Easter Crowds + Lots of Fun Anyway= One Magical Trip and a Completed Trip Report!!:)

Hi Angie!

I decided to stop over so we could compare notes! We were in WDW April 19-28....none of our park days overlapped though.

Your family is beautiful! Your boys are very handsome young men...you should be a proud mama!

I have read all your updates and am now caught up and ready to go! I'm sure there are many things I wanted to comment on, but I can't remember them right now!

Oh...Love the Epcot update...it's our favorite park! We finally took the time this trip to enjoy Innoventions. Did your son do the one where you put yourself into a video game?? That was our favorite!

My boys LOVE the African drums at AK...it's always a great photo op! I absolutely love your boys' shirts! Did you make them?

Well...now I'm on board and looking forward to another update! popcorn::
 
Hi Angie!

I decided to stop over so we could compare notes! We were in WDW April 19-28....none of our park days overlapped though.

Your family is beautiful! Your boys are very handsome young men...you should be a proud mama!

I have read all your updates and am now caught up and ready to go! I'm sure there are many things I wanted to comment on, but I can't remember them right now!

Oh...Love the Epcot update...it's our favorite park! We finally took the time this trip to enjoy Innoventions. Did your son do the one where you put yourself into a video game?? That was our favorite!

My boys LOVE the African drums at AK...it's always a great photo op! I absolutely love your boys' shirts! Did you make them?

Well...now I'm on board and looking forward to another update! popcorn::

Hi Missy--I'm so glad you stopped by.:goodvibes We did spend quite a bit of time at Innoventions this trip. My DS would say not nearly enough though.:) We didn't see the one where you put yourself in the video game. My DS would have loved that. I will have to tell him about it so we can plan it for next time. Oh and I did make the shirts. I got the designs from the very talented Disigners over on the Creative Disign board. They were really fun to make. I actually made some for last year's trip as well. Anyways off to do another update.:thumbsup2
 
When I left off, we were just leaving Rafiki's Planet Watch and were on our way to use our fastpasses for Killimanjaro Safaris. Have I mentioned how much I love fastpasses!! Anyways, in no time at all we were standing ready to hop aboard. They had originally placed us in row one and were very excited thinking that we would be in the very front of the truck but as it pulled up, we ended up switching with a family with younger children than ours and it was their very first trip. We had gotten to sit up front last trip and being in the second seat was not too bad at all.:thumbsup2 I think we still got some pretty good pics....
We are on our way (the back of the truck in front of us)
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We were able to see a lot more animals this trip than last year's trip. (including an elephant and Lion, which unfortunately I wasn't able to get a good picture of) After getting off KS, we decided to walk through the trails....
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By this time we were getting pretty hungry from all the walking back and forth and decided to head to lunch. I had looked over all the menus before we left (that's the planner in me;)) and decided to try Flame Tree Barbecue.
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I ended up ordering the smoked 1/2 chicken with beans and coleslaw. DH ordered this as well. The boys decided on hot dogs. We both enjoyed our meal. The chicken did have a very smoky flavor but tasted great with the yummy sauce at the condiment bar. (sorry I don't have any food pics) The only thing about the whole experience that we didn't like was all the birds everywhere. It was really freaking out the boys because it seemed no matter where you looked there was another one begging for food. Although it was a beautiful day outside for this reason alone, we would have preferred to eat indoors.
After we ate, we decided to head back over to the Boneyard for a while to let the boys have some fun and give us adults a chance to sit back and relax some.:thumbsup2 I am such a dork because last year when we came here apparently I didn't do enough research and we had no idea how to get to the Boneyard--we walked in saw some slides and stuff but didn't even think to go upstairs. (I guess I just thought the stairs only led to the slides.) Anyways, we found it this year. Thanks Disboards:thumbsup2 Here are a few pictures of the boys.....
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DS9 was watching some other kids burying themselves in the sand. I was kind of watching them myself because they were right near the entrance and I was so afraid that somebody not seeing them was going to step on them.:scared1: A few more pics.
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The boys had a really good time here (now that we had finally found the place:rotfl:) continued on next post.......
 
