Different Type of Trip! April 2014 w/ the Grandmas! 2/22 Complete!

[deedee2177]

4/24/14 Continued: A date with my Mom!

I have been an awful Diser and have not been keeping up with my TR like I should! My apologies! However, I am determined to get this done. One of the main reasons...I want to start my PTR for mine and DH's No Kids/Honeymoon Re-do trip that is planned for November 2015!!!!! Then we are going back in soon after that with the kids during my DD's Spring Break (I know the crowds won't be fun, but I don't want her to miss school), so that trip will involve quite a bit of planning. Anyway, onto the TR and one of my favorite memories of the trip.

Me, DH and the kids left HS and headed back to the condo and picked up lunch on the way. We got back to the condo and had lunch with the Grandmas. After that I helped get the kids ready for the pool because DH and my DMIL were taking them swimming while Mom and I were heading back to the World for some 1:1 time.

I snagged a Dinner ADR at Nine Dragons at Epcot since Mom and I are the only fans of Chinese food. We said our good byes to the rest of the family and headed back out. We decided to park the minivan at MK because we were planning on ending our evening there so we decided to park there and monorail it over to Epcot (which I love to do)! We parked and headed over to Epcot!!! I know I have said it before but I love Epcot it is easily my 2nd favorite (MK being the first). My Mom is also a fan of it so it was the perfect park to start our adventure.

We made our way through the bag check, scanned our tickets and were on our way! Our first stop????? The Ladies Room...LOL. Then off to Spaceship Earth. My Mom and I had a blast on this ride, we didn't get to ride together on the last time, so it was fun to be with her and see our future! We giggled like we were school girls and I was enjoying every last minute!

After SE, we just strolled around and took in the sights, smells and of our course the fountain. We decided to head in the direction of our ADR. We decided to take the boat across the lagoon (another first for me) and we paid our respects as we past by my Mum's home country...England! We both enjoyed the boat ride and the views it provided. We hopped off the boat...well we gingerly got off the boat because we both tend to be klutzy. Again we just took our time taking in the sights and enjoying being together without any other distractions. Mom was on a mission to buy presents for the kids...such a Grandma so we kept our eyes peeled for anything we thought they might like. You know that is such a gross expression when you think about it...eyes peeled...yuck. Ok, sorry I'm back now!

We went to visit Germany and took some pictures for my Dad...he was stationed there while in the Army.

I also new there was something in Germany my Mom would love! I brought her over to the mini village and train...she LOVES this kind of stuff. I swear she would have stayed and checked that out for the rest of the evening and would have been happy.

I pulled her away from the little village and we just enjoyed taking our time and enjoying everything. I decided to check in on DH and the kids, and they were doing fine. They had just ordered some pizza and the kids were playing with my DMIL. During our stroll we said hello to these friends.

Mom and I made our way over to China and checked in at Nine Dragons and we were seated right away. Mom and I kept reminding ourselves not to rush through dinner and we could have a nice dinner. We are both so used to trying to get our food down so we can take care of everyone else. We both decided to get the Nine Dragons Dinner Family Set where we each got a soup, entree and dessert. We both ordered the following:

Mom and my soup: Chicken Consomme' with Pork Dumplings
Mom's Entree: Honey-Sesame Chicken
My Entree: Sweet and Sour Pork
Mom's Dessert: Caramel Ginger Ice Cream
My Dessert: Strawberry Red Bean Ice Cream

We ordered different entrees and dessert so we could share and try everything. Everything was very good. Throughout the course of the meal we again had to remind each other to slow down and enjoy the meal and the time together...there was no rush. After we were thoroughly stuffed we decided to walk toward Future World.

We came out of the restaurant and took a right. As we past by the Outpost Area my Mom finally spotted something she for the kids. She bought my DD a bubble machine and my DS a little soccer ball. Mom felt much better once she had little presents for her kids. As we past Norway I asked Mom if she wanted to ride Maelstrom...she agreed so we got in the 20 minute line. I'm so glad we decided to ride this because it ended up being the last time I would ever ride it Again, Mom and I enjoyed our time together just chit-chatting in line. We enjoyed the ride and continued our trek. We then stopped off in Mexico and decided to visit Donald and his friends. There was no wait for this line and Mom and I had our own boat. I had not been on this ride in years but it immediately brought back memories of when I rode it as a little girl. Mom told me she could remember me sitting in between me and my Dad on this ride just giggling...it made her tear up...she is totally who I get my sappiness from!

We then slowly made our way back to Future World and discussed what we wanted to do next. Of course I made my Mom try on Minnie Mouse ears because she is just too cute! And course we had to enjoy the wonderful fountain!

We both looked at Spaceship Earth, then at each other and nodded and went for another ride. This time I tried to grab some pictures

Sorry blurry 70's lady!

