Donald, Eeyore, & Simba at the BeachClub with Pumpkins in Tow... Update 9/17

TexasBelle

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Sep 3, 2007
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446
The Prelude...

A Special Shout Out to MissCammie.

The Unlikely Trio, Donald, Eeyore, & Simba, plus "The Fantastic 4" take on Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Pary, arriving September 19th for a 10 day adventure for the group at the BeachClub Resort.
A little back ground information about our previous trips, before we learn about "The Unlikely Trio" and our plans to share the pixiedust: with them.
The first Experience of the Disney Magic was "The Surprise Trip", July 30, 2006, a 7 day, 6 night "Once in a Life Time" trip, staying at the BeachClub Resort. Since we were Disney virgins we had no clue as to what to expect, so when the kids were away we did a little research but definitely not enough. The trip was booked and finally the day had arrived for a great Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels and South Padre Island beach vacation.:rotfl:

Little did they know....

Leaving town at 5:30 in the morning was a little more than the kids could handle and sticking 3 siblings/teenagers in the middle seats would make for a very interesting car ride. :lmao: Upon arriving at the airport with both sets of Grandparents and an uncle with video camera in hand they started chanting "Your going to DisneyWorld" :cheer2: over and over. The kids were excited but mostly still asleep and secretly releved that they weren't crammed in the middle seat of the Tahoe for 6 hours.;)

We had tons of fun on "The Surprises Trip" even with an occasional melt down; yes it does happen with adult and teenagers too. :scared1: We barely scratched the surface of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. On our first day at Disney MGM, as we watched the parade and I looked over at my Big Ole Sappy DH's teary eyes :sad2: and I knew then that we were destined to return to the pixiedust: again.

After our return to normal life
:headache:
My DH's obsession blossomed. He began searching the web and found Disboards. :cheer2: Wow is this the best place for expert knowledge on DisneyWorld or What? ::yes::

DH's desire to return to DisneyWorld continued (and mine also, :ssst: ). So on our 2nd anniversary in April we decided that we needed our own "Kids Free Trip" to DisneyWorld. The Anniversary Trip was booked; BoardWalk Resort, Sept. 12th - 18th, 2007 and with the added bonus of "Free Dinning", Wow we had no idea that Disney offered such a great deals. "The Anniversary Trip" was wonderful without any melt downs, picky eaters, or "I want to do this, no I want to do that", just good ole fun and relaxation.:cool1:

Next Chapter;
Here comes Donald, Eeyore & Simba at the BeachClub with Pumpkins in Tow...



 
What a FANTASTIC start!!!:goodvibes

I can't wait for your trip report!!!

How FUN to surprise your kids with a Disney trip! That is such a wonderful gift to give your children!! I'm sure y'all had a FABULOUS time!!!

can't wait to hear more Pre Trip planning!!!

:cool1:
 
The Whole Jungle Group


DH44 - Charlie - AKA - ::MickeyMo - His 3rd trip to DisneyWorld... He became a Disney fanatic in 2006 on the first moment of the first trip. He lives and breath’s Disney, and almost every day he shares something very fascinating to him about Disney but trivial to me. :lmao: He doesn’t want to miss any information on Disney or any new movie premiers and one day he would love to work for them. So do you think he lives and breath’s Disney, Yeah. When Charlie and I married in 2005 he was a big FoxNews fan, now he listens to Disney Radio and FoxNews sometimes. If he had his way our home office would be decorated in Disney paraphernalia. He is DisBoards obsessive, ( plus some of the other Disney discussion boards), which is a great thing because he has informed me of tons of new information about DisneyWorld. Charlie is a great step Dad to 3 teenagers’, plus he’s never been a Dad so this is a new adventure for him. Charlie is passionate about what he does, he is so patient, predictable, loving, romantic, and a southern gentle man.
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DS17 -Brady - AKA - :tigger: - Junior in High School - 2nd trip to DisneyWorld. Brady is so excited to return to the most magical place in the world. Although, he secretly loves Disney, but you would never catch him admitting that to his buddies. He’s a little crazy and can go from 17 to 3 in 2.4 seconds when he see’s Chip & Dale. :lmao: He’s very creative, loves to build crazy things, (watch out Lego Store) and he has a wonderful eye behind the camera, so guess who’s filming our trip. Brady is a kind, caring and loving big brother who wears his heart on his sleeves.

