Firsts, Fourths, and Farewells (4/28 Back to the Future!)


Welcome Back!! I hope your trip was absolutely wonderful!! You know I can't wait to hear all about it :goodvibes




We definitely had fun and I think the kids have a whole new perspective on cruising.
They weren't sure what to think when we told them we would not be going on any rides this time around.
The description of the experience this time around that we kept using was "A very non-Disney Disney experience."
That is, non-Disney is that we were relaxing and enjoying ourselves yet Disney in the great theming, attention to detail, and fun!
 
We definitely had fun and I think the kids have a whole new perspective on cruising.
They weren't sure what to think when we told them we would not be going on any rides this time around.
The description of the experience this time around that we kept using was "A very non-Disney Disney experience."
That is, non-Disney is that we were relaxing and enjoying ourselves yet Disney in the great theming, attention to detail, and fun!

I'm definitely looking forward to hearing how it all went. (And one of my co-workers is interested in hearing it, too, since she and her family will be going on the same cruise in mid-January.) Thankfully, I get the benefit of an in-person TR :cool1: rather than waiting for the online :surfweb: version, though I don't think I'll be getting over to you guys for a couple of weeks.
 
After our rendezvous with Chip and Dale we headed over to the Universe of Energy.
X had never been on this and I thought he’d love the big dinos.
We had to wait for Mom and DS to arrive so I bet you can guess what we did!
Why, pictures of course!
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X wanted to join in on the fun.
He even made his very own dinosaur impression.
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Then we needed one with the whole gang of course.
So we found an unsuspecting CM and posed.
Too bad there was lots of sunlight – it was hard for the kids to keep their eyes open.
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Mom and DS finally arrived so we ran in just in time to catch the preshow.
I actually like this preshow.
I’m not a big Ellen fan but she’s actually very funny in the preshow.
Even DS was laughing.
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And then it was on to the dinos!
The first dino room is always my favorite.
After that, they get a little cheesier and the Ellen animatronic is really badly done.
But I love when you go under these guys and they spit/sneeze on you.
X must’ve jumped a foot when they sprayed near us!
It was great!
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After a nice relaxing, air-conditioned 45 minutes, we headed over to the International Space Training Facility.
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But first we slipped DS into the shirt we bought specifically for this moment.
How cool is this shirt?!?!?!
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Meanwhile, our princess was feeling the weight of a planet.
Think we should help her out?
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Now here’s where our story gets interesting.
Mom stayed with X and headed for Mission Space Cargo Bay so he could play for a bit.
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The rest of us rode Mission:Space on the Green Team.
J, however, got the genius idea to try the centrifuge and boarded the Orange Team for the first time.
At least he documented his journey well…
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Now, before we board, Uncle J treats us to a look back at the history of space travel.
Which one of these do you remember?
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I always loved the one showing the first family space with their dog.
It’s a great little touch that shows our progression towards actual manned flights to the moon.
 
But J was now ready to go so he checked the map and his Training Schedule.
Musn’t be late after all!
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Finally - the arrival at the launch bay.
And one last look at the ticket that will come back to haunt a specific uncle we all know and love….
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After his mission, J wandered over to meet the rest of us in the Advanced Training Lab.
The kids were already scattered playing games they made up and enjoying themselves.
This is one of their favorite places in Epcot.
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Mom and J even tried the Space Race.
Their team wasn’t so hot and they got beat pretty bad.
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I even wandered in the Cargo Bay to take a look at the souvenirs, posters, and statues.
I love this shop – very well themed and lots of cool stuff!
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We played so much, we lost track of time and when I realized how late it got, I grabbed the troops and took off across the park at a fast pace.
We had ADR’s at the Beach Club in 10 MINUTES!!!
Will the Capells arrive on time?
Or better yet, will ALL of the Capells arrive on time?
Climb aboard your light cycles and race across the parks with us for the conclusion of Day Five!
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Great update :thumbsup2

I love X's dinosaur pose. So cute!

As someone who has never ridden either version of Mission Space, I loved seeing all the pictures. I detect a bit of ominous foreshadowing for Uncle J though :worried:
 
Great update :thumbsup2

I love X's dinosaur pose. So cute!

