amandaj1014
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2011
- Messages
- 58
Here is a long, thorough account of our August trip. Sorry it's taken so long to post. The cast of characters are me (Mom, 38), Mike (Dad, 35), Andrew (DS, 10) and Catelyn (DD, 6). Andrew is terrified of almost all rides and has a teenager's grumpy attitude in general. Catelyn is a daredevil who wants to try almost everything, and she's allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts. The first day we stayed in Orlando while Andrew and I went to check out WWOHP at Universal. Our goal at the parks was not to overdo it and just hit the things we really wanted to see. We went 3 years ago so we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do this time. We didn't spend much time on parades or fireworks b/c the crowds were so terrible at those times and it was the difference between getting home in 25 minutes vs over an hour--big difference with kids! Also, I recommend the DisneyParks app for Android, we used it and it was great to know the wait times/fastpass times in advance before walking across the parks, etc.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Woke up at the crack of dawn to make our 8:05am flight from Columbus to Orlando. No issues except had to do a little rearranging with the luggage to meet the 50lb or less requirement. Flight was on time and arrived in Orlando airport with no problems. Went to the Hyatt to check in and they were getting the rooms readyhad to wait a little while to get a room with a view. Catelyn and Mike stayed and went swimming in the hotel pool, while Andrew and I caught a cab to Universal Studios! Our only goal: to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. A longer drive than expected, and then we had to contend with heat and a terrible line of people just waiting for tickets. I had a $100 gift card and planned to buy our tickets with that plus my credit card, and the lady at the desk was a crotchedy, rude lady who told me I couldn't do that, nor could I use the card in the park for anything, even though it said you could on the back of the card. I was so mad, and finally she said since I didn't seem to understand how it worked, she would make an exception and allow me to use the card plus CC. Nice of her to berate me before doing what I wanted to do in the first place.
On to HP world: it was really impressive! By the time we got there it was already after noon and we were starving. Stopped in the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Not a bad wait; I had a good shepherd's pie, and Andrew got macaroni and cheese. And of course we ordered a frozen butterbeer and pumpkin juice! The butterbeer was the best. After this, we looked in Honeydukes and Zonko's. We then went to Dervish and Banges and bought wandsThe Elder Wand (Dumbledore's) for Andrew, Hermione's for Catelyn, and an attractive little wand for me, in an authentic Ollivander's box. We skipped the Ollivander's Shop attraction/show because the wait was too long. Then we went straight over to the Forbidden Journey ride. This was the only ride we wanted to do, and the wait wasn't too bad; maybe 30-40 minutes. It was a great ride, and getting to go through Hogwarts was totally worth it. **note: if you buy wands, they probably won't fit into a locker for the FJ ride, so you can have them sent to the front of the park for pick-up later. Otherwise, recommend doing the ride first, then buying souveniers. We checked out Fitches but didn't buy anything more. We decided to walk around the rest of the park but didn't see anything to our liking. The lines were ridiculously long and it was crowded. We made our way to the front of the park, picking up a milkshake and a cone along the way, and stopped into the main gift shop to pick up our wands, which had been sent there from Fitches before we got on the FJ ride. Caught a cab by 4pm and made it back to the Hyatt in time for a little swimming before dinner. Yes, it was an expensive day for just 4 hours of park time, but all we really cared about was HP world, and so we did get to see everything we wanted to.
Had a great night's sleep; totally recommend the Hyatt at the Orlando airport.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Woke up a little late and headed off to the Magical Express! We got down there probably around 10:30 am or so, but had to wait some time for our bus. The kids, esp Andrew, were getting on our last nerve complaining about the wait. Finally it came, and off to Disney we went! Our bus driver reminded me so much of Stanley on The Officesounded bored out of his mind about everything. Oh well. Port Orleans Riverside guests got to be dropped off first, hooray! The lines for check-in were pretty equal between the online check-in and regular check-in. I would do the online check-in again just to minimize the paperwork that had to be done. Even though it was only around noon, our room was ready! We got what I wanted: I had only requested a room in Alligator Bayou, no other preference. We got building #36 which was quite a hike away but we didn't mind. It was convenient to a quiet pool and the North Depot. After dumping our luggage, we went straight over to the Riverside Mill to grab some lunch. Took a little while to figure out how it worked, but we ended up liking it. I got a roast beef and bleu cheese sandwich, Mike and Andrew got burgers, and we had to speak with the chef to get Catelyn some allergy-friendly chicken strips and fries with applesauce. Very happy to see they had vanilla soymilk there as well, and Divvies cookies. Realized soon after lunch that I left my entire carefully typed-out itinerary at home!
What to do? Fortunately I had all of our restaurant reservations so I decided to re-write the itinerary based on those. We took a little swim in the quiet pool and then made our way over to the bus stop to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom, where we caught a monorail to the Contemporary Resort for dinner at Chef Mickeys. It was pretty good, and Catelyn was thrilled to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto! She loved collecting their autographs. They had plenty of food on the buffet that she was able to have, and after dinner they brought her an allergy-friendly chocolate cupcake which she happily devoured.
