MommyPoppins
<font color=green>Tangled with the TF in a moment
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2004
- Messages
- 4,821
I started writing this report when we got home in May, but now it's Sept. and I just finished it. 
Amanda(me)- Over zealous Disney fanatic who cant seem to get enough.
Chad(DH)-Loves WDW but if more than a couple of months pass in between trips he starts to forget the magic and says he doesnt want to go back.
Jeremiah(DS4, will be 5 in July)-Talks about WDW when we arent there, complains the whole time we are there.
Seth(DS3, will be 4 in July)-Also talks about WDW all the time, and also complains the whole time we are there. Finally reached that monumental 40 inches.
Ethan(DS2)-Is still 3 ½ inches too short for The Barnstormer, poor guy doesnt even register on the growth scale at the doctors.
Kaleb(DS4months)-The perfect angel the whole time.
Friday May 20th, 2:30PM- We actually managed to leave at the time we planned on leaving. Im not sure how that happened, but Ill take it. We had to make a stop in Labelle for DH to get some coffee we could have avoided that if I had driven, but lately my driving has gone downhill for some reason, so I opted out..
That was actually our only stop
which is surprising. The children were very good also
which again is surprising. You know how it is taking kids on a road trip. Your house is still in your rear view mirror and they are already starting with the, Are we there yet? and it doesnt stop until you finally are parked at your destination and getting them out of the van. We had to listen to it for a little while before Jeremiah and Seth fell asleep. We made really good time, we could have gotten to the hotel by 5:15PM, but when we hit Haines City the traffic was horrible. There were more large trucks (semi) on the road than anything else and there is so much road construction going on
blah. We managed to hit every red light and some we actually sat there for 2 red lights. I think we finally got there a little after 5:30 or so. I ran in to check us into our room and then we were off to MGM. We stayed off-site at the Sheraton Safari Hotel. It was really nice, the only draw back is right across the street is the most hideous knock-off Disney/Orlando souvenir store. Which of course we had a lovely view of.
When we arrived at MGM there isnt really anyone directing traffic(which I suppose is normal in the evenings since it also happened at MK) so DH keeps passing up parking spaces. Finally I cant take it anymore and in a not so patient tone I ask him what the heck he is doing. He thinks hes at walmart or something and he can circle around to the next row and get closer. Well we ended up a couple of spaces from the last and had to walk allllllllllllllllllllllllll the way down the row. I remembered that it was Star Wars Weekend .I would have had us go somewhere else if I had remembered. It was really busy compared to last weekend when DH and I went for the day. We walked down to TOT which is DH favorite ride and we were hoping to get Seth on it. But he didnt want to and the wait was 30 minutes so we went to eat. I couldnt find the little road that the ABC Commissionary is on so we ended up at the place by The Indiana Jones show I forget the name. I sat with the kids while DH went in to get food. When he came back I could see he had a million dollars worth of food we wouldnt be eating. He got Jeremiah and Seth each a HUGE hotdog with French fries and he got Ethan his own kids meal of nasty chicken nuggets, French fries and apple sauce he only ate the apple sauce. I had a hot dog with French fries, I only wanted a hot dog, which by the way was cold and the bun was stale. He had a burger. We had enough fries to feed a third world country and we didnt even eat ¼ of them. I guess its partly my fault I didnt tell him to get the boys something to share and that you dont have to get the fries too. He just assumed that you had to get the fries with it.
Next we head past Star Tours and I see the line is only 10 minutes .I was surprised at that. But then I see the line to get into the store .LOL. No wonder you can get right on the ride everyone is waiting to get into the store to spend some more money. Good for us. We had to head to the HISTK play area before it closed though so we did. I told DH to stay with Ethan and I stood by the exit to make sure the other boys stayed inside. While I was standing there Seth goes running past me. I swear sometimes I think that boys got a few loose screws. I get him and talk to him about not leaving the park without me. He goes off and plays with Jeremiah. Then DH asks me to come catch Ethan at the bottom of the slide so I stupidly leave my post and catch him. A few minutes later I see Jeremiah without Seth I ask him where is Seth and he goes and looks comes back and said he couldnt find him. So I start to head out of the park knowing that he must have taken off. As soon as I do I see the CM and a whole group of people talking to Seth and bringing him back into the park. I claim him and talk to him again, only this time he isnt doing any more playing. I made him stay by my side found the rest of my family and said were outta here. I hate those stupid parks, as I am sure most parents do.