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DD14 - Rae - AKA - :tinker: - Freshman in High School - 2nd trip to DisneyWorld. She is so ecstatic; she loves everything about Disney, especially High School Musical (I haven't told her that the High School Musical Pep Rally will be closed for refurbishment when we are there). She loves The Jonas Brothers, Zac Efron and Miley Cyrus, and she also wants to be Tinker Bell is “Wishes” She is so boy crazy, it just drives us crazy. Rae is a state gymnastic champion on balance beam and will soon compete for her High School Varsity team. Rae is an avid reader and a daredevil, she talks all the time, but she’s stubborn, bossy, demanding, and she is working on all these qualities. :lmao: She can’t wait to help our BFF’s DS4 experience the joy of Disney.

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BFF's - The Unlikely Trio...

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BFF's - Dave45 - AKA - :donald: - 1st Trip to DisneyWorld, although he attended DisneyWorld in 1973, but that doesn’t count. Dave is a big burly Texas boy that wears his big ole heart on his sleeve. He is adventuresome (look for him to participate in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show), and a Star War’s fanatic, (what is the age limit for The DHS Jedi Experience) and an avid golfer. He’s looking forward to see DisneyWorld through his DS’s eyes, he lives and breath’s for that boy.


BFF's - Elizabeth42 - AKA - :eeyore: - 1st tip to DisneyWorld. She’s our rule follower. :thumbsup2 She loves to hear a please and thank you, and is always glad to tell you what a great job you’ve done. She’s our Ebay/customer products/techno wizard, she will research anything and everything, whether it’s Keen’s, Camera’s, or stroller’s: she knows all the scoop. She is so sweet and kind and she will bend over backwards for anyone.

BFF's - DS4 - Parker - AKA - :simba: - Never been to DisneyWorld. Since Parker turns 5 in October we are celebrating his birthday a little early. What say’s “It’s my 5th Birthday” better then Chef Mickey’s… :bday: This kid is so smart plus he knows every character in all the Star Wars movies even the most obscure ones. He loves to play Wii, especially Lego Star Wars and he is a big water bug and our biggest hope is that he will slide down the water slides. He everyone’s excuse for going to DisneyWorld. :woohoo: It’s also a great idea that we are staying on the properties because naptime maybe crucial.


Me - Carolyn 45 (the old Women on the trip) - AKA - Mrs. Incredible - 4th Trip to the DisneyWorld. They also call me Bird or Cruise Director Julie. (Love Boat). I’m the super obsessive trip planner, day organizer, and ADR hunting queen, don’t tell me the details just tell me where it fits into the schedule. :rotfl: I’m OCD about things and I think way too much. They call me “Bird” because of my eating habits. Everything in my world needs to be perfect but most of the time it doesn’t happen that way and I hate when people are rude to others and don’t follow directions. :headache: I love adventure, from fishing to riding rides to sitting on the beach plus a good southern girl never gets her hair wet.
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A great picture of my kids...
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Brady, Rae and Eric


Now for the ones who aren’t able to attend:


DS20 - Eric - Carolyn’s son, Sophomore in College – Someone has to stay home and attend classes. :thumbsup2
DACS25 – Travis - Charlie and Carolyn’s Adopted College Son – Taking care of the house and the 4 legged babies (Dogs)


C/C’s Sheltie – Emma ( Pluto) – 7 years old
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C/C’s Jack Russell Terrier – Kadie (Pig) – 7 years old
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C/C’s Shih Tzu – Ella (Eeyore) – 2 years old.
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D/E’s Border Terrier - Scout – 9 month old puppy.
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More to Come on The Unlikely Trio & the Fantastic 4...
 