I blame the blurriness on the giggling that was probably taking place!

We made the big screen!

After SE we decided to call it a night and head back to the condo and spend the rest of the evening with family. We had such a perfect afternoon/evening together that it lead into talks of a trip just me and Mom one day!

The next update is our last day at the parks and a date for me and my DH!​

 

[deedee2177]

4/25/14 - Last Day and a date with the DH!

So, this marked our last day of the trip so we all got up and on
the road early to head to the Magic Kingdom.

We arrived in time for the Welcome Show which always causes a lump
in my throat. We made our way down Main Street and right through
the Castle and headed to Little Mermaid which is one of my DD's
favorites.

We made our way over to Tomorrowland and took a ride on COP which
is a must do in my book. I also knew my MIL would really enjoy
this attraction. I think DH just took a nap during the
show...LOL. I was right and my MIL definitely enjoyed it, and so
did my DD. She told me the other day that she is looking forward
to doing it again. She said you can't go to Magic Kingdom and not
do COP...YES! the next generation is safe!

We then took a spin on Buzz...I rode with my son and he loved
messing with the gun. I have a feeling he will be better than me
when he figures out how to aim! After Buzz I decided I wanted to
go on Astro Orbiter...I had not been on this in years!! The
Grandmas decided to sit this one out so DH and I took the kids.

My DD rode with DH and I had my DS. Now my DS has no fear and
loves every ride he has ever been on. He really enjoyed Astro
Orbiter until we started coming down and it speeds up a bit...he
started signing "All Done" as fast as his little hands would move.
I couldn't help but laugh at him, he was clearly done with that
ride.

After spending some time in Tomorrowland we decided to grab
something to eat for lunch. We decided on Pinnochios and were
able to get a seat looking over Small World. Fantasyland was
pretty crowded after lunch so we headed over to Frontierland. We
took a ride on Haunted Mansion which we had a FP for but did not
need since the wait wasn't long. Then of course my DD had to stop
for a picture.

We made our way over to Thunder Mountain, my DD had decided to give
it a try but was a bit nervous. So, we distracted her with a photo
shoot.

She ended up loving the ride and is now one of her favorites! At
this point it was pretty warm and DS was getting tired. We
decided to head back to the condo for a rest, and then DH and I
would be back for a date while the Grandmas watched the kids.

Ok, I will stop here and leave the final TR Update about our
date..one of the greatest evenings! ​

 

[deedee2177]

4/25/14 - A Date with the Hubby

This will be my last update for this TR. I have really enjoyed writing it, and I will be starting my PTR for my November trip soon.
After getting the Grandmas and the kids settled back at the condo, DH and I headed out on our date. This would be the first time DH and I
would be at the Parks just the two us since our
Honeymoon in 2011. Unfortunately our Honeymoon
was not so magical...my DH cracked a tooth and
was in tons of pain while there.

Well, we decided to head to HS first. While we
were on the tram from the parking lot my Mom
called us. Of course our first thought was
something was wrong with one of the kids.
However, my Mom was calling to tell us that my
son had signed "Mommy, Daddy bye-bye!". This
was very exciting for us because it was the
first time he had communicated a full sentence.
As mentioned in my PTR we were dealing with some
speech delays with my son, and during his
evaluations they expressed some concern because
he was showing characteristics of Autism. So,
for him to communicate a full sentence was a
HUGE stepping stone!

When DH and I first arrived we weren't too sure
where or what we were going to do...it felt odd
being there just the two of us. We decided to
walk through some of the stores and just take
our time. We knew we wanted to take a ride on
RnR so we made our way in that direction.
We arrived at RnR and it was a 45 minute wait. I
was not able to make any other FP selections
because we already had some for that evening at
MK. We decided to wait because we were not in
any hurry, and it gave us some time together to
just chat and be together.

The wait was not too bad at all. While we were
in line we met a nice couple behind us who were
traveling with their older son. They were
worried about making their ADR so we let them
scoot in front of us since DH and I did not have
any set plans. We made our way to the loading
zone and before we knew it was our time to rock
and roll!

I love this ride, but I remember being so
worried about our book bag falling out of the
ride...so silly! This ride is definitely one of
our favorites!

We decided to head of to ToT, but first we
checked in on the kids. Of course they were
fine and having a blast with the Grandmas!

ToT had about a 20 minute wait so we made our
way to the line. Again, we just enjoyed being
together and soaking in the atmosphere. I have
to admit my DH almost chickened out at the last
minute, but he decided to go ahead and ride it.
He was glad he did. We were seated in the front
row, and this ride scares me to death but so
fun!

After this ride we decided to head out of the
park and head over to Magic Kingdom. We decided
to leave the car at HS and just ride the bus
over to MK (after I made sure with a CM we could
get back to HS to get to the car if HS was closed).