Next we go to Muppets and then DH takes Jeremiah and Seth on Star Tours while I waited. Then we went and got seats in Hades for Fantasmic. It was awesome, but getting out of there was horrible. I asked DH if we could just sit back and wait for the crowds to clear but he hates doing that. I was holding Kaleb in on arm and holding Seths hand with my other. DH had Jeremiah and Ethan who can both walk .somehow I had the raw end of the deal. The man behind me kept hitting me in the heals with something I couldnt figure out what it was because I knew it wasnt a stroller so I peaked back and well Im sure you can guess what it is .. A rolling backpack. Now I know why people on these boards get so fired up about these things. EVERY time we took a step forward he would slam that thing into my heals. We finally made it back to our stroller and headed out to the parking lot. I was glad to be driving and not staying at the All-Stars they we running the 3 resorts together and the line extended down past at least 2 other bus stops.
Sat. Day 2
We start the day off at Epcot and yes we were about 3 spaces from the end of the row. We hit Soarin first and do the child swap, it was awesome as always and Jeremiah and Seth really liked it. While I waited my turn I took Kaleb and Ethan to the Kidcot table. Ethan colored for a few minutes but then took a 15 minute long fit about going on the stairs. Finally DH gets out and I all but run on the ride with J & S. Off to TT. But of course was broken down with an hour long wait. So we wandered for a few dying of heat(its so hot at Ep.) then we decided to head to AK. We get there and yes, you guessed it are at the back of the row. While waiting for the tram I begin to panic because everyone looks like their rabid and are going to attack the tram when it gets there. I was afraid part of us would get on and the others wouldnt. So DH takes the stroller and 1 of the kids and I have the other 3. He gets on with the stroller and some rabid people jump on in front of me. I started walking down the tram trying to find another spot until I finally had to ask someone to move and let Seth sit next to him on the inside of the tram and I got a seat in front of him. Looking back now some months later, I realize I may have added to my poor Seths fear of people by making him sit without me next to strangers the day after he got lost.
Oops. Well we had a great time anyway, AK is our FAVORITE park, besides MK and the heat was much more bearable there with all the shade and fans. We rode the Safari and had a great ride, walked through the trail, rode the dinosaur dumbo, had lunch at Tusker House(when did it change to community seating?) and then I rode Kali with the older boys. Jeremiah got soaked, as did the nice lady who agreed to sit with him(had to be sitting with an adult). Poor lady. After that we left and went back to the hotel to freshen up and rest. Then we were off to MK. As we were leaving the sky was threatening to storm on us, but we pressed on. When we arrived there was no one directing park and we somehow ended up in the handicap parking. We had to go up the down and back down the up , but we finally ended up parked. I looked down the row, ALL the way down and saw the tram. I almost lost it, but then I look straight ahead and low and behold we were only a few short steps away from the front. Yay! It never really rained, only sprinkled a little, but it was REALLY windy and the air had cooled down a lot, so it was a nice evening. We rode POTC, child swaped BTMR and Splash, but even with a FP we had to wait a long time at splash for some reason. So only I got to do Splash, which only Seth and I did. Last time he wasnt tall enough and all he had been talking about is wanting to go on it, so even though he said no, we went and he had a blast. Though he never let go of my hand the whole time. After SM we went to Caseys Corner where I found the coolest thing at MK. Inside where the movies are there are a couple of tables and one of them is in a corner with an old fashioned baseball arcade game which was only a quarter and it played FOREVER! It was wonderful and we will be going back there when we leave in a couple of weeks. My hot dog was to die for as always. Gotta love Caseys. We could hear the music and barely see the parade from inside and after it cleared out we left. We watched Wishes from the TTC, where the boat loads. Well we tried to anyway, this wonderfully informative teen boy was giving us a running commentary. 
LOL! Then Jeremiah and Seth wouldnt stop complaining, so I decided we could leave before it was over, to which my poor Ethan threw another fit because HE didnt want to leave and HE wasnt complaining. Poor guy.
Sunday- day 2
We head to MK before opening so we can get through Fantasyland without waiting. Which took FOREVER, next time Ill just get there around 9:10, so we can walk right through and avoid the mosh pit. DH took Jeremiah and Seth straight to buzz and the speedway, I took Kaleb and Ethan to FL and we rode the carousel 2 times and walked about 5 miles of circles waiting on the boys. Finally we met up and did all the FL rides except Dumbo which was already a 30+ minute wait at 9:30. We did HM, which freaked Ethan out and Seth freaked when he saw the ghost in the mirror, then we did BTMR and SM again, this time Jeremiah went on too, we bribed him with a Mickey bar. (He went on it last trip, but was saying he was afraid this time, even though he talked about it all the time) So they had a blast and then we ate at Columbia Harbor House, where again my DH got WAY too many fries. But the fish was really good and the place was empty which is always a huge plus. We walked around soaking in our last day and then rode POTC. Of course getting off that ride in a store full of swords ended costing us a little. They all got a sword (which ended up breaking a few days later.) and while we waited for DH to get the Mickey Bars the 3 of them were playing Pirates and The Phantom of the Opera.
