MelessaG
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2004
- Messages
- 1,295
Cast of Characters
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
When I left off, my family of 6 had just survived something only slightly less traumatizing than the four hurricanes that pounded Florida before we arrived. That is, a two year-old tantrum. After lunch, we walked to the bus stop. As an ill-advised shortcut, we went through the gift shop. (I think I was after a disposable camera too) Little Tink found a huge stuffed Nala she 'had' to have. Since the kids brought their own money and I saw plenty of Nalas, I told her to keep it on her wish list and we would see about it on our last day. (Be warned, I missed out on "Rudolph Stitch" this way-fortunately, it was me who wanted him and not Sonnyboy-phew!) We got to the bus stop, and the bus came quickly. I thought the empty bus and large exiting crowds at MK were a sure sign we had missed the parade. That's what I get for thinking. "Oh well", I thought, "at least its warm enough for Splash Mountain. Let's get a FP right away."
No sooner did we get off the bus, than the Pixe Dust started flying. First, there was no line at the bag check, then an exiting family GAVE us their double stroller. After DH picked me up off the ground where I had passed out from shock, we saw an empty Main Street, but heard something...it was music...it was the parade coming back to its starting place and my kids were seated right at the curb in a free double stroller! Would you laugh if I admit that I stood there with them just watching the parade and wiping tears off my face? That was pure Disney magic at its best.
Now the problem was, we were supposed to meet MeMe and PaPa at a designated location and had been unable to do so-or to reach them by cell phone. (one of the very few times that was a problem for us) Again, Tink must have waved her wand because there they were by Tony's Town Square as soon as the parade ended. After a potty stop, I had a promise to fulfill my two older kids. Their first Splash Mountain ride...But they got distracted the minute we walked into Adventureland. They just couldn't understand why Mommy was pushing them right past Aladdin's Magic Carpets and the Tiki Room. Didn't I know they loved those things? If I didn't, they sure were loudly filling me in-so to all of you at the MK that day who felt sorry for the big kids in the stroller just crying to get out and ride something, don't worry, they did.
When we got to Splash Mountain, I was sent ahead to grab FP's while strollers were parked and little ones were secured with MeMe at the play area. The bad news...the FP machines weren't working, the good news...only a 25 minute wait. While I was at it, I grabbed some FP's for BTMRR and updated the group on our plan of attack. So, after Bitty Princess ran joyfully into the play area (and MeMe thought she would notice us leaving) the rest of us got in line. Once the kids understood where they were and what they were about to do, they began dancing in anticipation. The line moved quickly, and before we knew it we were loading. When I saw Little Tink and I were about to sit in the front row of the log, I traded with a somewhat reluctant DH and Sonnyboy. Hey! I wasn't getting wet. (or so I thought) The ride was a big hit with the kiddos, and that made it that much more fun for me. Everyone seemed ready and eager for the 'big drop' when Sonnyboy got an idea. Just as we went down and hit the water, he ducked down in his seat leaving the big spalsh to drench the person sitting behind him. Me, his loving mother. Thanks Sonnyboy! We all had a good laugh and went to collect MeMe (whose back condition prevents her from enjoying the Mountain rides) and the little ones. Baby Girl was hungry, so it was a few minutes before we regrouped at went on to our next ride. Not that Bitty Princess minded a few more minutes in the play area. Hard to believe that adorable child having so much fun had been such a screaming demon just a few hours before...not that I was complaining.
After Baby Girl was topped off, we headed for BTMRR. Even with a FP, it was a pretty good wait. Since this was to be their first 'real' coaster ride, I was a bit worried about Sonnyboy and Little Tink. I shouldn't have bothered. They had a blast and so did we. Seriously, as someone who has only visited the parks as an adult, I never remember having so much fun on that ride. Although I've always taken my kids to WDW as babies, and will most likely continue to do so, I will somewhat acknowledge the arguement in favor of waiting until they are a bit bigger to go. Surely, Little Tink and Sonnyboy have never had more fun than they did on this trip and that made it that much more fun for DH and I too. Then again, I don't regret the previous three trips either and I guess I'm just thankful that we've been able to go so often in these kids' lives.