After dinner, it was raining. Mike and Andrew decided to go back to the hotel (Mike forgot his Key to the World so he had no choice) but Catelyn and I decided to brave the rain and went to the MK anyways. Thank goodness for cheap ponchos! (bought at home). Luckily, the rain seemed to have driven away the crowds so we beelined it towards Splash Mountain, as it was Catelyn's greatest desire to ride it. We had a very short wait and Catelyn loved it! We also went on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, which was a great experience at night! Catelyn was a little freaked out but she enjoyed it. The CM was very funny, of course, and at the end said he was really an animatronic guide, and pointed at Catelyn and said she was animatronic, too. Haha. We headed home after these adventures, but caught the end of the Electric Parade. Managed to beat the crowds home, thank goodness.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
This morning, we had a little snack in the room, then we all headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain RR, (much to Andrew's dismay on those two), The Haunted Mansion (which scared Catelyn more than she thought it would), and Pirates of the Caribbean. We then split up while Mike took Catelyn back on TMRR and I took Andrew on the Jungle Cruise. Not nearly as entertaining as it was at night! We didn't have to wait long on anythingdidn't even need any fastpasses! Andrew and I went through the Swiss Family Treehouse and did a little shopping, and we then went to the Crystal Palace to meet Mike and Catelyn for lunch at 11:50am.
Lunch at the CP was fine. It was a buffet, and it also had plenty of food that was safe for Catelyn. She got to meet Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet and get their autographs. At the end of the meal, the chef sent out Tofutti ice cream with a huge, delicious brownie with a strawberry and it was delicious! And Catelyn ate almost the whole thing! So far, very impressed with their service for allergic kids. This meal was ridiculously expensivegood thing we were on the free dining plan!
After lunch we headed back to the resort. There was an invitation on Catelyn's pillow inviting her to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to be transformed into Princess Catelyn by her fairy godmother, followed by a princess breakfast the next morning. (Yes, I created the invite and left it there but she didn't know.) Catelyn took a shower and then we got ready to head to DTD to the Boutique! Andrew and Mike went for a swim. As we headed for the ferry, it started to rain and they ended up cancelling the ferry trip, so we ran for the bus. By the time we got to DTD and made it through the rain, trying to keep Catelyn's borrowed princess dress dry with my umbrella, we were exhausted and I was soaked! We got there with 5 minutes to spare. Catelyn ended up choosing the classic princess style and they wouldn't leave her bangs downshe looked so different with them pulled up! Her fairy godmother in training was very nice, and told us stories about her adventures in Disney, she also talked about her fairy godmother bus and living in the castle. Catelyn was very pleased with herself after she was finished! Looked very cute with light makeup, a tiara, a Mickey hairpin under her bun, and plenty of sparkly fairydust! At first she didn't know how to react to all the attention she got, but soon she was waving and saying Hi! to everyone who said Hi, Princess! and saying thank you when they told her she was beautiful. She even began to get insulted if no one smiled at her or said anything! On the ferry ride home (it stopped raining), a mother told her 2 boys to always let ladies go before gentlemen, so after that Catelyn thought she should be first on everything! This did not sit well with Andrew!
After we got back, we changed her out of her dress and just put her in a cute white shirt and shorts for our next excursion to MK. Catelyn wanted to go there ALL the time! All she could talk about was Splash Mountain! Just Catelyn and I went, boys stayed at POR. We got there and got a fastpass because the line was a bit long, and we went on Big Thunder Mountain again while we waited. Then we went on Splash and headed over to get something to eat at Columbia Harbour House. I got the tuna salad sandwich and apple blossom (delicious), but it took awhile to get the chef to order Catelyn some chicken strips. When they finally came out, they looked different than the other strips, and she was upset that I ordered her apple slices instead of fries, but she ate it all up and said it was good. We were upstairs by a window overlooking Liberty Square, and soon we had the room to ourselves.
We finished and walked to Fantasyland, and approached the line for Dumbo. As we lined up, a man who had been in line behind us at Columbia Harbour House stopped me and asked if Catelyn had the right chicken nuggets, and if she was OK. I said she was, and he said he'd thought she'd gotten the wrong ones. Luckily, she had no symptoms, but found out the next time we went there that she HAD gotten the wrong ones! The safe ones are ALWAYS strips, but she had eaten the regular nuggets! Apparently the frying changed the proteins enough to not cause her any problems, thank goodness! Good to know, but shame on Disney!! Could have really made someone sick!!
We enjoyed our Dumbo ride and also rode Small World. Whoever designed that had to be on drugs! At least there was no line for it!
We head home after this. Had to fight some serious crowds to get to the entrance, but we made it and getting back on the bus was not bad at all. To bed for Catelyn and tea and a book for me!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
This morning, dressed Catelyn back up in her princess dress and headed to Epcot. Went straight to Soarin' and it was worth all the waiting and whininess of the kids. They ended up loving the ride, of course. By the time we got off, it was time to walk over to Norway for the Princess Breakfast in the Akershus Castle at 10:30.
More whining ensued over the heat and the wait. It was sunny and hot and there was not much shade for waiting. We finally got in the castle and had our picture taken with beautiful Belle. Andrew had worked himself up so much over the wait that by the time we sat down he said he had a stomachache. That cured up after he saw the food that we brought back from the buffet. All the princesses made the rounds and Catelyn was thrilled! We saw Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. The food was all right; a very European style buffet with fruit, cheeses, yogurts, smoked salmon and herring, and they brought out hot plates of eggs, cheese potatoes, bacon, and sausage. They brought Catelyn her own allergy-friendly waffles, bacon, and sausage. The bill was almost $140 without tip! Ridiculous, thankful again for the free dining. Hated to leave such a big tip since our server did almost nothing. We even had a stack of plates that she never cleared away until we were ready to leave. But, the princesses were very good so we were glad we did it once.