Now, we were off to enjoy The Finding Nemo Musical......
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We love this show!! But as you can tell--we didn't have the best seats. (we spent a little too much time at the Boneyard.) oh well, we still enjoyed the show. I can still hear the music....."In the Big Blue World......." Okay, I got lost there for a moment--I'm back now.;)
Since we didn't get much time to spend or any for that matter last trip seeing the Tree of Life, we decided to head over there next. I took so many pictures of the Tree, DH asked me if I was taking a picture of every single animal. Well.... I tried.....:laughing: Here are just few of the hundreds I took;)
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The boys walked near the waterfall and enjoyed getting cooled off.:)
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After walking around the Tree of Life, our plan was to visit FOTLK but the boys were getting hot and begging to go back to the resort for a swim. I finally gave in....much to my disappointment.:sad2: But on the brighter side it will be something to look forward to next trip!! A few more pictures on our way out of Animal Kingdom for the day.....
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Next up---A stroll around Pop Century Resort. (and then Magic Kingdom...I promise!!!!:goodvibes)
 


GREAT AK updates Angie. It really is a beautiful park. :goodvibes

You got some incredible shots of the Tree of Life! Very nice! I saw some carvings I don't think I've noticed before. I bet you could go 20 times and still see something new!

I have the same sentiments about the birds at FTBBQ. I tend not to be a big bird fan as it is, so having them around when I'm eating is definitely not my idea of a good time! ;)

Can't wait to see some pictures of POP. We've never explored any of the Value Resorts and POP gets great reviews...looking forward to hearing about it from you! :thumbsup2
 
GREAT AK updates Angie. It really is a beautiful park. :goodvibes

You got some incredible shots of the Tree of Life! Very nice! I saw some carvings I don't think I've noticed before. I bet you could go 20 times and still see something new!

I have the same sentiments about the birds at FTBBQ. I tend not to be a big bird fan as it is, so having them around when I'm eating is definitely not my idea of a good time! ;)

Can't wait to see some pictures of POP. We've never explored any of the Value Resorts and POP gets great reviews...looking forward to hearing about it from you! :thumbsup2

Thanks, Missy:goodvibes AK is a beautiful park!! We find new things to see and new trails to explore every time we go!

You would not believe all the Tree of Life pictures that I took. I guess I thought it would be fun to go through them all when we got home and try to find all the animals again--kind of like an I Spy thing for the boys.

We love Pop Century!! This was our second time staying there and we had a blast!!:thumbsup2 I'm hoping to have that update up in a few days....
 
I was hoping to get another update posted today. (I am very excited to start working on my Magic Kingdom update:goodvibes) Can you tell? But, DH is getting his stitches removed today from an accident on his hand last week and DS is home sick.:sad2: Hopefully tomorrow;) But I thought I would at least post a few pictures that the boys took on our walk around Pop Century. I think they did a pretty good job.:)

Oh, and I shortened the title of my report. I like being able to add stuff about the updates and I kept running out of room. It basically says the same thing anyways.:goodvibes

Here are the pics the boys took.......
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Love the Animal Kingdom pictures. My husband doesn't care for Animal Kingdom too much so my son and I go in early and wander around and he meets up with us later. We found so many different trails around the Tree of Life this year. It was amazing.

Thanks for posting the pictures of Pop. We've never stayed in a value before but are giving Pop a chance in August. Seeing pictures of the resort is getting me more and more excited.
 
Hey Angie... I'm in! I'm caught up reading your post although I'll have to wait until later today to see your pics - my work blocks them.:mad:

I too am a picture fanatic and am determined to snap the craziness out of my new camera this August. Our trips will cross on the 24th and the 25th... we'll have to take a picture of each other if we find one another :rotfl2: !
 
Love the Animal Kingdom pictures. My husband doesn't care for Animal Kingdom too much so my son and I go in early and wander around and he meets up with us later. We found so many different trails around the Tree of Life this year. It was amazing.

Thanks for posting the pictures of Pop. We've never stayed in a value before but are giving Pop a chance in August. Seeing pictures of the resort is getting me more and more excited.

