then finally we were in line at Universal to meet Shrek and Donkey. And he ran off and didn't listen and I decided that enough was enough. We both took him by the hand and told him that the trip was not about him, it was about our family and the rest of the day would be about Mommy and Daddy until he lost his 'tude. We went to the Twister ride (ride??) and Goofy went on it while Max and I waited, bored, on a bench. Then Goofy came out and I went through Twister while they waited. Bored. When I came back, Max was all about making deals. He decided that we should do three more things Goofy and I wanted to do before he got to ride anything else.

The boy had done a 180.

From there on out, he was a typical 4 1/2 year old with typical behavior, but the snotty nasty was all gone. We knew we'd have another Twister Incident this trip. And here it was. The Little Einsteins pin. From here on out? Typical 5 1/2 year old.

Whew!

By this time it was very late, so I typed up some trip notes and checked out our plans while the boys fell asleep. Then it was my turn. Sleep was good – I don’t know what kind of mattresses they changed to at the Villas, but they’re great. I had no back pain whatsoever the first night and last time we were here I could barely walk sometimes getting up. Me Like the mattresses!!

Next up, My Future Archaeologist sees another (very sexy) archaeologist, and encounters some real CM magic!

 

[slk537]

Ah, copy and paste your food TR with your regular TR. Glad you had a great trip. If you ever want to rent out your points . I rented from goalieguy and me and dh stayed 4 nites at BWV. We loved every minute of our stay. I seriously was going to pool hop to BCV, but we had unusally cool weather, during Easter, so I never got the chance.

We liked Cape May Buffet on Easter. I tipped our waitress $20 for working on Easter, plus she was pregnant. I felt really bad that she was working on Easter Sunday. We were also on the Dining Plan.

We really enjoyed BWV - it made it official that we've stayed at all 5 WDW Property DVC's now.

Somehow I managed to miss your pre-trippy but found my way here after reading your dining report. Great start to your vacation

There are so many things you mentione dwhere I found mysle fnodding while I was reading - especially the bit about being able to share all the details with your friends on the DIS. My family and friends just don't 'get' WDW so writing my trippies is a way of telling people about my trip, which I am always real excited to do when we get home.

I totally 'get' the snarkiness that creeps in, even at the 'Happiest place on Earth' - loved the exchange over whether Max was tall enough to ride PW. I am also very relieved that our DS won't be tall enough to ride either - means I get to sit out with him while the others ride it. It makes me feel nauseous anyway

Looking forward to reading more about your trip

Hi Joh! Lovely chatting with you today

Love your TR! I found your dining report earlier today and linked here from that. You have a lovely family and I'm really enjoying reading all about your planning and the trip! Can't wait for more

Thank you!!!!

Hopped over from your dining report! Loving it so far your DS is a cutie

Thank you - we think he's pretty cute too.

I really love your report. I still have months to go before my trip back to the world and reading reports makes me feel closer.

Great job!

Thank you! I love trip reports too. I enjoy seeing how other people make enjoy the same places we love to go.

I'm enjoying both your reports! Thank you so much for all your detail!

I am also enjoying both of your reports! I love how they are so detailed!

....Waiting for more....

Thank you both - I am a detail freak. I know it can be boring to some people but it really makes the memories clearer for me.

Finally made it over here to check out your trippie - great start! And you can be as snarky as you want...my DH and I are pretty snarky ourselves sometimes (all in good fun!).

Looking forward to reading more!!

Hi Brenda!! Welcome! I imagine you have some packing to do, eh? I suspect my snarkiness will start to come out...I was looking at my notes and I see things like "BWV - Mr Rude Guy" and "Snotty little Chippy at Philharmagic" and I know I won't be able to resist...

I also...um...took photos of a child's meltdown at MGM. It was one of those "been there, done that, this is someone else's kid" moments I had to cherish. I won't be posting the photos (because that goes beyond rude), but I imagine the story will find its way in here...

And they weren't intrusive photos...I just happened to capture the scene while taking photos of the landscape. Yeah. The landscape.

Um...four times.

 

[MomofCKJ]

I'm really enjoying your report! Glad you found the pin and could put that all behind you!

Allyson

 

[slk537]

I'm really enjoying your report! Glad you found the pin and could put that all behind you!

Allyson

Thanks Allyson! It seems like such a small thing, but once escalated it was just one of those ugly vacation moments. It was like the sunshine came out when he found the pin and we could put all the crabbiness out of the way.

ETA - btw your surprise video of your kids is quite possibly the funniest thing I have seen in a long time!!