It was a sad time because we knew after the finished their ice cream it was time to go home.
But we knew we would be back. We always come back.
Amanda(me)- Over zealous Disney fanatic who cant seem to get enough.
Chad(DH)-Loves WDW but if more than a couple of months pass in between trips he starts to forget the magic and says he doesnt want to go back.
Jeremiah(DS4, will be 5 in July)-Talks about WDW when we arent there, complains the whole time we are there.
Seth(DS3, will be 4 in July)-Also talks about WDW all the time, and also complains the whole time we are there. Finally reached that monumental 40 inches.
Ethan(DS2)-Is still 3 ½ inches too short for The Barnstormer, poor guy doesnt even register on the growth scale at the doctors.
Kaleb(DS4months)-The perfect angel the whole time.
Friday May 20th, 2:30PM- We actually managed to leave at the time we planned on leaving. Im not sure how that happened, but Ill take it. We had to make a stop in Labelle for DH to get some coffee we could have avoided that if I had driven, but lately my driving has gone downhill for some reason, so I opted out..
That was actually our only stop
which is surprising. The children were very good also
which again is surprising. You know how it is taking kids on a road trip. Your house is still in your rear view mirror and they are already starting with the, Are we there yet? and it doesnt stop until you finally are parked at your destination and getting them out of the van. We had to listen to it for a little while before Jeremiah and Seth fell asleep. We made really good time, we could have gotten to the hotel by 5:15PM, but when we hit Haines City the traffic was horrible. There were more large trucks (semi) on the road than anything else and there is so much road construction going on
blah. We managed to hit every red light and some we actually sat there for 2 red lights. I think we finally got there a little after 5:30 or so. I ran in to check us into our room and then we were off to MGM. We stayed off-site at the Sheraton Safari Hotel. It was really nice, the only draw back is right across the street is the most hideous knock-off Disney/Orlando souvenir store. Which of course we had a lovely view of. When we arrived at MGM there isnt really anyone directing traffic(which I suppose is normal in the evenings since it also happened at MK) so DH keeps passing up parking spaces. Finally I cant take it anymore and in a not so patient tone I ask him what the heck he is doing. He thinks hes at walmart or something and he can circle around to the next row and get closer. Well we ended up a couple of spaces from the last and had to walk allllllllllllllllllllllllll the way down the row. I remembered that it was Star Wars Weekend .I would have had us go somewhere else if I had remembered. It was really busy compared to last weekend when DH and I went for the day. We walked down to TOT which is DH favorite ride and we were hoping to get Seth on it. But he didnt want to and the wait was 30 minutes so we went to eat. I couldnt find the little road that the ABC Commissionary is on so we ended up at the place by The Indiana Jones show I forget the name. I sat with the kids while DH went in to get food. When he came back I could see he had a million dollars worth of food we wouldnt be eating. He got Jeremiah and Seth each a HUGE hotdog with French fries and he got Ethan his own kids meal of nasty chicken nuggets, French fries and apple sauce he only ate the apple sauce. I had a hot dog with French fries, I only wanted a hot dog, which by the way was cold and the bun was stale. He had a burger. We had enough fries to feed a third world country and we didnt even eat ¼ of them. I guess its partly my fault I didnt tell him to get the boys something to share and that you dont have to get the fries too. He just assumed that you had to get the fries with it.
Next we head past Star Tours and I see the line is only 10 minutes .I was surprised at that. But then I see the line to get into the store .LOL. No wonder you can get right on the ride everyone is waiting to get into the store to spend some more money. Good for us. We had to head to the HISTK play area before it closed though so we did. I told DH to stay with Ethan and I stood by the exit to make sure the other boys stayed inside. While I was standing there Seth goes running past me. I swear sometimes I think that boys got a few loose screws. I get him and talk to him about not leaving the park without me. He goes off and plays with Jeremiah. Then DH asks me to come catch Ethan at the bottom of the slide so I stupidly leave my post and catch him. A few minutes later I see Jeremiah without Seth I ask him where is Seth and he goes and looks comes back and said he couldnt find him. So I start to head out of the park knowing that he must have taken off. As soon as I do I see the CM and a whole group of people talking to Seth and bringing him back into the park. I claim him and talk to him again, only this time he isnt doing any more playing. I made him stay by my side found the rest of my family and said were outta here. I hate those stupid parks, as I am sure most parents do.