We didn't get a chance last year to even get close to the Tree of Life. So it was a must do this year for us!! The boys had a great time going around the different trails.

Stay tuned:) I took a lot more pictures of Pop Century that I am going to be posting today. We love staying here!!!

Hey Angie... I'm in! I'm caught up reading your post although I'll have to wait until later today to see your pics - my work blocks them.:mad:

I too am a picture fanatic and am determined to snap the craziness out of my new camera this August. Our trips will cross on the 24th and the 25th... we'll have to take a picture of each other if we find one another :rotfl2: !

Hi!!:welcome:
I got my camera just before this trip and didn't get a chance to try out all the different settings it had. So it seemed like I was experimenting a lot trying to get the best pictures I could.:goodvibes I finally figured out the whole zoom thing the day before we left.:rolleyes: So I can't wait until our trip in August!! :woohoo:
 
Okay.... My DH got his stitches out yesterday and DS is feeling better and back to school today.:goodvibes So now I can sit down and take another stroll around Pop Century, but this time with you.:thumbsup2

When I left off, we had just finished touring Animal Kingdom and decided to head back to the hotel for a swim. We had nothing else planned for this night. So we decided to take a swim, have some supper and then hang out around the resort. Here are a few pics arriving back at the hotel, and taking the long walk back to our room. (it wasn't too bad we just had to cut across the parking lot and walk up the stairs.) We were on the very top floor. You will see later why this was a good thing. Anyways here's the pics....
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Our room was right by the rubix cube as you rounded the corner. Oh--80's section. Here are a few pics of inside the room.....
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After changing into our swimsuits we headed for the pool. I got out to take a few pics of the computer pool...
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After the boys got cooled off we decided to head back to the food court for something to eat. I got the Greek Salad, which I loved!!! It was very yummy!! DH got Chicken Alfredo, he loved this last year. But this year he said it was just okay--cold again but I guess that's to be expected when you have to get your food and then wait in line to pay for it. Then find a table etc., etc. I can't really remember what the boys got--probably chicken tenders, grapes, and a cookie? We really liked the convenience of the quick-service plan this time but the only thing we didn't really like was the selection that the boys had to choose from. I don't think they have ever ate so many carrots and grapes in their lives.:rotfl:
After dinner, we decided to take a stroll around the resort.
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To be continued on next post........
 
Oh I forgot to mention before that I had the Tie Dye Cheesecake for dessert. I love it!! It's so rich but really yummy!!! It was great that we took this walk around the resort. I am definitely not used to dessert at every meal. Although it was a nice treat at the time--I'm still trying to work that extra dessert off.:rotfl:
Some more pictures...
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The boys loved this area!! I think it was in the 70's section? Correct me if I'm wrong.:goodvibes Anyways, we are hoping it was, because it's where we have requested to stay in August.
Playing on the Playground.......
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Here are some extra pictures I found that I think the boys must have took sometime during the trip.:goodvibes
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Later on that night.....this is what I meant when I said that it was a good thing that we were on the very top floor. We got to watch the fireworks every night from our room.:woohoo: I know they were far away and not like actually being in Epcot, but it was still pretty cool to us.:thumbsup2
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Next up----Magic Kingdom!!:dance3:
 
I just realized that I forgot to put a link up for my recent update.:goodvibes

I hope to get started on Magic Kingdom next week!!:cool1
 
We stayed in the 80's section too! It was great to just cut across the parking lot to go right to the buses and main building.

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To get to our room, we would go under the computer to the elevators to go up to the top floor.

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I regretted not taking more pics of the resort, we didn't even walk around to see everything. Definately taking the time to do it this year.:thumbsup2
 
We stayed in the 80's section too! It was great to just cut across the parking lot to go right to the buses and main building.

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To get to our room, we would go under the computer to the elevators to go up to the top floor.

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I regretted not taking more pics of the resort, we didn't even walk around to see everything. Definately taking the time to do it this year.:thumbsup2

We have stayed in both the 80's and 90's section of the resort and we really like this area. It seems quieter and with cutting across the parking lot the walk isn't too bad.:thumbsup2 We have requested to stay in the 70's section in August because we have family staying with us and decided to stay in a preferred room this time to be even closer to the main hall.