 

[wilma-bride]

Wow, you packed a lot in to your day. That picture that Max drew is absolutely precious - what an incredibly talented young man I can totally relate to the 'pin' incident and the previous Twister incident - those ADHD about-turns are so strange. I tend to think of Sian as Little Miss Jekyll and Hyde

This had me

I also...um...took photos of a child's meltdown at MGM. It was one of those "been there, done that, this is someone else's kid" moments I had to cherish. I won't be posting the photos (because that goes beyond rude), but I imagine the story will find its way in here...

And they weren't intrusive photos...I just happened to capture the scene while taking photos of the landscape. Yeah. The landscape.

Um...four times.

I wonder how many DISers are reading your trippy, doing the math and wondering if it could be their 'little angel' who appears in your photos I'm off the hook - we weren't there Can't wait to hear that particular story.

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Love it... TFS

 

[mlill]

Wal-Mart on vacation! We used to take time from our WDW vacation to do Wal-Mart (or super Target) shopping, too, but not anymore. I refused to go on our last trip. I hate Wal-Mart even though you can find me in my local one every week. I found Garden Grocer and had them deliver the stuff I wanted and it worked out great. I'll be doing that from now on!

I love the pictures Max drew at Cape May! How sweet!

Another pin addict is born! I'm so sorry! J/K! We love pin trading! It's a big part of our WDW trips. Getting your first pin is so special! I'm happy you finally found the missing pin!!!

No comment on the DVC info (or lack there of) exchange. Let's just say that I'm saving my pennies for CRV. It'll happen eventually. (Probably sooner than later...)

Keep writing!
You're on a roll!
-Michelle

 

[Cory's Gal]

Loving, loving, loving your TR!!! DH is from Eastern WI and when you said "bubbler" it made me laugh. I am from MSP area and we always laugh about the differences in things, and "bubbler" vs. "drinking fountain" ALWAYS comes up!!!

ALSO, I am ADDICTED to cherry limeades as well!! They are the BEST drink ever, we lived in TX for a few years and we had Sonics everywhere!! We also would love some up north here!! The closest for us is in Iowa!!! Can't wait to hear more!!!

 

[slk537]

Thursday - May 3

This morning Goofy and I woke up at the same time we do at home – 7:30 am. Unfortunately, we were not AT home so it was 8:30. We chatted for a while and talked about our trip while Max slept in. When Max woke up, we each had a doughnut for our healthy WDW breakfast and then we puttered around again, and although I was frustrated that we wouldn’t get out of the room anytime soon, we got ready and finally agreed we would take the boat to MGM. On the way down, we stopped in the Marketplace to pick up a Beach Club keychain for DS to wear on his pin lanyard to weight it down. He loved it. We walked down to the lighthouse and watched the fish in the water while we waited for the boat. It was less than five minutes before we were on our way.

Max deciding if he wanted to try out the big slide on this trip, while waiting for the Friendship:

The trip over was pleasant, but I had forgotten the Friendships are enclosed, not like the boats at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. The AC was on, but it was a little stuffy. It took about 10 minutes to get to MGM and we went right in.

The first thing we wanted to do was see Indiana Jones. Goofy and I hadn’t seen it since before Max was born and Goofy really wanted to see it again. We walked in and had about a 10 minute wait before it started. I had brought a water bottle with me and Max and I drank it on the way over after mixing in my Crystal Light. We had another one before the show so we stayed nice and hydrated. This was a very humid and hot day.

The show was great and I tried to pick out the “volunteer” in the audience. I had been positive it was this guy in the row behind us - he seemed to be alone and not with a family, he was very enthusiastic to be picked, and he was the last one picked. He was then chosen to be the one to do the girly little dance and was very funny. Alas, I was wrong - it was a totally different guy, who was also very good. Max loved the show - he curled up to me at first and was uncertain and scared, but then he relaxed and just loved it. His current dream is to be an archaeologist when he grows up and when I told him Indy was one he was thrilled. I did enjoy the show, but I have to say that had Harrison Ford circa 15 years ago or so been up there I would have enjoyed it much more….

We stopped in the shop on the way out and browsed. Max wanted to head to Star Tours, but Goofy and I were hungry so we went to Backlot Express. SWe had planned on ABC Commissary, but when we walked past Backlot Express, we decided to go in there. Because of the humidity and our delicate Frozen Tundra constitutions, we weren't hungry enough for two whole meals and decided to just order a double cheeseburger meal and split it. Max wasn’t hungry, but he decided to share. Sometimes he doesn’t have much of an appetite because of his medicine and sometimes despite it, he can eat us out of house and home. This was a non appetite day.