Sounds like fun but then when does a Disney trip not sound like fun?

I totally identify with rule following, practising good manners and having a plan so I am signing on. Besides I'll need something to read when I get back from my own trip and am experiencing my post-disney depression.
 

Sounds like fun but then when does a Disney trip not sound like fun?

I totally identify with rule following, practising good manners and having a plan so I am signing on. Besides I'll need something to read when I get back from my own trip and am experiencing my post-disney depression.

Oh my Gosh, You just have 6 days... :banana: That is so exciting. I sure wish I had 6 more days... Just 38 more days.

Thanks for reading my pretrip...

TexasBelle:cutie:
 
:banana: This sounds like a professional Disney planner in action! I'm ready, got a comfy chair, and a pad of paper in hand to take notes! :surfweb:
 
Wow. What a busy week, not alot of time to work on PreTrip Report. Lots and Lots of Gymnastics to watch on the Olympics. Way to go USA, looking forward to tonights individual Competition.

36 more days for us, and so much planning still left to do. :cool1:
The Unlikely Trio came over for dinner last night, it was Donald's Birthday and DSEric's 20th Birthday, party: we had lots of fun. We did Dave's special dinner he calls it "Stand - Up Tacos" really good, not your traditional Taco's lot's of hidden secrets...

We did sit and talk about our Disney Plan's making sure we're on the same track, but one of the major questions we have is Disney Magical Express. Before when leaving for the airport to return home we checked our luggage at the resort, with Magical Express, (we have only flown American both times and flying American again this time), But now with the new regulations on luggage and all airlines charging for 1st, 2nd and so on bags, We were wondering, How is Magical Express Handling this situation? What do we do??? Or are we checking our luggage now at the airport???
AnyOne know?????:confused3

Working on the next installment...

TexasBelle
 
Wow. What a busy week, not alot of time to work on PreTrip Report. Lots and Lots of Gymnastics to watch on the Olympics. Way to go USA, looking forward to tonights individual Competition.

36 more days for us, and so much planning still left to do. :cool1:
The Unlikely Trio came over for dinner last night, it was Donald's Birthday and DSEric's 20th Birthday, party: we had lots of fun. We did Dave's special dinner he calls it "Stand - Up Tacos" really good, not your traditional Taco's lot's of hidden secrets...

We did sit and talk about our Disney Plan's making sure we're on the same track, but one of the major questions we have is Disney Magical Express. Before when leaving for the airport to return home we checked our luggage at the resort, with Magical Express, (we have only flown American both times and flying American again this time), But now with the new regulations on luggage and all airlines charging for 1st, 2nd and so on bags, We were wondering, How is Magical Express Handling this situation? What do we do??? Or are we checking our luggage now at the airport???
AnyOne know?????:confused3

Working on the next installment...

TexasBelle

I can't help you there. We always drive. My aunt lives in Jacksonville, Fl so we go there the night before (6hr drive) and then head to Disney in the morning or to the port if we are sailing.

Looking forward to the next installment!
 
I had wondered that too. So instead we are all taking one bag each. Mind you it is the biggest bag I can find and that the kids can carry.
 
That was a wonderful chapter!!!:cool1:

So your hubby sounds like the PERFECT man!! He loves Disney AND he's a Southern Gentleman...what more can a girl ask for?!

(except an Upstate New York gentleman:love: ...which I have...and wanted to give props too...b/c even though he's not Southern, he'd fit right in with the Boys...except for the Upstate accent...*ahem*;) )

I am SO excited for y'all!! I just can't wait to read your trip report! I think y'all are going to have a BLAST!!!

BIG :hug: 's for my favorite Texans!!

GO USA!!!

OH...PS-your puppy pictures are just too darling! Fur babies are the BEST!:love:
 
How the Unlikely Trio and the Fantastic 4 came together.