After breakfast, we stepped over to the Maelstrom boat ride since there was no wait. We also did the Donald boat ride in Mexico. That was 10 minutes we'll never get back, but at least it was tame enough for my cautious Andrew! Headed back to the resort after that for an afternoon of swimming. We then enjoyed dinner at the Riverside MillI had a chicken salad, the boys had burgers, and Catelyn had chicken strips again. Then we all got dessert and they made Catelyn her first ever milkshake! Soy, of course. And she actually picked vanilla over chocolate. It was quite goodtasted rather buttery, but she was so full she didn't end up drinking much of it. We then decided to take a walk over to the French Quarter side of Port Orleans. It was a very nice walk but on the way back it started to lightning in the distance and Andrew got really nervous. I stopped back in the Riverside Mill to pick up some snacks for breakfast Monday morning while everyone else headed back to the room. On my way back I saw some sort of mouse or small rat dart around the gateway of the bridge! Yikes!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Today we woke up early to go to Hollywood Studios. We ate our snacks from the night before and headed to the bus stop. Our first and only priorityToy Story Mania! We got there a few minutes after rope drop and headed straight for the ride. The line was already 40 minutes, but we got in the line. It moved along fine and was interesting on the inside. Luckily the line WAS almost entirely inside so we weren't in the sweltering heat. The ride, of course, was great fun and we all loved it. After that, the kids wanted to go to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, so we spent a little while over there. Then we walked over to Muppet 3D Vision and enjoyed that show (as well as the air conditioning!) We all love the Muppets and of course it was hilarious, as usual! Then we wandered over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, which both the kids liked the best. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage but we weren't able to do both. After the show, it was time to go to the
50's Prime Time Cafe. It was the BEST!! Our server had a really dry sense of humor and was fairly quiet. Another waitress nearby was hysterical! She really gave all the customers a good show. Mind your manners, help out more b/c you haven't been doing anything but sit there all day, etc, etc. We really enjoyed it, and the food was out of this world! I had the combo platter with mom's meatloaf, pot roast, and fried chicken. Also had mashed potatoes, green beans/carrots, and greens. The meatloaf was average, but the pot roast and especially the fried chicken was outstanding! Mike got the fried chicken platter and we agreed it was the best fried chicken we'd ever had, and by far the best meal we'd had in a long time. They were also able to make Catelyn some allergy friendly fried chicken which she loved and Andrew had the chicken pot pie and ate every bit. Then for dessertI had Dad's Brownie Sundae which had a brownie and ice cream with M&M's, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel corn and a cherry on top. Andrew had a strawberry sundae, Catelyn had chocolate tofutti ice cream with chocolate syrup, and Mike had some sort of Boston Cream sundae which he loved. We were so full but enjoyed everything very much, and it was one of our cheapest dinners. (not accounting for the free dining.)
We then headed back to the resort for our afternoon swim. Shortly after, Catelyn and I decided to hit the MK again to try out Space Mountain. We went straight there and got a fastpass. The park had closed several rides due to thunder and lightning nearby so we decided to wait out the potential storm in the Monsters, Inc. show. Then we went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority while we waited for our Space Mountain fastpass window. We then went over and got a FP for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin, and then we went to Space Mountain! It was terrifying! Since you have to sit in single seats one in front of the other, Catelyn sat in front of me but I couldn't feel her or see her b/c it was so dark! It felt so fast and jerky that I was scared she would fly out of her seat and I wouldn't know it until the ride was over!
There was only a thick lap bar holding us in, and she's so little! Luckily we made it all in one piece and both determined it was too scary.
After the terror of Space Mountain, we had some time before the Buzz ride so we decided to run over and try to get on Splash Mountain. We got in line and rode it, and then got a FP for it after we got off, for later. We walked back to Tomorrowland to get on Buzz, and were going to meet up with Mike and Andrew, who had come to MK and were going to see Monsters, Inc., which Andrew had been wanting to see all along. Catelyn and I went to use our FP for Buzz, and the CM stopped us right before we were ready to move on through the line. Catelyn looked so frumpy about it that the CM teased her and handed us 8 fastpasses to use later! We rode and then went to meet Mike and Andrew. When they came out of the show, we all got on the Buzz ride with our "free" fastpasses. It was good fun and a ride that even Andrew enjoyed.