Next we go to Muppets and then DH takes Jeremiah and Seth on Star Tours while I waited. Then we went and got seats in Hades for Fantasmic. It was awesome, but getting out of there was horrible. I asked DH if we could just sit back and wait for the crowds to clear but he hates doing that. I was holding Kaleb in on arm and holding Seths hand with my other. DH had Jeremiah and Ethan who can both walk .somehow I had the raw end of the deal. The man behind me kept hitting me in the heals with something I couldnt figure out what it was because I knew it wasnt a stroller so I peaked back and well Im sure you can guess what it is .. A rolling backpack. Now I know why people on these boards get so fired up about these things. EVERY time we took a step forward he would slam that thing into my heals. We finally made it back to our stroller and headed out to the parking lot. I was glad to be driving and not staying at the All-Stars they we running the 3 resorts together and the line extended down past at least 2 other bus stops.
Sat. Day 2
We start the day off at Epcot and yes we were about 3 spaces from the end of the row. We hit Soarin first and do the child swap, it was awesome as always and Jeremiah and Seth really liked it. While I waited my turn I took Kaleb and Ethan to the Kidcot table. Ethan colored for a few minutes but then took a 15 minute long fit about going on the stairs. Finally DH gets out and I all but run on the ride with J & S. Off to TT. But of course was broken down with an hour long wait. So we wandered for a few dying of heat(its so hot at Ep.) then we decided to head to AK. We get there and yes, you guessed it are at the back of the row. While waiting for the tram I begin to panic because everyone looks like their rabid and are going to attack the tram when it gets there. I was afraid part of us would get on and the others wouldnt. So DH takes the stroller and 1 of the kids and I have the other 3. He gets on with the stroller and some rabid people jump on in front of me. I started walking down the tram trying to find another spot until I finally had to ask someone to move and let Seth sit next to him on the inside of the tram and I got a seat in front of him. Looking back now some months later, I realize I may have added to my poor Seths fear of people by making him sit without me next to strangers the day after he got lost.
Oops. Well we had a great time anyway, AK is our FAVORITE park, besides MK and the heat was much more bearable there with all the shade and fans. We rode the Safari and had a great ride, walked through the trail, rode the dinosaur dumbo, had lunch at Tusker House(when did it change to community seating?) and then I rode Kali with the older boys. Jeremiah got soaked, as did the nice lady who agreed to sit with him(had to be sitting with an adult). Poor lady. After that we left and went back to the hotel to freshen up and rest. Then we were off to MK. As we were leaving the sky was threatening to storm on us, but we pressed on. When we arrived there was no one directing park and we somehow ended up in the handicap parking. We had to go up the down and back down the up , but we finally ended up parked. I looked down the row, ALL the way down and saw the tram. I almost lost it, but then I look straight ahead and low and behold we were only a few short steps away from the front. Yay! It never really rained, only sprinkled a little, but it was REALLY windy and the air had cooled down a lot, so it was a nice evening. We rode POTC, child swaped BTMR and Splash, but even with a FP we had to wait a long time at splash for some reason. So only I got to do Splash, which only Seth and I did. Last time he wasnt tall enough and all he had been talking about is wanting to go on it, so even though he said no, we went and he had a blast. Though he never let go of my hand the whole time. After SM we went to Caseys Corner where I found the coolest thing at MK. Inside where the movies are there are a couple of tables and one of them is in a corner with an old fashioned baseball arcade game which was only a quarter and it played FOREVER! It was wonderful and we will be going back there when we leave in a couple of weeks. My hot dog was to die for as always. Gotta love Caseys. We could hear the music and barely see the parade from inside and after it cleared out we left. We watched Wishes from the TTC, where the boat loads. Well we tried to anyway, this wonderfully informative teen boy was giving us a running commentary. LOL! Then Jeremiah and Seth wouldnt stop complaining, so I decided we could leave before it was over, to which my poor Ethan threw another fit because HE didnt want to leave and HE wasnt complaining. Poor guy.Sunday- day 2
We head to MK before opening so we can get through Fantasyland without waiting. Which took FOREVER, next time Ill just get there around 9:10, so we can walk right through and avoid the mosh pit. DH took Jeremiah and Seth straight to buzz and the speedway, I took Kaleb and Ethan to FL and we rode the carousel 2 times and walked about 5 miles of circles waiting on the boys. Finally we met up and did all the FL rides except Dumbo which was already a 30+ minute wait at 9:30. We did HM, which freaked Ethan out and Seth freaked when he saw the ghost in the mirror, then we did BTMR and SM again, this time Jeremiah went on too, we bribed him with a Mickey bar. (He went on it last trip, but was saying he was afraid this time, even though he talked about it all the time) So they had a blast and then we ate at Columbia Harbor House, where again my DH got WAY too many fries. But the fish was really good and the place was empty which is always a huge plus. We walked around soaking in our last day and then rode POTC. Of course getting off that ride in a store full of swords ended costing us a little. They all got a sword (which ended up breaking a few days later.) and while we waited for DH to get the Mickey Bars the 3 of them were playing Pirates and The Phantom of the Opera.
It was a sad time because we knew after the finished their ice cream it was time to go home.