Max and I got the ketchup and napkins and sat down to wait for Goofy. We chatted about his favorite part of the show (he loved the whole thing) and while we were doing that, one of the CM’s bussing tables stopped by after seeing his lanyard, to see if Max wanted to trade pins. When she saw he only had one, they talked about how he was starting his collection. She told him to pick any one of her pins and she would give it to him “as a present”. What a total sweetheart!!! He was so excited and picked one that (I think) is that little bear from Bear in the Big Blue House. I thanked her too and she left. A few seconds later another CM bussing tables walked past and saw Max putting his new pin on. She showed him her lanyard and asked which his favorite was. He pointed to a Buzz and Woody one and before she could say anything else, the first CM came back and said, “he’s just starting his collection – he won’t want to trade. You’re going to have to give him one.” The second CM smiled and said, “which one would you like?” DS went right for the Buzz and Woody pin. We thanked both of them profusely and when they walked away, I felt like we had truly “won” a “dream” even though this had nothing to do with the YOMD, but was just two CMs being wonderful. DS was so excited to show DH when he came to the table and DH was also impressed by how kind they were. When they both came back a few minutes later, I asked if we could take a photo with them. They happily posed. I’d like to email the photo ( I didn’t get their names) to WDW and give them a compliment for how much they made my little guy’s day. This is what I love about WDW - the kindness of CM's and the joy of a little boy over some new special treats.

Max and his new pins:

After lunch, Goofy and Max went on Star Tours while I shopped around. I found this T-shirt which immediately reminded me of my best friend at home…she loves Yoda, but more important we always joke about our weight. I emailed it to her with “was at MGM today at Star Tours, saw this, and suddenly missed you….

Front:

And the back:

Of course we had to stop for the photo of Max on this...um...vehicle motor thing from...Endor? Where the teddy bear things are from? Oh hell...I don't remember much from the Star Wars movies and I am embarrassing myself, aren't I?? Oh well - it's a cute photo...

After this, we went to the Muppets and caught the whole preshow and show. It was a lot of fun, although the little 3D character is a bit annoying. We stopped in the shop afterwards and tried a hat on our little Mousketeer:

About this time we decided we needed to stop to get a drink for Goofy and a snack for Goofy and Max. Goofy had a Sprite and most of a frozen banana and Max had an itzakadoozie. I had another Crystal Light and would have had the rest of the banana, but I kinda sorta dropped it. We enjoyed our break and watched the parade for a bit.

After we finished, we walked to the front of the park and headed to the boat dock. We waited quite a while this time but did get seats and made it back to the BC/YC. We took a detour into the YC to see if they had a BC pin with no luck. We then came back up to our room where Max had his daily meltdown, not wanting to rest but desperately needing to do so. He finally settled down, had an apple for a snack and then both of my boys crashed for naps while I showered and got cleaned up for dinner at Coral Reef. We had never been there so weren’t quite sure what to expect.

The boys got up and cleaned up and we took the International gateway to Epcot and then went through England and Canada to get to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Once there, I was disappointed that we hadn’t left earlier. We had about 15 minutes before our ADR and no time to explore. Instead we walked up to check in. Wow….Coral Reef was a different restaurant! I loved the glass jellyfish on the ceiling in the entry way/waiting area. We checked in and went to sit down and ended up next to a very nice family who were on the kids’ first trip. The two older boys chatted with DS and checked out each other’s pins while Goofy and I talked to their mom about WDW. Then one of the boys (maybe 10 years old??) decided that since Max liked Buzz and Woody (which he deduced by DS’s new pin from earlier) and that he himself had an odd number of pins, making his lanyard lopsided, he would give Max a Buzz and Woody pin that he had.

How sweet is that???? Max again was thrilled. We had lots of Pin Magic this day – from CM’s and from other guests! It was just the nicest thing. We started our YOMD Magic Moments Countdown this day and added the two: Pins from the lovely CM's at MGM and now another from this precious little boy. Neither of which had anything to do with the official YOMD, but we counted it because this is what Disney Magic is.

Shortly after the pin gift, we were called for our ADR and we were seated in one of the booths right across from the aquarium…perfect! Our server came to greet us and gave us our menus. She was nice, but not exceptionally friendly. I thought maybe it was because we were on the DDP, but Goofy said she was the same with the table next to us and she didn’t know they were DDP until she brought them their bill.