Many moons ago (college years and after years), I sort of knew Elizabeth through a mutual friend; we weren’t best of friends but we did run around a little. We both grew up in the same town, but we attended different High School.
Elizabeth married Dave in 1999 and moved to the Dallas area and I was already married to DH#1 and living in several other cities in Texas. After many year of never seeing each other, I moved back to our hometown in 2001 and Dave and Elizabeth moved back also in 2004 .
Around Christmas 2006 at the mutual friend’s birthday party we decided that we could be really great friends. After months of hanging together, eating dinner out or cooking dinner at each other’s houses, play cards, Wii and sharing our hopes and dreams we became Really close Friends.

One of the many passions that we have in common is our love for travel. Dave & Elizabeth have travelled to many wonderful places, although one place they haven’t been is DisneyWorld, Dave was there in 1977 when it was only the Magic Kingdom. Elizabeth and of course Parker have never been.
As we continued to hang around together we would share with them Disney (remember DH is now obsessed with Disney) and entertaining stories about the surprises trip, showing them video, scrapbook and telling them how much fun we had with our kids in the parks. The more time we spent with them, we couldn’t help but get excited over the idea of Parkers first ever trip to Disney. Elizabeth wasn’t sold on the idea as much as Dave was because of Parkers age and she felt they needed to wait a few more years.


So….
How the trip came to be.


While on “The Anniversary Trip” we kept wishing that our kids and the Unlikely Trio were here to share in the excitement and the Magic of DisneyWorld.

Upon returning home we could tell that The Unlikely Trio were getting more interested in Disney. They wanted lots of details from the trip. Where did you find the Dole Whip? Do you really think that Parker will enjoy all the Star Wars stuff? What was Peter Pan’s flight really like? Can you really spend 2 days in Epcot? :lmao: Don’t get me wrong it was a very friendly interrogation. They sometimes thought we were a little obsessive. :rotfl: After many discussions in late November they decided that it would be so much fun to take Parker to Disney :cheer2: . Now comes the hard decisions. :scared1:


When:


When are we going? The debate was summer with all the crowds or during school with very little crowds. With school not being an issue for Parker and our pair assuring us that they could make up and keep up with their school work. AND THEY WILL…
Also going in late September we felt the odds for Disney offering “Free Dinning” was pretty good. We decided to take a chance and tentatively we planned on September 19 – 28, 2008. YES….. The thought of a nice, long, enjoyable trip with very manageable lines and minimal delays would be the perfect time to introduce Parker to Disney and our trip would also coincide with MNSSHP. Which DH is really excited about because on the Anniversary trip it rained the whole night and we missed the Party.


Where:



Where to stay: There wasn’t much debate on this subject because the Fantastic 4 thinks that BeachClub is the best. Location, Location, POOL… :lmao: :lmao: The BeachClub really has the best pool in all the resorts and our little fishes really love the water.
Location – the Beachclub is ideally situated for Epcot and Disney Studio’s, just a hop, skip and a jump to either park.
BeachClub
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Finally the dates came out for September and we hurried to our travel agent and booked the trip. It’s now set in stone, September 19 – 28th, BeachClub Resort. Now we had to just wait until April/May and see if Disney would offer “Free Dinning”.

180 Days out and ADR's coming next...

TexasBelle
 
Fun fun fun!!!

the Beach Club is going to be so wonderful in September!!! Just watch out for the little known "Vortex of Death" at Stormalong Bay! It can suck little ones into its depths...doesn't take them anywhere...they just spin in circles and yelp for someone to save them b/c they are getting Dizzy!!!:lmao:

It sounds like y'all are going to share Disney with some wonderful people!

it's going to be a blast!!!