We decided to walk down to Columbia Harbour House for a late dinner after this. We didn't realize it at the time, but they were closing just as we walked in. They were very nice though, and allowed us to put in our order, even our allergy-free chicken strips. I knew this time the manager knew what he was doing, as he warned us it would take 15 minutes b/c they have to bake the chicken strips. Andrew wanted a hot chocolate (no idea why, it was hot out!) and even though they had already closed up the hot chocolate machine, one of the girls promised us the best hot chocolate ever and made it herself by hand. I again had the tuna salad sandwich, Mike had the fish and chips, and Andrew had a shrimp basket. Or maybe they both had shrimpcan't remember! They told us to stay as long as we wanted and were so very nice about our late night visit. Afterwards, Andrew and Mike headed back and Catelyn and I went for one more trip on Splash Mountain to use our fastpasses. We had no idea, but the park closed at 10pm that night instead of 11, so we almost didn't make it! Watched the fireworks, then headed back after that. We had to contend with the worst bus line ever. It took 4 buses before we got on. They came in pairs but it still took a long time. Finally back to the hotel, thank goodness!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
This morning, we overslept a bit and decided to get a cab to O'hana's. Once we got there, there was a half hour wait, at least. The Polynesian was a very pretty resort. Soon after we were seated, Mike asked if there was any way he could have some oatmeal and tea with breakfastno problem! The waitress ordered up some oatmeal from next door, free of charge, and it was perfectly done. They also had plenty of breakfast food for Catelyn including Mickey waffles! Mmm, perfect! We got to meet some more charactersMickey and Pluto again, and also Lilo and Stitch. Stitch was very funny and even got the guys to smile. We left satisfied and full in spite of the wait. Mike headed back to the resort, and I took both kids to Magic Kingdom to check out Tom Sawyer's Island. We took the train over to Frontierland and got on the raft. It was terribly hot, but luckily we actually remembered to bring our fan sprayer. The kids really loved checking out the island, especially the abandoned mine, the cave, and the old fort complete with rifles and a secret escape route. After we took the raft back to the mainland, Catelyn had a frozen strawberry treat and Andrew and I got a Dole whip.
That was really tasty! We also picked up some watermight as well use up those snack credits! We headed back to do some swimming after that.
After swimming, we got ourselves ready to go to the Cirque du Soliel in Downtown Disney. It started raining so once again we couldn't take the ferry, so we caught a bus. Once there, we pulled out our ponchos and headed towards the Cirque show, on the opposite end of DTD. We all stopped and got popcorn (it was all safe for Catelyn!) and enjoyed the walk. It wasn't raining too bad, just a few sprinkles. We got to the show in plenty of time and it was great, the kids loved it. The clown acts were too funny. Catelyn was just on the edge of her seat and clapping and laughing at everything. A very well done show!
After the show, we walked across DTD again and stopped at Babycakes Bakery, which has all allergy-free baked goods! Catelyn was so excited! There were cupcakes, cupcake tops, doughnuts, and sweet breads. We picked out a bunch of stuff, using up the rest of our snack credits, and then headed over to the Lego store. Then back to the resort for dinner and a good night's sleep!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
This morning, Catelyn and I had our last day of going to the Magic Kingdom. Of course, we had to go to Splash Mountain--twice! We walked on once and also got a fastpass for later. We road Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again, and went through the Swiss Family Tree house. After that we headed back to use our Splash Mountain fastpass. We hopped on the train, which unfortunately had to stop for water which took a little extra time, but finally we made it back to the resort and stopped for lunch at Riverside Mill. A chicken salad for me, and spaghetti for Catelyn. Then she joined the boys at the pool while I went back to the room to start packing up. It started to rain, and they stayed in the pool while most of the other people headed out, which they enjoyed thoroughly! After they got back to the room, they got cleaned up, and Catelyn and I decided to head to Epcot to meet the Beast a couple hours before our dinner reservations. What did we do? We forgot her autograph book.
We managed to get there just as the rain was stopping, and we got a few photopass pics before heading to France to get in line for the Belle and Beast meet and greet. After about a half hour, out they came! Catelyn was so excited to get to meet the Beast, who is her favorite prince and one of her favorite characters! We had them sign on a piece of paper I had in my pocket. Better than nothing! After that, we continued to wander around the world towards Great Britain, where we had reservations at the Rose and Crown. We met the guys for dinner and got to sit on the patio with a view of the water. It was a beautiful evening! I got a shepherd's pie with ground lamb, Andrew got bangers and mash, and Mike got fish and chips. I had a glass of wine and Mike had a Stella beer. Catelyn had grilled chicken and fries. For dessert, we had a very tasty Sticky Toffee Pudding. Catelyn had ice cream and Andrew was too full. We decided to head back before the Illuminations show to beat the crowds, and on the way we stopped and rode the Nemo ride (which was pretty boring for all of us), but we enjoyed the light-up sidewalk designs since it was dark enough to notice them. A nice little surprise! We made it back to the room in plenty of time to get a good night's sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Good-bye, Disney. We got to the luggage check outside the lobby, rearranged our bags so that they were all under 50lbs, and waited for the Magic Express to take us back. Luckily, we didn't even have to stop at any other resorts! Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and had an uneventful trip home. Unfortunately, one of our bags was very roughly treated and several things leaked, which has never happened before, and Mike's travel teapot lid is messed up, but still barely functional.
Next time we go to Disney, it will almost certainly be just me and Catelyn and no boys! Andrew didn't like any of the rides, and he hated the lines even when they weren't that long. All he liked was the pool and the food. Mike liked some parts, but Catelyn and I loved the whole experience and want to do it again! Our room was clean, the resort was pretty, the housekeeper was excellent (she spoke only Spanish so I was able to communicate a little with Google translator, especially when we were trying to locate Catelyn's lost seal pup. We found out she wasn't going to be there the day we left so we made sure to tip her the whole amount in person, mid-week. She was very sweet and made us a cute Dumbo towel animal, and also a puppy and a purse, which she told us to take home so we did. The bus service was just fine, except the one night where we had to wait for a long time after the fireworks to get back. Bus lines were much shorter if we left before or during the parade. The food was pretty good and the choices were plentiful. The free dining made it a real dealfood is quite expensive there, that's for sure! Overall, a great trip!!
