Coach's 2 for 1 pretrip/trip report!!! Plenty of pics!!!

[Coach81]

After Breakfastsauraus we head out to enjoy AK. First we head out to the safari.

We really like this one, Zach especially likes the Zebras.

Grandma was really excited!

But of course the big ride at AK is Everest!

Now Zach finally rode Tower of Terror last trip in May, and had a very bad experience with it. When Chase would talk about riding Everest Zach told us that he would not be riding it. I told him that was fine, and that he never had to ride anything that he didn't want to. So we were all very surprised when he wanted to ride it! He rode with his mommy, and Chase and I were together as we conquered the YETI!

As you can see the young lady in front of us, certainly enjoyed the experience... if you look closely, mommy seems to be having a great time as well

Zach's decision to ride Everest was a big deal, after all he is still only 6 years old! After the ride, he said he loved it!!! I told him if he could ride that one, then he could ride RocknRoller as well, he agreed!

By the end of this trip, both of my boys would have conquered ALL of the Disney Coasters!!!! I am so proud!!!

We toured the rest of the park.. and my mom and stepdad really enjoyed festival of the lion king:

It is a great show, we liked it as well.

Here is a shot of the back of the AK custom t-shirts..:

So then we decide to head to the boardwalk (our summer destination next trip ) to head to another one of our favorite places to eat- ESPN club. I have been doing really good on my diet... up until this point.

They had grilled chicken on the menu, and that is what I was planning on getting.. but I have a serious weakness for the Nachos at this place.. and I gave in.. and DESTROYED THEM!!! They are supposed to be shared by two people... I ate the entire order all by myself.. felt horrible after, but boy did I enjoy eating them!!!

After all that we headed back to our wonderful home resort of SSR: Here are a few pics of the area, and the room:

We loved the room, and I slept like a BABY every night So peaceful, so beautiful, so quiet!!!

We had heard horror stories about the springs location and the bus system- it is always the last to be picked up, and the last dropped off- but we had NO PROBLEMS with it what so ever. We were always up early so we could be at the parks for rope drop, and we came back early afternoon everyday as we finished doing what we wanted to. I personally liked the springs location, it was close to the fitness center, the main pool, and the carriage house. I would not have a problem staying there again. All in all, it was a great kickoff to the trip, we all had a wonderful first day, and we all slept like babies that night!

Up next- Day two.. Epcot.. a very long, but fun day... the "Le Cellier" comment from my mom that nearly set my wife off.. and much more.... stay tuned...

 

[Coach81]

After much debate, discussion, and long nights contemplation... we have decided to change our summer plans.

The old plan:

Depart early Friday morning (midnight), arrive back at SSR for two nights.. visit the parks, swim, etc.. Sunday check in at Boardwalk Villas for two more nights.. visit the awesome pool there.. visit parks... then on the Wednesday depart to Tampa for Busch Gardens.. spend one day at Busch Gardens, and one day at Adventureland Water Park.

The problem with it:

After looking a little closer at BG, we discovered that there would be at least 4 or 5 rides (coasters) that Zach would not be able to ride (not tall enough). SO... we thought about it.. discussed it... and then decided to make the following change...


The new plan:

On the Wednesday- we will just check in at the Buena Vista Suites near Disney and continue our wonderful trip to Disney.. this will allow us to get FULL use of our Annual Passes, and we have decided to add at least two visits to Blizzard Beach / Typhoon Lagoon.

I know this is a lot of "room hopping" for a vacation, but until we get more points (someday ) it is what we will have to do to get by.

Crisis Alert... as of yesterday I received horrible news... Brave teacher and her wonderful family may not be joining us for this summer's trip

It seems they have some family business to take care of, and the trip has gone from a sure-fire deal, to.. a "maybe" type status.. I totally understand that family matters must always come before any vacation, but here I am sending you some pixie dust for luck!!! I truly hope everything works out, and you and the family will be coming this summer with us!!!

Next Update coming soon....

 

[Coach81]

So we get up for day 2.. we are greeted with wonderful weather, so we take a few pics outside our room near the springs:

I really like this one of Alisa and I:

We head out to the bus stop, and as usual we meet grandma and grandpa.. we are the only ones at the stop that early in the morning. We arrive at Epcot and Z decides to hold up spaceship earth:

We have a great plan for Epcot... you see.. I'm the "runner".. I always take off ahead of everyone and run out and get FP for test track.. while mommy and the rest head out to soarin':

I have tried soarin', and it makes me sick.. not that it isn't a good ride.. it is an awesome ride, but it aggrevates my motion sickness. So I skip it, and go take care of FPs for the family. So the rope drops, and I sprint out ahead to wait for the next rope drop near Test Track. Get the FPs.. and ride it once on my own. Next we meet up at Mission Space.. there was no wait there:

We always go on the "green side" due to my problems with spinning.. Alisa and I get to go on it all along as the boys ride with grandma and grandpa. We have a blast!!!