:goodvibes
 
180 days out…

During the long winter month’s with our devastating 3 whole days of snow on the ground. :lmao: We agonized over dinner menus, park locations and choices. So much to choose from. So many calories to be had. What location worked best with our touring plan, because you know I’m the Cruise Director, Julie :rotfl: and our course finding suitable locations that feature a 5 year olds menu is so difficult at Disney. :rotfl2: How many places can you find Mac and cheese in the park? :confused3 :lmao:

After developing our initial itinerary and dinning attack plan we met at the Fabulous 4 house for dinner and ADR’s. :woohoo:
Only fellow diser’s will understand the excitement about dinner and ADR planning. :goodvibes


Plan of Action…


Friday, Sept. 19th MNNSHP
Flight arriving in Orlando around 11:30, head for Disney Magical Express
Arriving at BeachClub Resort – Nap, and Swimming
Lunch - ESPN Zone or Beach’s & Cream.
Adventure through Epcot Ride Soarin, Catch the Monorail
Magic Kingdom - MNSSHP
Dinner ADR – Liberty Tree Tavern

Saturday, Sept. 20th
Epcot – Future World
Lunch – Counter Service
Swimming & Rest
Dinner – ADR LeCellier
Pizza for the kids
Illuminations

Sunday, Sept. 21st
Golf
Lunch ADR – Whispering Canyon
Epcot – World Showcase
Dinner - Counter Service in the World
Illuminations

Monday, Sept. 22nd
Breakfast ADR – Chef Mickey’s
Animal Kingdom
Lunch – Flaming Tree Tavern
Dinner – Crystal Palace
Putt Putt

Tuesday, Sept 23rd
Hollywood Studio’s
Lunch ADR – 50”s Primetime Care
Dinner – Counter Service
Fantasmic

Wednesday, Sept. 24th
Golf
Typhoon Lagoon
Downtown Disney
Lunch – Fulton’s
Dinner ?

Thursday, Sept. 25th
Magic Kingdom
Lunch – Counter Service
Dinner – Counter Service
Wishes

Friday, Sept. 26th
Blizzard Beach
Lunch – Counter Service
Dinner – Ohana’s
Wishes on the Beach

Saturday, Sept. 27th
No Parks Planned
Breakfast – Akershus
Lunch – Counter Service
Dinner – Counter Service

Sunday, Sept. 28th
No Parks Planned
Late Breakfast - Maybe Spoodles
Lunch
Leave for Orlando and home


Lots of fun things planned for our trip:yay: :yay: I'm really looking forward to eatting at LeCellier, Whispering Cannon, Chef Mickey's, 50's Primetime, Ohana's, and Akershus...
I love Liberty Tree Tavern, it is so much fun on MNSSHP because the character's dress up, plus I love Crystal Palace for the Character's also. We were suppose to eat at Ohana's on the Anniversary Trip but we decided to stay at Magic Kingdom long that day and skip it, so I can't wait for Ohans's.

I can't wait 32 more days.

TexasBelle
 
Hi TexasBelle,

You just posted on my PTR so I thought I would hop on over and check out your's. Looks great so far! Yum, all the dining choices are making me hungry! We are going to try Whispering Canyon too this trip. Never been. I heard it's lots of fun! Has anyone warned you about not asking for ketchup? Can't wait. Looking forward to more posts!
 
Hi TexasBelle,

You just posted on my PTR so I thought I would hop on over and check out your's. Looks great so far! Yum, all the dining choices are making me hungry! We are going to try Whispering Canyon too this trip. Never been. I heard it's lots of fun! Has anyone warned you about not asking for ketchup? Can't wait. Looking forward to more posts!

I can't wait for Whispering Canyon. We haven't told our DS17 anything about it because we want to play all the jokes on him. Expecially the "more Ketchup" and "more Dr. Pepper" it's going to be so funny..:lmao: :lmao:

I'm also looking forward to Ohana's. We had that in our plans last year on the anniversary trip but decided to skip it at last minute which was stupid on our part. We should have kept it in our plans.