After BTMRR, we went back to Adventureland and caught all our favorites (after explaining to Little Tink that jumping back into the 65 minute stand-by line for BTMRR would be counter-productive to our evening). I know a lot of people can take of leave the Tiki Room, but we just love it. After that, we soared with Aladdin and got spit on by a camel, then met up with DSis and DBIL for Pirates of the Carribbean. As much as she loved the movie, that ride kind of unnerved Little Tink and definitely bothered Bitty Princess. It never used to so I suppose that too is just an age thing. Funny enough, they were more than happy to compensate for their 'trauma' on the ride by shopping at the gift shop. Bitty Princess got a lanyard just like Little Tink and Sonnyboy's. (She's 2-who knew she would want one?!) Sonnyboy got a plastic light-up sword for the bargain price of $5.63 (I'm not kidding! I didn't know you could get anything in the MK for $5.63), and Little Tink, a HUGE Peter Pan fan, bought a playset with Peter, Hook, and the treasure chest. We were just about to gather the strollers and leave the park, when I got lost trying to find the stroller parking. To Little Tink's delight, we stumbled right across the Spectromagic parade!
MeMe and Little Tink went to an empty bench where, the crowd notwithstanding, they could see pretty well given the height of the SPectromagic floats. No longer disoriented, I ran back into the gift shop and herded the others out to our spot. While MeMe and PaPa watched the kids, DH and I gathered the strollers and caught the rest of the parade with Baby Girl in my arms and Bitty Princess on his shoulders. You know, the stuff WDW commercials are made of. After the parade, we were just ahead of the crowds enough that we could have made it out of the park before Wishes started, but we didn't have the heart to leave. I tried to reason that we had just seen it Sunday, but when we heard Jiminy Cricket's voice as we headed down Main Street we found ourselves turning around and rooted to the spot.
At least we tried.
As it turned out, we still made it onto the bus rather quickly. On the drive back we had the nicest conversation with a grandmother and her grandchildren visiting from England. I felt bad because they were standing near my seat and with a baby on my lap and a folding stroller at my feet-I couldn't do much to help them. So, we chatted instead. She and her grandchildren were charming, and Little Tink was enthralled with their "Peter Pan" accents. They had been in the parks a few days and were planning a "massive pool day" tomorrow. They also helped us off the bus when we arrived at the AKL and we wished each other well. Just another lovely example of how crowds don't bring out the worst in everyone. With one last trip through the gift shop for milk (and a wave at stuffed Nala), we were in our room and sleeping. More adventure to come tomorrow...
Me- WDW nut who just may love planning trips more than taking them
DH-reluctant escort who I think may enjoy WDW more than he lets us know
Little Tink- almost 7 year-old WDW vet and budding park commando like mom
Sonny Boy-4 year-old "Stitch" fan who acts a lot like 626
Bitty Princess-2 year-old Diva
Baby Girl-6 month old along for the ride
MeMe-My mom and doting grandmother
PaPa-my Dad and mentor in vacationing 'commando-style'
DSis-My youngest sis, pregnant on the trip wed last July
DBIL-Sis' new husband, an unknown quantity, and birthday boy this trip
When I left off, my family of 6 had just survived something only slightly less traumatizing than the four hurricanes that pounded Florida before we arrived. That is, a two year-old tantrum. After lunch, we walked to the bus stop. As an ill-advised shortcut, we went through the gift shop. (I think I was after a disposable camera too) Little Tink found a huge stuffed Nala she 'had' to have. Since the kids brought their own money and I saw plenty of Nalas, I told her to keep it on her wish list and we would see about it on our last day. (Be warned, I missed out on "Rudolph Stitch" this way-fortunately, it was me who wanted him and not Sonnyboy-phew!) We got to the bus stop, and the bus came quickly. I thought the empty bus and large exiting crowds at MK were a sure sign we had missed the parade. That's what I get for thinking. "Oh well", I thought, "at least its warm enough for Splash Mountain. Let's get a FP right away."
No sooner did we get off the bus, than the Pixe Dust started flying. First, there was no line at the bag check, then an exiting family GAVE us their double stroller. After DH picked me up off the ground where I had passed out from shock, we saw an empty Main Street, but heard something...it was music...it was the parade coming back to its starting place and my kids were seated right at the curb in a free double stroller! Would you laugh if I admit that I stood there with them just watching the parade and wiping tears off my face? That was pure Disney magic at its best.
Now the problem was, we were supposed to meet MeMe and PaPa at a designated location and had been unable to do so-or to reach them by cell phone. (one of the very few times that was a problem for us) Again, Tink must have waved her wand because there they were by Tony's Town Square as soon as the parade ended. After a potty stop, I had a promise to fulfill my two older kids. Their first Splash Mountain ride...But they got distracted the minute we walked into Adventureland. They just couldn't understand why Mommy was pushing them right past Aladdin's Magic Carpets and the Tiki Room. Didn't I know they loved those things? If I didn't, they sure were loudly filling me in-so to all of you at the MK that day who felt sorry for the big kids in the stroller just crying to get out and ride something, don't worry, they did.
