Celebrating A 5th Birthday with Mickey & Rain,May 2009! Completed..

[dddisrunner]

What a CRAPPY teacher! How awful to just single 3 kids out! It was a preschool GRADUATION not a I am going to Kindergarten celebration! HOW RUDE!! Anyway! Glad you made it to Nashville without any problems...I am always too excited to sleep the night before a trip too!! How sweet of you to think of the 2 little girls you would be meeting up with I can't wait to meet some disser's! Of course I am already DYING for the next installment!

 

[Jeanine3kids]

I am excited to read more!!!! The rain sounds like my August trip when I got stuck in that tropical Storm It was a very rainy trip. So I know how you must of felt.

 

[leamom2princesses]

That was stupid of the teacher not to let the 3 other children fully participate like the other teacher's group. I would be perturbed too.

It was great to meet you and your cute kids too! You have a really nice family. Our flight home was very bumpy because of the storms. I was really nervous. Wish we could have gotten a flight like our flight into Orlando, that was the smoothest flight I've ever been on.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Nice start!!! And Ugh about the rain. We left on tuesday night and that was the 2nd or 3rd day of rain, i felt so bad for everyone coming in for that week with all of the rain that Florida got

Can't wait to hear more!!

And I would have been really upset about the preschool teacher not letting the 3 kids wear the cap and gowns too, that's terrible!

 

[kaysmommie]

What a CRAPPY teacher! How awful to just single 3 kids out! It was a preschool GRADUATION not a I am going to Kindergarten celebration! HOW RUDE!! Anyway! Glad you made it to Nashville without any problems...I am always too excited to sleep the night before a trip too!! How sweet of you to think of the 2 little girls you would be meeting up with I can't wait to meet some disser's! Of course I am already DYING for the next installment!

Thanks Diane
I will be sure to have it tomorrow so you can read when you get home from work. I was so pissed about the preschool graduation but it had been a long week with Kaylee's school issues. I might have to request the other teacher for next year since she has more sense. You will have so much fun meeting Dissers, I know we did. Tim and Lesley are going the same time as you, they seem like a nice family.

I am excited to read more!!!! The rain sounds like my August trip when I got stuck in that tropical Storm It was a very rainy trip. So I know how you must of felt.

That was stupid of the teacher not to let the 3 other children fully participate like the other teacher's group. I would be perturbed too.

It was great to meet you and your cute kids too! You have a really nice family. Our flight home was very bumpy because of the storms. I was really nervous. Wish we could have gotten a flight like our flight into Orlando, that was the smoothest flight I've ever been on.

Thanks Leanne
I was so annoyed at the preschool but tried really hard to not get worked up over more school issues before the trip. I'm sure the kids felt left out too.

Our flight down was great wasn't it? Sorry about your bumpy flight home. Ours also had some bumps but nit too bad.

Nice start!!! And Ugh about the rain. We left on tuesday night and that was the 2nd or 3rd day of rain, i felt so bad for everyone coming in for that week with all of the rain that Florida got

Can't wait to hear more!!

And I would have been really upset about the preschool teacher not letting the 3 kids wear the cap and gowns too, that's terrible!

The preschool thing just ridiculous. Yes I think Tuesday was the 2nd full day of rain. Unfortunately FL needed some rain.

 

[MaryAz]

Good start. As a preschool teacher I would never exclude anyone from a graduation ceremony-ridiculous! I am sorry that happened. Can't wait to hear how you liked SSR.

 

[mom2mek]

Yay! I'm glad you started! You are always so quick to get going and I take FOREVER to do mine....

I can't believe that teacher would have excluded those 3 kids from wearing cap and gown....what was she thinking?

Glad your flight was uneventful - that's very cool that you were able to fly with another DISer!

Keep it coming....

Sara

 

[mkluvsmickey]

Great start Nichole! I too can't believe the pre-school teacher excluded those three kids - grrr! Hopefully Thomas didn't really notice or care too much. So frustrating. You guys were really ready for a vacation after that week!

Can't wait for more!

 

[kaysmommie]

Good start. As a preschool teacher I would never exclude anyone from a graduation ceremony-ridiculous! I am sorry that happened. Can't wait to hear how you liked SSR.

I agree with you. We liked it okay for the most part. I will post some of SSR today.

Yay! I'm glad you started! You are always so quick to get going and I take FOREVER to do mine....

I can't believe that teacher would have excluded those 3 kids from wearing cap and gown....what was she thinking?

Glad your flight was uneventful - that's very cool that you were able to fly with another DISer!

Keep it coming....

Sara

Hi Sara,
You have more done on your report than I do . Writing helps with the Disney depression. Just what I needed more school aggravation before the trip. I tried very hard not to be negative about the situation but sometimes I really have no clue what these people are thinking . We had a great flight though.

Great start Nichole! I too can't believe the pre-school teacher excluded those three kids - grrr! Hopefully Thomas didn't really notice or care too much. So frustrating. You guys were really ready for a vacation after that week!

Can't wait for more!