What can I say about Coral Reef? Well…for starters…the atmosphere is beautiful! We just loved it. DH and I both ordered an appetizer that was called Land and Sea or something like that. It was two skewered grilled shrimp on a cucumber salad bed and two pieces of braised short rid served on garlic polenta. I’ll be doing a dining report so I won’t get into too much detail here, but it was okay. (Photos of all food are also in my Dining Review) I would have been very disappointed to pay $10 for this if we weren’t on the DDP. For dinner we both ordered the NY Strip – this was served with broccolini and au gratin potatoes and was excellent!! Goofy also ate almost the whole basket of bread himself – he loves good bread. For dessert I ordered the Chocolate Wave, which didn’t come with ice cream?? Instead it had a side of super boozy cherries. Max had decided he didn’t want more than a bite of his sundae so I appropriated his ice cream for my dessert. Goofy ordered the Baileys and Jack Daniels Mousse and it was very good.

Max had a kitty cocktail (yes, I know it’s “kiddie” but when I was a little girl I always thought “kitty” so that has stuck for me) and it was served in a very adult serving:

He really enjoyed this. He also ordered the Macaroni and Cheese and didn’t want an appetizer. So Steve and I ordered the Lobster bisque for him so we could try it….YUM!!!

After dinner, we decided to go back to BCV to do some swimming in the Villas pool. We were almost all the way through England when I decided to stay and wander the WS by myself. Goofy and Max agreed to head back and swim and I toddled off to explore.

Solo touring? To me, it equals “invisible”. And I don't mean that as a bad thing - it was almost liberating. From the time I said good bye to my boys not one person spoke to me. Not a guest, not a CM in shops, no one. No, I wasn’t starting any conversations, but I truly felt like no one saw me. It was interesting – I had the chance to really observe those little WDW moments…a mom and dad swinging their little child between them, a couple having a little mini tiff, etc. I was able to explore the shops that would bore Max and Goofy and I could make any decision whatsoever. But I was actually in several shops where I was the only person in there and the CM’s still didn’t acknowledge. I chalked it up to being after 8:00 and almost time to close up. The first person to talk to me was actually a nice person sitting out on his porch at the Beach Club when I walked past on my way back.

Some set up for an Illuminations party. I don't remember seeing so many of these before, but there were at least 3 of them set up in the World Showcase that evening.

I decided to watch Illuminations from the US and it was certainly an international experience. I had people speaking with a Scottish accent on one side next to some people speaking Spanish. I had people behind me speaking Japanese (I think…I’ll be honest. Could have been Chinese. I’d never notice.) and then on the other side of me the people had English accents. And we were all standing in “America”.

Illuminations was nice and once it was over, I walked back to the BCV through the international gateway. I had planned to come upstairs and get my suit on to meet the boys down at the pool, but they were already up in the room. They had met some friendly people down at the pool – another dad and his kids who had just checked in – from about 4 hours away from our home. They had a great time and were ready for bed, watching the Disney Cartoon channel. I was roasting from walking quite fast and the humidity so I took a nice cold bath and got ready for bed too.

We met so very many great people this day – it was really a lot of fun. We did a lot, yet didn’t do many rides. I learned that the occasional solo is nice, but a solo vacation is not in my future. I’d really miss my guys.

Friday was approaching so we had to get some sleep – DS had his first Pirate Cruise in the morning and DH and I would have a date.

Up next, Arrrrrrrr!!!! Target, and SAB...

 

[Becky521]

I am glad you had a great trip. Max is too cute - that first picture you posted and those eyes - had me at first sight.

I can relate to some of Max's stories - my son had 3 WDW trips under his belt before he was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette Syndrome. Made for some interesting times

Looking forward to reading more. Good for you for scheduling in "date time". We did this for the first time this past trip and it is definitely something that will be a "must do" for future trips.

 

[wilma-bride]

Yet another fantastic day - what a lot of pixie dust Max had with his pins. I'm dying to know if you ever got the Beach Club pin but I guess I'll have to be patient

Coral Reef sounds lovely and it's nice to know that the steak there is good as DH and I aren't 'seafood' people.

You have some wonderful picture of your 'little man' - he is so photogenic and they are just so cute at that age

BTW, the 'little bear' pin is indeed Ojo from Bear in the Big Blue House - was a firm favourite of DS's when he was younger. He also loves Buzz and Woody and Little Einsteins so I know he'd approve of Max's pin collection. My youngest DD started collecting pins in October but she was a bit too shy to trade - I am hoping maybe on our next trip, she may get up the courage

Keep the reports coming I want to hear about the pirates

 

[DisneyJo]

What a great day, your DS was so lucky with all the pins, the CM's were lovely! How lovely to have a little me time too!