As someone who has never ridden either version of Mission Space, I loved seeing all the pictures. I detect a bit of ominous foreshadowing for Uncle J though :worried:

Just stating the facts including how J wouldn't listen to our advice.
But there is definitely more to come on this story... ;)
 
Welcome Back! I figured you must be on some type of Disney vacation. It sounds like you had a fantastic time. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Very cool that your DS got to ride Soarin with some of his friends. That's awesome! Cute pictures.

I agree that I have never been a big Ellen fan, but I have to say that that ride changed my opinion of her. I immediately found her more likeable. Great dino pics from inside the ride.

You also did a great job with your Mission Space pictures.

I must have been in the world right before you. I started a new TR - see siggie - if you are interested. The links are up to date. :thumbsup2
 
Welcome Back! I figured you must be on some type of Disney vacation. It sounds like you had a fantastic time. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Very cool that your DS got to ride Soarin with some of his friends. That's awesome! Cute pictures.

I agree that I have never been a big Ellen fan, but I have to say that that ride changed my opinion of her. I immediately found her more likeable. Great dino pics from inside the ride.

You also did a great job with your Mission Space pictures.

I must have been in the world right before you. I started a new TR - see siggie - if you are interested. The links are up to date. :thumbsup2

Just checked it out - you are already far into it - I'll have to catch up.
As for our recent trip - we hit the World and a Disney Cruise but didn't actually enter the parks.
It was definitely a different vacation but we'll fill you all in very soon.
I think we'll start that TR and run two at once since the kids are exciting about helping...
 
With X safely strapped into the stroller and the kids holding on for dear life, I took off at a run towards the International Gateway.
I shouted back to Mom and J that I would check the Friendship Launch to save us time.
But when I arrived near it, it was far away and the line was long.
And Mom and J had disappeared.
Well, they knew where we were going.
So I weaved in and out around people flying around the World Showcase and arriving at the International Gateway.
We passed through, struggled up the hill, and then over to the Beach Club.
We arrived in the lobby a couple of minutes late and I dropped the kids off at the little seats next to the TV showing Mickey shorts.
They were pooped but they kept up with me and we made it together - well, except for Mom and J... :confused3

So I checked us in and called the others to see where they are.
No answer of course.
Then I changed the kids into their Beach Club polos (which was a good thing since our other outfits were sweaty from the run) and then took some pictures in the lobby.
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Mom and J finally arrived and changed and then we headed into the Cape May Clam Bake.
It was our first time eating here for dinner and we were excited!
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We enjoyed the meal and stuffed ourselves.
So much so that we neglected to take many pictures until it was time for dessert.
The kids drew pictures while we ate.
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The food was very good if you are a seafood fan – Mom had snow crab legs and shrimp and was having a grand ol’ time.
The boys weren’t as excited being more picky eaters.
But even they perked up when we hit the dessert tables.
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Make your own Mickey!
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All stuffed and happy (well, most of us but that story comes later), we walked back through Epcot to the Main Gate and then headed home.
Tomorrow was yet another jam-packed day.
See you then!
 
I love CMC for breakfast and dinner. It's one of my favs!

Make your own Mickey - :rotfl: - cute! I love all those desserts.

That cake with the fav 5 is pretty spectacular. Wow!

Glad everyone enjoyed their dinner.
 
Just stating the facts including how J wouldn't listen to our advice.
But there is definitely more to come on this story... ;)

Definitely getting a bit ahead of things, but it's rather difficult not to.

This has been rather the controversy with the troupe since I went on MS: Orange. For the record, the only ill-effect after I got off of the ride was a
mild/moderate headache. (Motion sickness :sick:, for me, has always presented itself as a headache. :headache: So, when growing up, I was very
quickly trained to go to sleep when we got in the car :drive: for anything more than about 5 minutes.)
 
Mom and J finally arrived and changed and then we headed into the Cape May Clam Bake.
It was our first time eating here for dinner and we were excited!
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We enjoyed the meal and stuffed ourselves.

The food was very good if you are a seafood fan – Mom had snow crab legs and shrimp and was having a grand ol’ time.