-Amanda
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Woke up at the crack of dawn to make our 8:05am flight from Columbus to Orlando. No issues except had to do a little rearranging with the luggage to meet the 50lb or less requirement. Flight was on time and arrived in Orlando airport with no problems. Went to the Hyatt to check in and they were getting the rooms readyhad to wait a little while to get a room with a view. Catelyn and Mike stayed and went swimming in the hotel pool, while Andrew and I caught a cab to Universal Studios! Our only goal: to check out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. A longer drive than expected, and then we had to contend with heat and a terrible line of people just waiting for tickets. I had a $100 gift card and planned to buy our tickets with that plus my credit card, and the lady at the desk was a crotchedy, rude lady who told me I couldn't do that, nor could I use the card in the park for anything, even though it said you could on the back of the card. I was so mad, and finally she said since I didn't seem to understand how it worked, she would make an exception and allow me to use the card plus CC. Nice of her to berate me before doing what I wanted to do in the first place.
On to HP world: it was really impressive! By the time we got there it was already after noon and we were starving. Stopped in the Three Broomsticks for lunch. Not a bad wait; I had a good shepherd's pie, and Andrew got macaroni and cheese. And of course we ordered a frozen butterbeer and pumpkin juice! The butterbeer was the best. After this, we looked in Honeydukes and Zonko's. We then went to Dervish and Banges and bought wandsThe Elder Wand (Dumbledore's) for Andrew, Hermione's for Catelyn, and an attractive little wand for me, in an authentic Ollivander's box. We skipped the Ollivander's Shop attraction/show because the wait was too long. Then we went straight over to the Forbidden Journey ride. This was the only ride we wanted to do, and the wait wasn't too bad; maybe 30-40 minutes. It was a great ride, and getting to go through Hogwarts was totally worth it. **note: if you buy wands, they probably won't fit into a locker for the FJ ride, so you can have them sent to the front of the park for pick-up later. Otherwise, recommend doing the ride first, then buying souveniers. We checked out Fitches but didn't buy anything more. We decided to walk around the rest of the park but didn't see anything to our liking. The lines were ridiculously long and it was crowded. We made our way to the front of the park, picking up a milkshake and a cone along the way, and stopped into the main gift shop to pick up our wands, which had been sent there from Fitches before we got on the FJ ride. Caught a cab by 4pm and made it back to the Hyatt in time for a little swimming before dinner. Yes, it was an expensive day for just 4 hours of park time, but all we really cared about was HP world, and so we did get to see everything we wanted to.
Had a great night's sleep; totally recommend the Hyatt at the Orlando airport.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Woke up a little late and headed off to the Magical Express! We got down there probably around 10:30 am or so, but had to wait some time for our bus. The kids, esp Andrew, were getting on our last nerve complaining about the wait. Finally it came, and off to Disney we went! Our bus driver reminded me so much of Stanley on The Officesounded bored out of his mind about everything. Oh well. Port Orleans Riverside guests got to be dropped off first, hooray! The lines for check-in were pretty equal between the online check-in and regular check-in. I would do the online check-in again just to minimize the paperwork that had to be done. Even though it was only around noon, our room was ready! We got what I wanted: I had only requested a room in Alligator Bayou, no other preference. We got building #36 which was quite a hike away but we didn't mind. It was convenient to a quiet pool and the North Depot. After dumping our luggage, we went straight over to the Riverside Mill to grab some lunch. Took a little while to figure out how it worked, but we ended up liking it. I got a roast beef and bleu cheese sandwich, Mike and Andrew got burgers, and we had to speak with the chef to get Catelyn some allergy-friendly chicken strips and fries with applesauce. Very happy to see they had vanilla soymilk there as well, and Divvies cookies. Realized soon after lunch that I left my entire carefully typed-out itinerary at home!
What to do? Fortunately I had all of our restaurant reservations so I decided to re-write the itinerary based on those. We took a little swim in the quiet pool and then made our way over to the bus stop to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom, where we caught a monorail to the Contemporary Resort for dinner at Chef Mickeys. It was pretty good, and Catelyn was thrilled to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto! She loved collecting their autographs. They had plenty of food on the buffet that she was able to have, and after dinner they brought her an allergy-friendly chocolate cupcake which she happily devoured. After dinner, it was raining. Mike and Andrew decided to go back to the hotel (Mike forgot his Key to the World so he had no choice) but Catelyn and I decided to brave the rain and went to the MK anyways. Thank goodness for cheap ponchos! (bought at home). Luckily, the rain seemed to have driven away the crowds so we beelined it towards Splash Mountain, as it was Catelyn's greatest desire to ride it. We had a very short wait and Catelyn loved it! We also went on Pirates of the Caribbean and the Jungle Cruise, which was a great experience at night! Catelyn was a little freaked out but she enjoyed it. The CM was very funny, of course, and at the end said he was really an animatronic guide, and pointed at Catelyn and said she was animatronic, too. Haha. We headed home after these adventures, but caught the end of the Electric Parade. Managed to beat the crowds home, thank goodness.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
This morning, we had a little snack in the room, then we all headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain RR, (much to Andrew's dismay on those two), The Haunted Mansion (which scared Catelyn more than she thought it would), and Pirates of the Caribbean. We then split up while Mike took Catelyn back on TMRR and I took Andrew on the Jungle Cruise. Not nearly as entertaining as it was at night! We didn't have to wait long on anythingdidn't even need any fastpasses! Andrew and I went through the Swiss Family Treehouse and did a little shopping, and we then went to the Crystal Palace to meet Mike and Catelyn for lunch at 11:50am.