After MS, we head on over to test track and use our FPs.. Zach absolutely LOVES FPs.. he gets the biggest kick out of "skipping the lines". So we ride it.. and have a great time on it.. I have a classic pic coming in from our Photopass CD (Thanks Brave teacher) with us on the TT ride, I will try to post it in a future update.

So within the first 2 hours of Epcot opening.. we have hit all the "major rides".. it is a wonderful system. Next we head out to try the new "Mission Kimpossible" adventure. We had a little argument during this time.. it was hot and some people didn't want to walk all that much.. so it got a little heated between Alisa and I... but the game itself was great. The boys really enjoyed the experience.. it was really cool interactive the little phone and certain things within the countries were. Here is the big finish of "monkey business"..

Zach really enjoyed it.. we will do it again this summer...

Next up we headed to one of our dining reservations.. LeCellier's Steakhouse:

It is a VERY EXPENSIVE resteraunt that is covered with the dining plan. If you are the person in your family that books the ADRs, you will understand this next story.. Alisa booked one nice TS a day for us to eat.. she heard good things about LeCellier's.. so here we are...

They have a nice crafting / drawing area for the kids to play as you wait for your table.. Zach loved it:

So we are seated and right away my mom and stepdad start complaining.. "It's too dark in here".. "I can't see". So I glance at Alisa, and she is aggrevated..... the waitress snaps this shot just as the comments are starting:

Alisa ignores them, as I try to... they look at the menu.. Alisa gives them a small flashlight to see it.. and we all pick our meals.. I'm still feeling guilty about the nachos so I go with the salmon, Alisa gets a steak, and everyone picks out their meal. We get our food, it is very good. While we are eating.. my mom says it... as she is saying it.. I"m cringing...

"You see, I don't like this... the breakfast buffet with Donald is so much better than this place."

OH MY GOD.... I glance at Alisa.. and she is P***ed... So I try to chime in.. "Mom, this is a place that we would not normally be able to enjoy, it is a different experience at a very nice place." Alisa snaps back "Well I like it, I think it's wonderful." Sensing her anger I say "Mom, just relax.. and enjoy the moment, its a great experience for us.. and by the way check the total charge when the bill comes in."

As you know you get desert on the plan.. Chase was embarrassed by the size of his:

The bill comes in.. it is over $175.00 for us 4, and over $65.00 for my mom and stepdad.. all covered with the dining plan.. THANK YOU HONEY

So we get past that dramatic moment.. and head to go see turtle talk with crush and nemo. It is fun.. Zach gets called on by Crush.. it is the second time this has happened.. he loves it.

One more thing of note happens during this day.. Zach loses a tooth! While eating some kind of crazy ice cream/popsicle thing..

Hmm.. wonder if the tooth fairy visits Disney World??? Stay tuned....

So we finally head out..and one the way out.. we stop and take our annual free picture with some characters with our Disney Rewards Card- if you don't have one of these SHAME ON YOU.. Our entire Dining plan WAS PAID IN FULL BY OUR REWARDS THIS TRIP

Here is one of the shots:

It ends up being a long day.. we don't leave the park until after 4 pm... but it was a good day, we had a lot of fun despite the LeCellier incident..

Next up: Day 3.. and does the tooth fairy do Disney???

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

Great stuff today, Coach! Can't wait to see the pics!

Enjoy your day off!!! UGH!!

 

[Brave teacher]

I was wondering if we were going to get an update today since you have some unexpected time at home. I could actually hear Alisa telling your mom she liked Le Cellier.

 

[alboq]

Randy's post actually make me sound like I got mad at his mom for just saying she didn't like LeCellier. It was actually more than that. The in-laws complained about the restaurant, the lights,the menu etc starting the minute we got in. By the time she made the comment that Ran posted I was over hearing them complain. I just needed to jump in to clarify a little. I know I have a bad temper but I'm not that bad. Stop rolling your eyes Randy!! See ya

 

[Brave teacher]

Trust me. I knew it would take a bit more than a comment or two to get you frustrated.

 

[Coach81]

My wife.. temper??? Nahhh

 

[Coach81]

It gives me great pleasure to announce to everyone that today, April 3rd, 2009 marks the 16th year since I married the love of my life!!!

I hope you have a fantastic day, Alisa!!! Looking forward to taking you to Zea's (however you spell it) later tonight and celebrating with you!!! Thank you for the best years of my life, thank you for all that you have given me... my two beautiful sons, all your support for all that we have been through, all the grey hairs and hair loss that I've gotten , of course your love and caring, and your understanding of my latest fitness obsession!!!

I Love you with all that I am, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.. my two sons, the rest of our family and friends.. and most of all DISNEY


Big update coming this weekend! Have a great day everyone!