We didn't get a chance on our first visit to take too many pictures either and this year although we got quite a few, there is still more I would like to take.:goodvibes On our first day during our trip in August, we're just going to hang around the resort. I noticed over on the Resorts board someone posted a Scavenger Hunt list. I thought it might be fun for the boys, so we'll see.:)
 
POP looks like so much fun! So much to look at!

With a family of 5, we've only ever stayed Moderate, but I'd love to try one of the values. Maybe someday if Jeff and I get to go on a 2nd honeymoon! (But them we may be tempted to stay Deluxe!)

Thanks for the great pictures! :thumbsup2
 
POP looks like so much fun! So much to look at!

With a family of 5, we've only ever stayed Moderate, but I'd love to try one of the values. Maybe someday if Jeff and I get to go on a 2nd honeymoon! (But them we may be tempted to stay Deluxe!)

Thanks for the great pictures! :thumbsup2

Pop is a lot of fun!! The boys really love it there!! We are hoping to talk them into staying at a Moderate next year. We'd love to stay at a Deluxe but I don't think the budget will allow, especially with two trips this year. Your pictures of POR look great. I may have to show DH.:goodvibes
 
If you have been reading along, you know how anxious I have been to start my Magic Kingdom day.:goodvibes While I am in the process of gathering all my photos from this day, I thought I would share with all of you why I love Disney and especially Magic Kingdom so much.:love: But also why despite loving something different about all the parks, to me our vacation never officially begins until I round the corner and catch a glimpse of the castle. It's the best feeling!! (I'm sure you all know what I mean....:goodvibes) It's definitely magical.pixiedust:

Last year was our very first visit to WDW. It was also the first time we had ever flown anywhere, DH included. I think growing up the farthest my family ventured was a three hour drive to visit relatives. Despite not ever going to WDW, I still developed a love for anything Disney. I remember grabbing some popcorn and sitting down with my parent's and brother to watch "Wonderful World of Disney" every weekend. I think I have collected every Disney movie over the years or at least tried to.:goodvibes I have even begun my own Disney Parks collection videos, as I have sent away for a new one every year for the last 10 years or so....:rotfl: All with the hope of someday being able to get there.

So anyway, after dreaming, hoping, and planning-- in the summer of 2007, I finally convinced DH that if we didn't go now--that we never would. There would always be something holding us back but it was something we both knew we wanted to do for the boys. So we booked a package that very night and to seal the deal we purchased non-refundable plane tickets. There was no going back.......

Last year when we entered Magic Kingdom for the first time--It's hard to put into words what it meant. We were excited and amazed at all the sights and when we stood in front of the train station and watched the train pull in and got our first glimpse of Mickey Mouse, we both looked at each other and got it.:goodvibes It was exactly like we thought it would be but even better.
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As you can imagine after all this, the thought of seeing the castle for the very first time in all my 34 years was beyond exciting. This was as we were just about to round the corner---
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And finally my very first glimpse of the castle-- even with all the people in front of us--it brought a tear to my eye.
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I knew at that moment, no matter what--we would find a way to come back.

So, fast-forward to almost exactly a year later and we were almost back to our very favorite place. Hmmmm.....Would this trip to Magic Kingdom be as wonderful as the first. You'll just have to wait and see........:goodvibes

One more picture......(I had fun playing around and just had to share:))
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to be continued......
 
I totally get it! I hear people say they won't go because they don't like amusement parks or they don't want to stand in lines....it's just so much more than that. It's all about the feeling you get when you round the corner to see Cinderella Castle in the distance or hear the train whistle. It's seeing your kids enjoy being KIDS and embracing Mickey or Donald. It's the joy you get from the music of the afternoon parade or the smell of popcorn. I guess you either "get" it or you don't, but how sad if you don't! Great mini-update Angie! :goodvibes
 
Loving your trip report!!!

just found it this morning...

glad you had such a great time, can't wait for more.....:thumbsup2
 

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