I'm a seafood fan as well. I enjoyed the crab legs. And the mussels. And the fried shrimp (a few times). :crazy2: Not to mention many of the other items
on the buffet. :stir:

The only thing, it seems, I didn't wind up eating at dinner :guilty: was a "wafer thin mint." :banana: :woohoo:(apologies to Monty Python and,
specifically, Mr. Creosote)
 
This update has me pining for September! I can't wait to check into the YC & BC and of course we have an adr at Cape May!

I don't know how their cakes would taste but they are always so cool looking!

Sounds like dinner was a nice end to your day :)
 
This update has me pining for September! I can't wait to check into the YC & BC and of course we have an adr at Cape May!

I don't know how their cakes would taste but they are always so cool looking!

Sounds like dinner was a nice end to your day :)

Well, it ended nice.
After that we had some issues... :goodvibes
Stay tuned...
 
OK- I've just got to jump in here to fill in some blanks!
What my DH has failed to mention is that he took off from Mission Space with all 3 kids in tow like a bat out of hell because he didn't want to be late for our Cape May reservation.
He is just that type-A kind of a guy who couldn't deal with being even a little bit late.
J and I were already tired from our long day in the parks and honestly, we simply didn't see any reason to panic & run like lunatics through the International Gateway.
We knew quite well that Disney would not have denied us a table just because we arrived a few minutes after our reservation!
So, we did a more reasonable jog/speed walk to the ferry stop and waited just a few minutes and rode the lovely, relaxing ferry over to the Beach Club.
I even called WDW dining while waiting for the boat and told then we were running late.
Sure, we were a few minutes later than DH and the kids, but we were not out of breath, or sweaty, or exhausted when we got there so I think we made the right call.

We changed into our properly preppy polo shirts for dinner and got seated right away.
Here's the one and only photo we took of everyone at dinner:
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As you can see, X was way too hungry and grumpy to cooperate with pictures by this point.

The dinner buffet was quite yummy but the real standout of the evening was the fried butterfly shrimp.
Tey were HUGE and soo good!
DD and I went back for seconds and I think maybe even thirds.
Plus the desert bar was fab!
I seriously ate too much- and I know I wasn't the only one...
 
So in my defense, we were more than a little late. ::yes::
I believe I arrived about 15 minutes late and Mom and J were a good 10 minutes behind us.
But we all settled in nicely once we got there and a had a good meal.
It's what happened after that's the more contested story...
 
We awoke early as we scrambled to get ready for Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom.
The goal was to be at the bus stop by 7AM.
However, the big guy in the other room wasn’t budging.
Apparently J was up all night in the bathroom and was not feeling very good.
He suggested we head out without him and that he’d catch up.
I’ll let him fill in the details…

While we felt bad, the kids were raring to go so we headed for the bus stop dressed in our ears!
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The Magic Kingdom was a spectacle as the sun rose over Cinderella’s Castle.
What a sight Main Street is in the morning.
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And then we were off.
It was time for what I like to call the “Dumbo Dash.”
As soon as the rope drops, we head straight up Main Street, through the castle, and to our favorite pachyderm.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: With the new Fantasyland, our “Dumbo Dash” is now a thing of the past. And I hear the lines are not as insane over in the new location.

We were doing so well this morning on timing, we were stopped at the entrance to Fantasyland at another rope.
As soon as that one dropped, I darted forward, parked the stroller, popped X out and away we went.
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We even made it into the FIRST RIDE ON DUMBO!
As you can see, the one before us was the test run.
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We split up – me with the boys while the girls rode across the carousel.
This way we could take pics of each other.
First, the view of and from my Dumbo.
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Smile Mom!
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And, of course, the Fantasyland construction (which is now much farther along).
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Then the view from the girls’ Dumbo and our little princess waiting to fly!
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Smile boys!
For some reason, Mom didn’t zoom in though…
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And Mom’s view of the construction:
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Our pachyderms finally lowered us to the ground and back to Fantasyland.
Stay tuned to see our next destination!
And J can fill you in on his condition...
 

I love this shot - the boys all look so handsome in their matching Mickey polos.

Poor J - I'm guessing something on the CMC buffet did not agree with you. Bummer.

Way to be at the bus stop early to pave the way for the Dumbo dash. I'm impressed. You really got some great shots of the kids on Dumbo and the new Fantasyland construction.
 
I love the matching polos! Stacy always does a wonderful job outfitting all of you :thumbsup2

Cute Dumbo pics :)
 















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