 

[Coach81]

So does the tooth fairy ever go to Disney??

You Bet!!!

And she brings DISNEY DOLLARS!!!

The morning of day 3.. Zach and I got some feathered friends.. who just come walking right up to us as we were enjoying our beautiful resort.. they actually walked up to us like we were supposed to give them something.. you don't suppose anyone ever feeds them, eh??

Day 3 was at one of my personal favorites.. Hollywood Studios

This year was even more special as it was the annual ESPN the weekend was taking place in the upcoming weekend (our last day there).

Chase and Zach had no idea that we had decided to stay the extra day.. we even made custom t-shirts for that day as well.. but you'll see them later.

So first things first.. the "brisk" walk to Toy Story Mania!!!!

As always.. I was in charge of making the run to the FP machines while the rest get in line for the first ride.

This ride is now our favorite overall ride at Disney.. we absolutely it!!!

Next.. I ran out ahead and got FPs for RNR.. and while we waited for it.. we did another of our favorites.. Disney Animation.. and Walt Disney One Man's Dream.. We love hearing the story of Walt Disney, and we love to try and draw the characters.. of course the artist asked a question about Donald Duck.. and Alisa was the ONLY ONE in the place to know the answer!!! She is such a showoff!!

Next up.. we went visit Aerosmith's RocknRoller Coaster!!

Now that Zach had conquered the Yeti.. he was tall enough to ride RNR as well

We loved the ride.. but grandpa hurt his neck.. (even though we told him to keep his head back!)

Now it was time to eat, and we had reservations for another of our favorite places to visit:

We love the atmosphere, and we love the old classic monster movie promos.. and grandma and grandpa LOVED the hamburgers!!

Heres a pic of the back of our HS custom t-shirts:

Here comes a few shots of what else we did that day..

Indie..

And here is a shot of my high score on TSM on the fast pass ride.. see if you can beat it!

Finally.. I'm not sure why.. but Chase LOVES the Chronicles of Narnia.. and he loves to go see Prince Caspian.. Here is one of the shots of him and the prince:

We had a great day at HS.. we got to ride and see everything we wanted we little to no wait (Alisa and I have it down to a science now). Grandma and Grandpa started to understand and appreciate how much planning, and organizing goes into a trip. It was a lot of fun.. a great day.. near perfect weather..

Next Up.. we end day 3 with a trip to Downtown Disney for Supper.. and we try a new place to eat that will become yet another "don't miss" annual visit from now on!!! Also we have another Pre-trip report update...

See you all next time..

 

[Coach81]

After sending in a payment for our quickservice meal plan the other day, we are all set up for this summer!!! Now we just need to finalize our itenerary for what we are planning on doing each day while we are there. According to TGM, it will be very busy while we are there, which is no problem, we are prepared for just doing a few rides a day and enjoying the sites, and sounds of the resorts and parks. One great bit of news to pass on... it seems that the Trahans WILL be attending the summer trip as well This is great news!!! The Tuesday of our trip is already blocked out for Blizzard Beach with the Trahans!!! Can't wait for it!!!

Here are the rides we know we will be riding for sure this summer:

1. splash mountain
2. kali river rapids
3. TSM
4. and the usuals- everest, RNR, TOT, test track.. etc.. etc..

Here are the places we know we are going to eat so far with our quickservice plan:

1. Earl of Sandwich
2. Wolfgang Puck
3. Artist's palette
4. ESPN - QS or not.. we always do ESPN!

And where we may also try this trip:

1. Mama Melrose
2. T-Rex
3. Rainforest

So far the plan is..

Friday PM- Animal Kingdom or Epcot
Saturday- ??? Free day
Sunday- STAR WARS WEEKEND at DHS!!! YEEEHAAA!!! Bring on the JEDI!!!!
Monday- Typhoon Lagoon
Tuesday- Blizzard Beach w/ Trahans

The rest is still up in the air atm...

Stay tuned.. next update coming soon!!!

 

[Brave teacher]

Giving you a bump so you can continue with your trip report.

 

[Coach81]

Ok computer was down over the weekend for a bit.. and I was busy playing Lego Star Wars and Batman with Zach as well as taking Chase to the movies over the break.. sorry I've been slacking.. but I plan on getting the updates up and running with more consistency for the home stretch here..


Hope all of you had a great spring break.. mine was awesome!

Only 6 weeks until we leave for Disney again!!!!

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

Enough with the excuses already...more, more, more!!!

You don't have to rub it in...some of us still have 12 weeks until our trip!!!!