Lunch at the CP was fine. It was a buffet, and it also had plenty of food that was safe for Catelyn. She got to meet Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet and get their autographs. At the end of the meal, the chef sent out Tofutti ice cream with a huge, delicious brownie with a strawberry and it was delicious! And Catelyn ate almost the whole thing! So far, very impressed with their service for allergic kids. This meal was ridiculously expensivegood thing we were on the free dining plan!
After lunch we headed back to the resort. There was an invitation on Catelyn's pillow inviting her to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to be transformed into Princess Catelyn by her fairy godmother, followed by a princess breakfast the next morning. (Yes, I created the invite and left it there but she didn't know.) Catelyn took a shower and then we got ready to head to DTD to the Boutique! Andrew and Mike went for a swim. As we headed for the ferry, it started to rain and they ended up cancelling the ferry trip, so we ran for the bus. By the time we got to DTD and made it through the rain, trying to keep Catelyn's borrowed princess dress dry with my umbrella, we were exhausted and I was soaked! We got there with 5 minutes to spare. Catelyn ended up choosing the classic princess style and they wouldn't leave her bangs downshe looked so different with them pulled up! Her fairy godmother in training was very nice, and told us stories about her adventures in Disney, she also talked about her fairy godmother bus and living in the castle. Catelyn was very pleased with herself after she was finished! Looked very cute with light makeup, a tiara, a Mickey hairpin under her bun, and plenty of sparkly fairydust! At first she didn't know how to react to all the attention she got, but soon she was waving and saying Hi! to everyone who said Hi, Princess! and saying thank you when they told her she was beautiful. She even began to get insulted if no one smiled at her or said anything! On the ferry ride home (it stopped raining), a mother told her 2 boys to always let ladies go before gentlemen, so after that Catelyn thought she should be first on everything! This did not sit well with Andrew!
After we got back, we changed her out of her dress and just put her in a cute white shirt and shorts for our next excursion to MK. Catelyn wanted to go there ALL the time! All she could talk about was Splash Mountain! Just Catelyn and I went, boys stayed at POR. We got there and got a fastpass because the line was a bit long, and we went on Big Thunder Mountain again while we waited. Then we went on Splash and headed over to get something to eat at Columbia Harbour House. I got the tuna salad sandwich and apple blossom (delicious), but it took awhile to get the chef to order Catelyn some chicken strips. When they finally came out, they looked different than the other strips, and she was upset that I ordered her apple slices instead of fries, but she ate it all up and said it was good. We were upstairs by a window overlooking Liberty Square, and soon we had the room to ourselves.
We finished and walked to Fantasyland, and approached the line for Dumbo. As we lined up, a man who had been in line behind us at Columbia Harbour House stopped me and asked if Catelyn had the right chicken nuggets, and if she was OK. I said she was, and he said he'd thought she'd gotten the wrong ones. Luckily, she had no symptoms, but found out the next time we went there that she HAD gotten the wrong ones! The safe ones are ALWAYS strips, but she had eaten the regular nuggets! Apparently the frying changed the proteins enough to not cause her any problems, thank goodness! Good to know, but shame on Disney!! Could have really made someone sick!!
We enjoyed our Dumbo ride and also rode Small World. Whoever designed that had to be on drugs! At least there was no line for it!
We head home after this. Had to fight some serious crowds to get to the entrance, but we made it and getting back on the bus was not bad at all. To bed for Catelyn and tea and a book for me!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
This morning, dressed Catelyn back up in her princess dress and headed to Epcot. Went straight to Soarin' and it was worth all the waiting and whininess of the kids. They ended up loving the ride, of course. By the time we got off, it was time to walk over to Norway for the Princess Breakfast in the Akershus Castle at 10:30.