When we got to Splash Mountain, I was sent ahead to grab FP's while strollers were parked and little ones were secured with MeMe at the play area. The bad news...the FP machines weren't working, the good news...only a 25 minute wait. While I was at it, I grabbed some FP's for BTMRR and updated the group on our plan of attack. So, after Bitty Princess ran joyfully into the play area (and MeMe thought she would notice us leaving) the rest of us got in line. Once the kids understood where they were and what they were about to do, they began dancing in anticipation. The line moved quickly, and before we knew it we were loading. When I saw Little Tink and I were about to sit in the front row of the log, I traded with a somewhat reluctant DH and Sonnyboy. Hey! I wasn't getting wet. (or so I thought) The ride was a big hit with the kiddos, and that made it that much more fun for me. Everyone seemed ready and eager for the 'big drop' when Sonnyboy got an idea. Just as we went down and hit the water, he ducked down in his seat leaving the big spalsh to drench the person sitting behind him. Me, his loving mother. Thanks Sonnyboy! We all had a good laugh and went to collect MeMe (whose back condition prevents her from enjoying the Mountain rides) and the little ones. Baby Girl was hungry, so it was a few minutes before we regrouped at went on to our next ride. Not that Bitty Princess minded a few more minutes in the play area. Hard to believe that adorable child having so much fun had been such a screaming demon just a few hours before...not that I was complaining.
After Baby Girl was topped off, we headed for BTMRR. Even with a FP, it was a pretty good wait. Since this was to be their first 'real' coaster ride, I was a bit worried about Sonnyboy and Little Tink. I shouldn't have bothered. They had a blast and so did we. Seriously, as someone who has only visited the parks as an adult, I never remember having so much fun on that ride. Although I've always taken my kids to WDW as babies, and will most likely continue to do so, I will somewhat acknowledge the arguement in favor of waiting until they are a bit bigger to go. Surely, Little Tink and Sonnyboy have never had more fun than they did on this trip and that made it that much more fun for DH and I too. Then again, I don't regret the previous three trips either and I guess I'm just thankful that we've been able to go so often in these kids' lives.
After BTMRR, we went back to Adventureland and caught all our favorites (after explaining to Little Tink that jumping back into the 65 minute stand-by line for BTMRR would be counter-productive to our evening). I know a lot of people can take of leave the Tiki Room, but we just love it. After that, we soared with Aladdin and got spit on by a camel, then met up with DSis and DBIL for Pirates of the Carribbean. As much as she loved the movie, that ride kind of unnerved Little Tink and definitely bothered Bitty Princess. It never used to so I suppose that too is just an age thing. Funny enough, they were more than happy to compensate for their 'trauma' on the ride by shopping at the gift shop. Bitty Princess got a lanyard just like Little Tink and Sonnyboy's. (She's 2-who knew she would want one?!) Sonnyboy got a plastic light-up sword for the bargain price of $5.63 (I'm not kidding! I didn't know you could get anything in the MK for $5.63), and Little Tink, a HUGE Peter Pan fan, bought a playset with Peter, Hook, and the treasure chest. We were just about to gather the strollers and leave the park, when I got lost trying to find the stroller parking. To Little Tink's delight, we stumbled right across the Spectromagic parade!
MeMe and Little Tink went to an empty bench where, the crowd notwithstanding, they could see pretty well given the height of the SPectromagic floats. No longer disoriented, I ran back into the gift shop and herded the others out to our spot. While MeMe and PaPa watched the kids, DH and I gathered the strollers and caught the rest of the parade with Baby Girl in my arms and Bitty Princess on his shoulders. You know, the stuff WDW commercials are made of. After the parade, we were just ahead of the crowds enough that we could have made it out of the park before Wishes started, but we didn't have the heart to leave. I tried to reason that we had just seen it Sunday, but when we heard Jiminy Cricket's voice as we headed down Main Street we found ourselves turning around and rooted to the spot.
At least we tried.
As it turned out, we still made it onto the bus rather quickly. On the drive back we had the nicest conversation with a grandmother and her grandchildren visiting from England. I felt bad because they were standing near my seat and with a baby on my lap and a folding stroller at my feet-I couldn't do much to help them. So, we chatted instead. She and her grandchildren were charming, and Little Tink was enthralled with their "Peter Pan" accents. They had been in the parks a few days and were planning a "massive pool day" tomorrow. They also helped us off the bus when we arrived at the AKL and we wished each other well. Just another lovely example of how crowds don't bring out the worst in everyone. With one last trip through the gift shop for milk (and a wave at stuffed Nala), we were in our room and sleeping. More adventure to come tomorrow...