 

[Coach81]

Alright.. alright.. geez you guys are addicts

So we left DHS and headed to the room. Alisa decided that we should head out to Downtown Disney for supper.. who am I to argue

So we load up in the boat (the boys love to ride the boat, we make a point to have at least one boat ride every trip), and head out to DTD:

Here's a shot of our home resort as we are departing

A quick shot of DTD as we approach

We arrive at DTD and first we go to Goofy's Candy Co. WARNING.. this place is NOT RECOMMENDED for anyone who is currently a fitness freak (me) and trying desperately to keep the weight off!!! We walk in and the SMELL of the place put 5 lbs on me!!! After a few mins of walking around drooling.. I actually had to walk out of the place (while the kids were getting candy made) because I was SHAKING... I seriously wanted to drop about $200.00 and have a PIG OUT FEST in that place.. STAY AWAY!!! I'll post some pics of the kids enjoying there candy along with another story later on in this TP.. it's a classic

Finally we leave that evil place, and find the place Alisa wanted to try out..

This place is listed as a COUNTER SERVICE..

Well.. let me tell you.. it was FANTASTIC!!! Chase had a pizza, Zach had a quesadilla, Alisa had some of the best spaghetti I have ever tasted, and I had some baked chicken which melted in my mouth.

This place is now on our "must do" from now on... and we WILL hit this place again during our summer trip (as I have already stated I believe)

After enjoying Pucks.. we meet up with the Trahan's ... talk about the candy place, and let them know about Pucks.. but they don't get to try it for some reason.. but Megan has assured me it is on their to do list for the future...

It's getting a bit late, so we decide not to wait for a bus, and find out how long it takes to walk back to SSR.

It was a cool night.. and it was beautiful..

We get back to the rooms and turn in for the night..

Next morning the kids get up and start to eat their candy from the night before, and I snap a few shots outside the room

That's it for now.. gotta leave ya wanting more!!!

Up next- Day 4 at the Magic Kingdom and I'll share the candy story..

See ya next time!!!

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

Thanks for the fix!!!

I check the pics tonight at home.

 

[Coach81]

Thanks for the fix!!!

I check the pics tonight at home.

Super.. enjoy.. here comes another update!!!

 

[Coach81]

MK is Disney... it's just something about the Magic Kingdom.. when you see that castle.. it awakens the kid in you. I was so excited as we walked up hand in hand toward the entrance..

Here is a nice shot of the back of our custom MK t-shirts

Here was the plan.. I run up ahead as the "fast pass runner" while mommy and the gang head up to Indi Speedway. This is was the first year in a long time that we did not do Dumbo! The boys said they wanted to skip Dumbo and do the speedway.. so off we went!

After that, mommy snapped this shot of me patiently waiting on a bench for us to make our annual "MK Run".. a wonderful little skuffle of us hitting some of our favorite rides all one after another.. real quick.. composed of..
Peter Pan, Pooh, Snow White, and Chase's favorite.. It's a small world!

Next we moved on to Buzz, and then we hit Laugh Floor.. Zach was a part of the show!!! He was so excited!!

Check out the intensity on my face... I'm in it to win it Baby!!!!

After all that running around and playing.. it was time to eat so we hit Cosmic Rays.. what's great about Rays is.. it doesn't take long to get your food, and everyone can always find something to eat.

To close out the day we hit one of our favorite rides.. the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.. my son Zach LOVES this ride.. he puts his little arms up and everything!!! This was his first "big boy" coaster (from last year) and I love to ride it with him. Grandma and Grandpa had a blast riding it with us as well.

On the way out of the park, we first decided to ride the Jungle Cruise. I have never road this ride before, but have always heard about it.

I have to be honest here... two main comments:
1. This was the longest we had to wait for any ride this entire trip.. I think we waited like close to 30 mins... which got me aggrevated.. (I'm so spoiled).
2. Sorry but.. in my opinion.. it was nearly a complete waste of time.. the "jokes" were horrible.. and the ride was very dated... I did not like it.. at all.
Don't look for me on this ride again in the near future...

As we headed to the exits..we snapped a group shot in front of the castle.

Like how the bird posed for the pic?

I love that Castle!!!

Next up:

The evening from HELL.. the fitness freak LOSES IT -here comes the candy story as well-.... you don't want to miss this story....

 

[Brave teacher]

Bryan did not want to wait to eat at Puck's. When we went after meeting at Goofy, the line was out the door.

Sounds like a very nice day.

 

[Coach81]

Bryan did not want to wait to eat at Puck's. When we went after meeting at Goofy, the line was out the door.

Sounds like a very nice day.

It really was.. we had a blast! Grandma and Grandpa made the comment of how much they appreciated us knowing which rides to do at what times. All they had to do was hang out, keep up, and enjoy it all! It was a great day...

Well this Summer, we will just have to see if we can coordinate the two "Disney Queens" so that perhaps we can all hit Wolfgang's at the same time!!! It will be well worth it!!! Have you decided about your dining plans yet for the summer trip?