More whining ensued over the heat and the wait. It was sunny and hot and there was not much shade for waiting. We finally got in the castle and had our picture taken with beautiful Belle. Andrew had worked himself up so much over the wait that by the time we sat down he said he had a stomachache. That cured up after he saw the food that we brought back from the buffet. All the princesses made the rounds and Catelyn was thrilled! We saw Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. The food was all right; a very European style buffet with fruit, cheeses, yogurts, smoked salmon and herring, and they brought out hot plates of eggs, cheese potatoes, bacon, and sausage. They brought Catelyn her own allergy-friendly waffles, bacon, and sausage. The bill was almost $140 without tip! Ridiculous, thankful again for the free dining. Hated to leave such a big tip since our server did almost nothing. We even had a stack of plates that she never cleared away until we were ready to leave. But, the princesses were very good so we were glad we did it once. After breakfast, we stepped over to the Maelstrom boat ride since there was no wait. We also did the Donald boat ride in Mexico. That was 10 minutes we'll never get back, but at least it was tame enough for my cautious Andrew! Headed back to the resort after that for an afternoon of swimming. We then enjoyed dinner at the Riverside MillI had a chicken salad, the boys had burgers, and Catelyn had chicken strips again. Then we all got dessert and they made Catelyn her first ever milkshake! Soy, of course. And she actually picked vanilla over chocolate. It was quite goodtasted rather buttery, but she was so full she didn't end up drinking much of it. We then decided to take a walk over to the French Quarter side of Port Orleans. It was a very nice walk but on the way back it started to lightning in the distance and Andrew got really nervous. I stopped back in the Riverside Mill to pick up some snacks for breakfast Monday morning while everyone else headed back to the room. On my way back I saw some sort of mouse or small rat dart around the gateway of the bridge! Yikes!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Today we woke up early to go to Hollywood Studios. We ate our snacks from the night before and headed to the bus stop. Our first and only priorityToy Story Mania! We got there a few minutes after rope drop and headed straight for the ride. The line was already 40 minutes, but we got in the line. It moved along fine and was interesting on the inside. Luckily the line WAS almost entirely inside so we weren't in the sweltering heat. The ride, of course, was great fun and we all loved it. After that, the kids wanted to go to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, so we spent a little while over there. Then we walked over to Muppet 3D Vision and enjoyed that show (as well as the air conditioning!) We all love the Muppets and of course it was hilarious, as usual! Then we wandered over to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, which both the kids liked the best. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage but we weren't able to do both. After the show, it was time to go to the
50's Prime Time Cafe. It was the BEST!! Our server had a really dry sense of humor and was fairly quiet. Another waitress nearby was hysterical! She really gave all the customers a good show. Mind your manners, help out more b/c you haven't been doing anything but sit there all day, etc, etc. We really enjoyed it, and the food was out of this world! I had the combo platter with mom's meatloaf, pot roast, and fried chicken. Also had mashed potatoes, green beans/carrots, and greens. The meatloaf was average, but the pot roast and especially the fried chicken was outstanding! Mike got the fried chicken platter and we agreed it was the best fried chicken we'd ever had, and by far the best meal we'd had in a long time. They were also able to make Catelyn some allergy friendly fried chicken which she loved and Andrew had the chicken pot pie and ate every bit. Then for dessertI had Dad's Brownie Sundae which had a brownie and ice cream with M&M's, whipped cream, sprinkles, caramel corn and a cherry on top. Andrew had a strawberry sundae, Catelyn had chocolate tofutti ice cream with chocolate syrup, and Mike had some sort of Boston Cream sundae which he loved. We were so full but enjoyed everything very much, and it was one of our cheapest dinners. (not accounting for the free dining.)
We then headed back to the resort for our afternoon swim. Shortly after, Catelyn and I decided to hit the MK again to try out Space Mountain. We went straight there and got a fastpass. The park had closed several rides due to thunder and lightning nearby so we decided to wait out the potential storm in the Monsters, Inc. show. Then we went on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority while we waited for our Space Mountain fastpass window. We then went over and got a FP for Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin, and then we went to Space Mountain! It was terrifying! Since you have to sit in single seats one in front of the other, Catelyn sat in front of me but I couldn't feel her or see her b/c it was so dark! It felt so fast and jerky that I was scared she would fly out of her seat and I wouldn't know it until the ride was over!
There was only a thick lap bar holding us in, and she's so little! Luckily we made it all in one piece and both determined it was too scary. After the terror of Space Mountain, we had some time before the Buzz ride so we decided to run over and try to get on Splash Mountain. We got in line and rode it, and then got a FP for it after we got off, for later. We walked back to Tomorrowland to get on Buzz, and were going to meet up with Mike and Andrew, who had come to MK and were going to see Monsters, Inc., which Andrew had been wanting to see all along. Catelyn and I went to use our FP for Buzz, and the CM stopped us right before we were ready to move on through the line. Catelyn looked so frumpy about it that the CM teased her and handed us 8 fastpasses to use later! We rode and then went to meet Mike and Andrew. When they came out of the show, we all got on the Buzz ride with our "free" fastpasses. It was good fun and a ride that even Andrew enjoyed.
We decided to walk down to Columbia Harbour House for a late dinner after this. We didn't realize it at the time, but they were closing just as we walked in. They were very nice though, and allowed us to put in our order, even our allergy-free chicken strips. I knew this time the manager knew what he was doing, as he warned us it would take 15 minutes b/c they have to bake the chicken strips. Andrew wanted a hot chocolate (no idea why, it was hot out!) and even though they had already closed up the hot chocolate machine, one of the girls promised us the best hot chocolate ever and made it herself by hand. I again had the tuna salad sandwich, Mike had the fish and chips, and Andrew had a shrimp basket. Or maybe they both had shrimpcan't remember! They told us to stay as long as we wanted and were so very nice about our late night visit. Afterwards, Andrew and Mike headed back and Catelyn and I went for one more trip on Splash Mountain to use our fastpasses. We had no idea, but the park closed at 10pm that night instead of 11, so we almost didn't make it! Watched the fireworks, then headed back after that. We had to contend with the worst bus line ever. It took 4 buses before we got on. They came in pairs but it still took a long time. Finally back to the hotel, thank goodness!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
This morning, we overslept a bit and decided to get a cab to O'hana's. Once we got there, there was a half hour wait, at least. The Polynesian was a very pretty resort. Soon after we were seated, Mike asked if there was any way he could have some oatmeal and tea with breakfastno problem! The waitress ordered up some oatmeal from next door, free of charge, and it was perfectly done. They also had plenty of breakfast food for Catelyn including Mickey waffles! Mmm, perfect! We got to meet some more charactersMickey and Pluto again, and also Lilo and Stitch. Stitch was very funny and even got the guys to smile. We left satisfied and full in spite of the wait. Mike headed back to the resort, and I took both kids to Magic Kingdom to check out Tom Sawyer's Island. We took the train over to Frontierland and got on the raft. It was terribly hot, but luckily we actually remembered to bring our fan sprayer. The kids really loved checking out the island, especially the abandoned mine, the cave, and the old fort complete with rifles and a secret escape route. After we took the raft back to the mainland, Catelyn had a frozen strawberry treat and Andrew and I got a Dole whip.