Hi Michelle,
Yes more school issues . Thomas noticed but he said he didn't even want to wear the cap & gown . but when he came home and told me they were not singing the song they practiced all year because he is not going to Kinder is not right. Also those kids were given a special gift and a bible story book. Mind you the other Pre K class had 2 kids that also were staying behind but their teacher included them in everything like she was supposed to do. Thomas teacher also opted not to print those 3 names on the program so I through it away. So tired of dealing with this kind of BS. At that point I couldn't wait to leave.

 

[kaysmommie]

Day 1 Arrival Day.....


I apologize for lack of pics but I do have some of the room and view.
After our flight we made our way to the airport monorail. The kids were quite entertained by this. Kaylee didn't remember it from 2003 since she was only 3. We made our way to the ME counter only there were huge lines everywhere. It looked pretty confusing since it was so crowded with people . It took us only 10 minutes to check in and then we waited on the bus line for our resort, OKW and POFQ/POR.

I guess Saturday is just super busy around lunchtime for arrivals at Disney. We waited about 45 minutes to board a bus and we got the last seats, but at least we didn't have to wait for the next one. Thomas fell asleep 10 minutes into the ride so he missed the video. He was holding his small sized ME bus the whole ride We bought him those Disney buses last October.

We stopped at OKW first which I thought was very pretty, kind of looks like CBR and so tropical. I'm not really a fan of these condo type DVC resorts though. Then we stopped at our resort SSR. It is really pretty and seemed much more dleuxe than CBR to us. But again more like a condo complex. There were lilacs blooming everywhere and they smelled really good. We always had them in our yard up north so that made a good impression on me.

Inside we went to check in. We were still hoping to keep our upgrade to the 1 bedroom villa for our stay. i scoped out the CM doing check in and decided to wait in a certain line. Well Tom yells to me that this CM over here is available well truthfully I was avoidng her because I wasn't feeling the magic. So I gave him one of my looks and he says "what rather loudly. So know I had to get checked in by this CM who seemed new and barely spoke english. She was confused by our 2 reservations and when I gave her our room reservation paper that said we had a 1 bedroom. She needed to speak to a manager of course. He was a grumpy old guy and said if we take the 1 bedroom that we would have to move the next day and store our luggage. But he could give us a studio today and we could just stay in it for the entire stay. but we would just have to check in really quick in the morning for new keys and our DDP. So we opted for that since it had been a long week and we just didn't think the upgarde was worth the move.

The good news was our room was in Grandstand and on the 3rd floor in the 8100 section which is the second building near the pool and the bus stop for that section. It was a great location! I recommend Grandstand or Springs for those of you who are staying there.

Our room wasn't ready yet but it was only 1:30. We decided to get some lunch at Artist Palette. It is connected to a small gift shop and is a very small counter service place. Not many choices and only 1 tiny refill station for drinks. Also it was packed this time of day. We decided 2 new mugs was enough since we had the dining plan starting tomorrow morning. The kids both wanted Mac and cheese and Tom and I split the Beef & Bleu cheese sandwich. I didn't take any food pics this day . Let's just say the food was not good. We didn't even finish the sandwich and the kids ate half of their meals.

After lunch we found a phone to call to see if our room was ready and it was. So we took our carry ons and map and walked over to the Grandstand section. it was about a 5-7 minute walk from the lobby. Like I said close enough to the main section but a great choice since you are first on the bus. It really is a pretty resort, just wasn't Disney enough IMO. That is unanimous opinion for our family. We liked it for the most part.

Our room 8336 was on the third floor so we took the stairs since they were close to the pool. The elevator was nice and close to the bus stop though. It only took 1 minute to get there. Our studio was really nice and clean which was great. Still I did my disinfecting of everything just in case. It was a bit bigger than our CBR room and had and a nice view of the pool and a balcony. I liked having a balcony again after staying in a moderate. The fridge was also a nice size.

The room

The view

I never heard pool noise which was great. The kids loved sitting on the balcony. The Grandstand pool also had a pool bar and a mug refill station that we used a lot. It was fairly quiet and lots of tables and chairs . We liked our room and location so much. We did get housekeeping the next day before our DVC portion of the stay. But overall we keep our room clean so not having anyone make our beds wasn't a big deal to us. If it were financially possible we would buy into DVC at BLT. Our luggage arrived right after we did, all but one bag. Bell services did call and locate it at the airport. They said it would be there shorty. We were happy to tip bell services since we loved not having to get our bags at the airport and that they delivered right to our room. That is the good part of ME. We did start to miss our car though .

Next : Pool time that didn't go as planned and a Dismeet at the Poly.

 

[mom2mek]

Nichole - great update! (See, now you're ahead of me....I haven't even checked in at the Poly yet, plus I got back a week before you....)

I loved the "mental" image of Thomas falling asleep clutching his ME toy bus! How cute!

I was laughing at you scoping out the check-in CMs! Sounds like something I would do and something Shawn would roll his eyes at!

I think your room looks beautiful and that view is FANTASTIC!!! I love all the red and white umbrellas!! Adorable! The location sounds very nice, and I agree...having a balcony is sooo nice. Definitely one of those things that you gain appreciation for once you go and don't have one, huh?