We also have plans to eat at LeCellier, just adults, we plan on order pizza for the kids. Has anyone every ordered Pizza for your kids? Where? and How???:confused3

TexasBelle
 
Rae DD14 wanted to help Simba with a countdown calander. After searching for something that would be easy for him she came up with the paint cards from Home Depot. She didn't want to start the calander to far out, but she also wanted him to have fun with it. She finally choose 80 days out.

80 Days out Count Down Calander....

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Rae was so excited to give it to Parker :banana: He loved it and each morning he pulls a Mickey off the poster board.

The Countdown calander sits in "The Unlikely Trio's" den, and almost everyday we see it and get so excited on how many days we have left. Parker was so excited when he finished page 1 and now it's down to 24 days...

Next Chapter a Practice Trip to 6-Flags, with lots of fun pictures but not as fun as Disney is going to be.

TexasBelle
 
Practice Trip to 6-Flags...

With all the planning coming together, The Unlikely Trio, had many questions on how Simba would react to the Magic of DisneyWorld. Does he need a stroller? What rides would he ride? Which shoes would be the best? Going all day without a huge break, how would we cope? And, The whole group of us wandering around a park all day, how would we interact with each other? As we kept trying to figure out the answers; it finally came to us, let’s take a practice trip to 6-flags over Texas in Arlington. :woohoo:

Everyone decided to take a vacation day and give it a try, so they date was set: Wednesday, July 16th. At last minute my DH wasn’t able to go because his company bought out another company and things were way too crazy for him. So The Unlikely Trio and the (minus one) Fabulous 4, journeyed to 6-Flags.

We decided to do an early morning departure to simulate the early mornings we would experience in DisneyWorld. Dave, Elizabeth and Parker picked up Brady, Rae and I around 7:30.

Riding in the Tahoe
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Our plan was to arriving somewhere in Fort Worth for breakfast and then on to Arlington for the park opening at 10:30. We stopped just outside Weatherford at Chick-fil-A for Chicken Biscuits (YUM) and other breakfast things. After Breakfast we hurried down I-30 to 6-Flags, arriving around at 10:15ish. We entered the park to watch a fun park opening show with Bugs and all the other Warner Brother’s characters.

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Now it was time to adventure through the park. Where to start? Looney Tunes USA for Parker. With great excitement in Parker's face we hurried to Looney Tunes to the first ride, "The Bus Ride". Then all the sudden Parker stopped and he decided.

“No rides today, maybe another time”

:headache:

We all nearly went crazy.

Parker wasn’t too sure, he thought the bus went way to high, all of 20 feet. Then Brady told Parker “Come on Parker, I’ll ride it with you”. Off they went with Rae in tow. After he got off the ride he decided that “this was fun”.

The Bus Ride
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Another ride in Looney Tunes USA.
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Now for the little roller coaster, very similar to Goofy’s BarnStormer. Will Parker ride it? That’s the big question… Again he wasn’t real sure of it but decided that he might just ride it with his Dad, but no one else. Off they went over and over again. He thought it was great.

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Hey Mom. :thumbsup2
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Next we decided to try bigger roller coaster, and it was off to Mini Mine Train. We all rode it with Parker, but we weren't real sure that Brady’s legs would fit in the little cars, but they did, and Parker had a blast.

Somewhere in there is Simba..
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Maybe there he goes...
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Finally we were off… he was now ready to ride all the rides… (If he was tall enough) Next was the Runaway Mine Train, and we rode it twice. You couldn’t pry him off of it.

And all along we weren't sure if Parker was going to ride any rides.

:confused3

What were we thinking….

Finally the big kids wanted to ride some rides.

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Upside Down...:scared1:
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Swings
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Parker and Brady riding the space rockets...
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Now for the big roller coaster, so off we went to ride "Batman" and "Mr. Freeze". Elizabeth and Parker waited for everyone to ride the rides and while they waited they played the Carnival Games, Simba won 2 animals. He was so thrilled. After we finished riding Batman, Elizabeth and I went and rode Batman again. After riding the roller coaster we wandered around the park riding different rides.

More of our day at 6-flags.
TexasBelle


 












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