That was really tasty! We also picked up some watermight as well use up those snack credits! We headed back to do some swimming after that. After swimming, we got ourselves ready to go to the Cirque du Soliel in Downtown Disney. It started raining so once again we couldn't take the ferry, so we caught a bus. Once there, we pulled out our ponchos and headed towards the Cirque show, on the opposite end of DTD. We all stopped and got popcorn (it was all safe for Catelyn!) and enjoyed the walk. It wasn't raining too bad, just a few sprinkles. We got to the show in plenty of time and it was great, the kids loved it. The clown acts were too funny. Catelyn was just on the edge of her seat and clapping and laughing at everything. A very well done show!
After the show, we walked across DTD again and stopped at Babycakes Bakery, which has all allergy-free baked goods! Catelyn was so excited! There were cupcakes, cupcake tops, doughnuts, and sweet breads. We picked out a bunch of stuff, using up the rest of our snack credits, and then headed over to the Lego store. Then back to the resort for dinner and a good night's sleep!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
This morning, Catelyn and I had our last day of going to the Magic Kingdom. Of course, we had to go to Splash Mountain--twice! We walked on once and also got a fastpass for later. We road Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again, and went through the Swiss Family Tree house. After that we headed back to use our Splash Mountain fastpass. We hopped on the train, which unfortunately had to stop for water which took a little extra time, but finally we made it back to the resort and stopped for lunch at Riverside Mill. A chicken salad for me, and spaghetti for Catelyn. Then she joined the boys at the pool while I went back to the room to start packing up. It started to rain, and they stayed in the pool while most of the other people headed out, which they enjoyed thoroughly! After they got back to the room, they got cleaned up, and Catelyn and I decided to head to Epcot to meet the Beast a couple hours before our dinner reservations. What did we do? We forgot her autograph book.
We managed to get there just as the rain was stopping, and we got a few photopass pics before heading to France to get in line for the Belle and Beast meet and greet. After about a half hour, out they came! Catelyn was so excited to get to meet the Beast, who is her favorite prince and one of her favorite characters! We had them sign on a piece of paper I had in my pocket. Better than nothing! After that, we continued to wander around the world towards Great Britain, where we had reservations at the Rose and Crown. We met the guys for dinner and got to sit on the patio with a view of the water. It was a beautiful evening! I got a shepherd's pie with ground lamb, Andrew got bangers and mash, and Mike got fish and chips. I had a glass of wine and Mike had a Stella beer. Catelyn had grilled chicken and fries. For dessert, we had a very tasty Sticky Toffee Pudding. Catelyn had ice cream and Andrew was too full. We decided to head back before the Illuminations show to beat the crowds, and on the way we stopped and rode the Nemo ride (which was pretty boring for all of us), but we enjoyed the light-up sidewalk designs since it was dark enough to notice them. A nice little surprise! We made it back to the room in plenty of time to get a good night's sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn to get to the airport. Thursday, August 25, 2011
Good-bye, Disney. We got to the luggage check outside the lobby, rearranged our bags so that they were all under 50lbs, and waited for the Magic Express to take us back. Luckily, we didn't even have to stop at any other resorts! Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and had an uneventful trip home. Unfortunately, one of our bags was very roughly treated and several things leaked, which has never happened before, and Mike's travel teapot lid is messed up, but still barely functional.
Next time we go to Disney, it will almost certainly be just me and Catelyn and no boys! Andrew didn't like any of the rides, and he hated the lines even when they weren't that long. All he liked was the pool and the food. Mike liked some parts, but Catelyn and I loved the whole experience and want to do it again! Our room was clean, the resort was pretty, the housekeeper was excellent (she spoke only Spanish so I was able to communicate a little with Google translator, especially when we were trying to locate Catelyn's lost seal pup. We found out she wasn't going to be there the day we left so we made sure to tip her the whole amount in person, mid-week. She was very sweet and made us a cute Dumbo towel animal, and also a puppy and a purse, which she told us to take home so we did. The bus service was just fine, except the one night where we had to wait for a long time after the fireworks to get back. Bus lines were much shorter if we left before or during the parade. The food was pretty good and the choices were plentiful. The free dining made it a real dealfood is quite expensive there, that's for sure! Overall, a great trip!!
-Amanda