Looking forward to your swim story and your Poly meet - how'd that go anyway? (hope your picture turned out better than mine! )

Sara

 

[kaysmommie]

Nichole - great update! (See, now you're ahead of me....I haven't even checked in at the Poly yet, plus I got back a week before you....)

I loved the "mental" image of Thomas falling asleep clutching his ME toy bus! How cute!

I was laughing at you scoping out the check-in CMs! Sounds like something I would do and something Shawn would roll his eyes at!

I think your room looks beautiful and that view is FANTASTIC!!! I love all the red and white umbrellas!! Adorable! The location sounds very nice, and I agree...having a balcony is sooo nice. Definitely one of those things that you gain appreciation for once you go and don't have one, huh?

Looking forward to your swim story and your Poly meet - how'd that go anyway? (hope your picture turned out better than mine! )

Sara

I was looking for the CM who gave me a good vibe. I loved having a balcony again, never realized how much I missed it. You know the swim story I think. I was going to ask you to post your picture. Is it really bad? Tom tried to take one but Thomas was tired and fussy so he never got it . He did mange to take some of Wishes and none of us girls. I was bad about pics this trip, didn't even get one of the ME bus.

 

[mom2mek]

I was looking for the CM who gave me a good vibe. I loved having a balcony again, never realized how much I missed it. You know the swim story I think. I was going to ask you to post your picture. Is it really bad? Tom tried to take one but Thomas was tired and fussy so he never got it . He did mange to take some of Wishes and none of us girls. I was bad about pics this trip, didn't even get one of the ME bus.

The picture is not bad of you three, but I hate it of me! As is usually the case! I will try to at least get him to give me that picture and send it to you to use if you want. Don't hold up your writing for it though....It's Shawn...he could take a while.....

Well, the pictures I have seen so far (on here and on FB) are great - so I think you did pretty darn well for being drenched most of the time!

Sara

 

[29apr00]

Wow quick start!

Ok, i'd have been VERY angry with the preschool teacher who left out the other kids! How rude! Sure hope Thomas doesn't have her as a teacher again next fall!

Ew, bad food at Artists Palette? Boo for that! but the view looks really good and it's still a spacious room! Can't wait for more!

 

[kaysmommie]

The picture is not bad of you three, but I hate it of me! As is usually the case! I will try to at least get him to give me that picture and send it to you to use if you want. Don't hold up your writing for it though....It's Shawn...he could take a while.....

Well, the pictures I have seen so far (on here and on FB) are great - so I think you did pretty darn well for being drenched most of the time!

Sara

It would great if you could email the pic to me. I don't like most pics of me either . I will still update though, I know how husbands .

 

[kaysmommie]

Wow quick start!

Ok, i'd have been VERY angry with the preschool teacher who left out the other kids! How rude! Sure hope Thomas doesn't have her as a teacher again next fall!

Ew, bad food at Artists Palette? Boo for that! but the view looks really good and it's still a spacious room! Can't wait for more!

Hi Jen,
Believe me I was not happy with the teacher. She is kind of ditzy . Looks like he might have her again next year too , but I don't want to switch schools on him he has a hard time adjusting to new situations. Artsist point was just not good. We even tried it again on our last day.

 

[dddisrunner]

LOVING this Nichole!! What an AWESOME location! I hope we are as lucky! Sorry to hear about Artist Point! Did you try breakfast there? That is the only meal we will likely have there. How was the refill station at the Grandstand pool? Was it open late at night? Thanks!! Glad to hear that the room was clean!!

 

[kaysmommie]

LOVING this Nichole!! What an AWESOME location! I hope we are as lucky! Sorry to hear about Artist Point! Did you try breakfast there? That is the only meal we will likely have there. How was the refill station at the Grandstand pool? Was it open late at night? Thanks!! Glad to hear that the room was clean!!

I hope they put you in Grandstand too. We didn't have breakfast there since it didn't even open until 7 PM, which is another complaint. Tom usually gets our morning tea and coffee when we wake up, but we had to wait until 7 am. So some days I went without caffeine to the parks. I'm used to having a 24 hour food court like at Poly or at least 6am until midnight. We did have two other issues as well but nothing major. The refill station was open until at least 8 PM. We didn't swim much with the rain but that was the lastest we filled our mugs at the pool. very nice clean room . SSR was better than a value resort and maybe some of the mods. But I still like the foodcourts better at the values & Moderates. It just felt more deluxe at SSR.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I could just slap that teacher! Girl we got home so late last night. I'm still tired. It was so much fun meeting you guys though! I wish we had longer to hang out. Did you get back in time for food?

 

[kaysmommie]

I could just slap that teacher! Girl we got home so late last night. I'm still tired. It was so much fun meeting you guys though! I wish we had longer to hang out. Did you get back in time for food?

It was fun meeting you and your family too. Kaylee had fun with your kids. We made it back in time to use up our snack credits so we could take them on the plane. The CS at our resort closed at 11PM and didn't open until 7am, we left at 6:50 am. I hear you on being tired. When we got home I took a two hour nap on the couch while the kids played Mario cart. I was so tired and never take naps but have been exhausted since we got back. Maybe it's just Disney depression .