I have to say the bus ride over to MK was one of
the scarier rides..yikes! We went through the
bag check line and made our way down Main
Street. The music, the smells, the
sights..HEAVEN!

We headed to Splash Mountain and used our FP. So
glad we had one because the regular line was
crazy long! This is another one that is on the
top of the list for us. As we were riding we
remembered how we had gotten stuck on this ride
for about 30 minutes during our Honeymoon and
poor DH was in such pain because of his tooth.
This experience was definitely different...we
were having such a good time. I think it was at
this time we started considering a Honeymoon
Re-do for a trip just the two of us.

We survived Splash and didn't get too wet. We
made our way over to Pirates...my DH's favorite.

While in line I wasn't feeling too well. I
decided it might be best for me to drop out of
line and just wait for DH. I changed my mind
and tried to catch back up with my
DH...forgetting the lines break out in two
different lines so I had a 50/50 chance of
picking the direction my DH would have gone in.
Of course I picked the wrong one (this is why I
don't gamble), but a friendly CM had me wait by
him at the loading area until my DH was able to
meet up with me. The CM was so funny and
friendly. Once my DH and I were reunited we
were seated in the front row of the boat. We
approached the small dip the ride has and DH and
I got soaked!!! I could not believe we got more
wet on Pirates than Splash...LOL.

After our Pirates adventure we decided it was
time to grab a bite to eat. I chose Casey's...I
was craving the corn dog bites. I found a table
inside in a corner while DH went and got our
food. I didn't know what to do with myself since
I didn't have any kids to get settled and
entertain while waiting on the food. DH arrived
with the food and it was so yummy! It was nice
to sit there and not rush through the dinner.
This is also when we started talking about
coming back just the two of us. Of course we
discussed how guilty we would feel not bringing
the kids, but we knew we already had another
Spring trip for 2016 with the kids in the works.
So, we started thinking about a possible 2015
trip for just us.

After our yummy dinner we headed over to
Tomorrowland. We went on one of my
favorites...Peoplemover. DH doesn't quite
understand why I love this ride so much but it
is one of my favorites! One of my favorite
Disney memories involve this ride. It was our
first trip with the kids in November 2012 and my
son was 10 months old. I took him on this ride
while my DH and DD went on the Speedway. Well,
my DS ended up falling asleep on me while on the
Peoplemover. While we came to the end of the
ride, the CM asked if I wanted to ride again
without getting off so son could still sleep.
Of course I gave him the thumbs up as a yes, and
we went around a couple more times. Here I was
in my favorite place in the world, on one of my
favorite rides with my baby sound asleep on me.
Pure happiness!

Ok, sorry back to this trip! After the
Peoplemover we went for a ride on Space Mountain.

After this we sat for awhile and decided it was
time to head back to the condo. We were both
exhausted from a long day but great day. We
made our way toward Main Street and the CMs
directed us to walk behind the buildings of Main
Street to exit since people were waiting to see
Wishes. It was very strange being back there
getting a behind the scenes look of Main Street.

We made our way over to the buses to get back to
our car at HS. We got on the bus and we were the
only ones on the bus. I figured we would just
need to wait until we had other passengers.
Well, I was wrong and the bus driver headed over
to HS. Then before I knew it the bus driver
pulled off which made me think something was
wrong, then I saw it...Wishes! We had a great
view of Wishes from the bus. The bus driver
turned off the lights inside the bus and played
some music. We had our own private showing of
Wishes. It was such a special moment and one I
will always remember!

We made our way back to HS, got our car and
headed back to the condo. During the ride back
to the condo we confirmed our decision that DH
and I were coming back just the two of us in
2015. We are going back November 11/15-11/20 for
a Honeymoon Re-do (PTR to come soon)!

Well, that concludes my trip report...we hadsome great memories! ​

 

[DLHNYC]

Just found your TR and enjoyed reading it! You and your family seem to travel well together and you seem to have such a positive attitude. I like how you stay together but then separate if someone gets tired and you don't pressure each other to keep up and stay together all the time. It makes me look forward to doing a multi-generational trip someday! Looking forward to your other TRs!

 

[deedee2177]

Just found your TR and enjoyed reading it! You and your family seem to travel well together and you seem to have such a positive attitude. I like how you stay together but then separate if someone gets tired and you don't pressure each other to keep up and stay together all the time. It makes me look forward to doing a multi-generational trip someday! Looking forward to your other TRs!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read through my TR. This trip was a very different trip trying to account for everyone's needs and wants. There were definitely some bumps, but at the end I'm so glad we did it because I have those memories of seeing my kids with their Grandmas at my favorite place in the world!!

The major thing I have learned with my trips, you have to be flexible. I always like having a plan, but I'm completely ok with stepping outside the plans if necessary.

Thanks again for reading the TR, and I hope you enjoy my others as well.