Hi!! Oh geeze...my head is so stuffy. I could deal with it in FL but back here in IL where it's so UGLY and snowing it feels like I just want to crawl back into bed.
Well!! We had a wonderful time. There is so much to tell...I am sure when I look back at my pics it will remind me of stuff.
I read a bit yesterday in MCO and read somebody heard somebody

said crowds weren't bad. OMG....let me tell you....there were zigzag queues for the People Mover down below and above.

There were 45 min Small World waits.....150 min Test Track....my DH and daughters fast passed it. I wound up calling his cell saying WHERE ARE YOU? It took 40 minutes in the FP line.

Yesterday they had to pull 3 monorails off line because they were just so overloaded and stressing them and they broke down. We were on the third. Had to hoof it back to the GF from the TTC. Fun - especially when we went to MK for a bit of fun and it was so crowded we rode Snow White and tried to leave via the Frontier land station (we tried to go on Pirates but it was 45 min wait - had been 90 earlier) so we said forget it and tried to take the train to the MS station......the train line was down the stairs and farther so we turned around and literally fought our way thru the oncoming crowd to LEAVE!!! Then we get on a monorail (big mistake) and it took 40 minutes to get to the TTC.....there they did more "maintenance" and 15 minutes later finally said we all needed to exit the train....our door wouldn't open so we had to climb over seats to get out.

THEN they said to go down the ramp to the END OF THE LINE!!! WHat??!?! We were already ON a monorail and they wanted us to get to teh end and wait for more to come.....we were like screw that and walked to the GF - got pretty pics though.....we were rushed to get lunch at Gaspies and visit w/GF friends before we got limo pick up. Good thing we didn't wait too close to limo time to leave MK. Lesson learned - take the boat.
Then (it was a weird day yesterday) our flight was delayed due to maintenanace issues.....we finally get on to fly home and had to pull back to the gate for more maintenance issues....hahaa....that didn't make me feel too good. Felt like hopping off and calling to recheck into the GF. We got home at midnight last night. Poor DH had 4 meetings and had to go in to work today. I couldn't have done it. Still in pjs here.
The first day the DDs and I went to MK and had a nice time....weather in the low 80s and gorgeous. Crowded but we handled it. The next day Epcot and had the princess bfast in Norway. It was wonderful. Our FL buddie joined us and I had to add a person and talked to the CM at the podium....He was French and I thought Uh oh.

(totally not PC but I have this fear of rude French people

) anyway - he turned out to be the nicest man. He added our friend and we actually got called in but she wasn't there yet, so he was very gracious about the whole thing. The NICEST, KINDEST thing was that you enter and take a pic w/Belle.....well Lucy was self conscious about her white cane so she didn't. Well, when he delivered the pics to our table he asked me for a minute of my time (in a super nice way) and pulled me aside and felt so bad taht she didn't have her pic taken w/Belle he insisted she do it and he would give me the pic ffree. I told him no, it's fine and explained and he just was sooo nice and kind I cna't express it. Well, later during bfast a nice cm came and said the manager insisted and wanted her to be able to take her pic w/Belle and they worked it all out and I cam ehome w/two gorgous pic sets from that Norway bfast. It just made my week because it was so sincere. My girls were thinking maybe he has somebody in his family that's blind or something the way he was so kind about it and so touched.
We had a blast at Epcot and took tons of stupid pics. This is a wacky story, but we have this crazy Spanish speaking baby doll that travels to WDW with us. CRO always - I mean for YEARS - had my Josie as JOSE - on our family history. Each time I called I had to insist and change it to JOSIE a girl - not JOSE a boy. haha.....they'd get testy w/me, too!!! Funny. Once they had Josie listed as Josie, Josephine, Jojo, JO and of course Jose. We had like 9 people in our "family" so they wouldn't let me book my standard deluxe room haha until that wass fixed....so I thought it was fixed. Nope they left Jose as part of our family unit. so my crazy CM friend bought us Jose the doll to bring with. We pose him and take stupid obnoxious pics around the parks w/him and the girls and I get a kick out of it. DH and DS not so much.

although sometimes they surprise. So we spnt the afternoon doing WS and taking silly pics and having fun.
Friday we went back to MK....crowded but fun still. Then we swam and waited for DH. He was late. Kind of killed the evening, but then we headed over to B & C for that Kitchen Sink. They told us it was a 90 minute wait!!! haha....lots of people got told the same thing but left. We stuck it out and it wasnt more than a 20 min wait. I have good pics of this ordeal. I really id want the No Way Jose. I LOVE peanut butter - but the girls said we keep promising to have the KS and they're right we do and never do it, so I caved and dug around in that mess for the peanut butter.
Sat we checked into the GF than went to MGM. PACKED. We did the annimation thing - which oddly enough we never have - and it was fun. Then ate at Brown Derby - LOVE that place. Used the GAC to get on Star Tours and that was about it all afternoon! It was unreal with the crowds.
Sunday -Easter - it was such fun. We got our butts up and out early and headed to the courtyard pool area (after the girls had their own hunt in our room and did our silly Easter things) The courtyard was decorated w/balloons and eggs and they had coffee and muffins out - it was really pretty. Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy were there in their Easter best for pics. Later Alice and Mad Hatter. They had egg hunts and it was lots of fun and the kids were glad (for the first time ever) to be at WDW for a holiday. Then we went ot Epcot for that special expensive

Easter brunch. It was nice and impressive but I wouldn't do it again. The place was huge and they had too many diff stations set up to get your food. It was inconvenient. we were table 465 and there were more than that. Just huge and overwhelming. We aren't big bfast eaters but wanted something special so this was it. Then the girls did the Alie party at the Epcot Odyessee (I know I cracked that word - I tried many dif ways and it all looks wrong haha) and Lucy was too old she decided but did it anyway & Jojo didn't want to do it but enjoyed it. That afternoon at the GF they had pool games and crafts til about 3:30 but we missed taht stuff.....It was a fun day though.
We didn't stick around much at all due to crwods. I feel so unfulfilled,

Monday - Wed crowds were even more hideous than the week prior to Easter. We didn't do a whole lot.....not even SMall world!! THAT is so not worth waiting in a line and usually a walk on....not during this trip. I have not ever even during Xmas seen the parks that jammed. It was uncomfortable. I feel the need to go back but not during a peak season....hoping to take the kids out of school and leave DS at home again next trip. These were the worst biggest crowds ever but have to say the guests were good and nice for the most part and the CMs were super. Very different from the Thanksgiving/Chistmas holiday crowd. Not sure why but those Tgiving/XMas people are the worst, year after year.
I have to meet my friend and get DS....gotta run! I will post more later and I am leaving out details I know....although it's wordy enough already.
Oh just remembered - I saw maybe 5 (and that's probably pushing it) Dream Team people all week. Where they hide I have no clue. I must be totally unlucky?? Or Disney is skimpy w/their prizes more like it.
I asked about the lobby floor in the GF. No date set yet at all. Rumors rumors......when it is done, though, it will be in sections and not a huge ordeal or inconvenience. It's ready to go so it should be quick and not too bad for guests.
Also about the cabanas.......right now they are still 2 and 2. Nothing planned re turning them all into rentals at this time.
Talk to ya later!!!
I need to have DH help/show me how to use the new camera software and post the pics....OMG...I have like 1500 and they are awesome.
Channing
