Heigh Ho! Heigh Ho! It's Off to Celebrate We Go!--LAST UPDATE!!! PG 62 ENJOY!!!!!!!!!

lmillercrew · Jul 19, 2009

I'm going to vote for AK! I don't know a whole lot about that park, so I would like to hear more.

Jill, I have to tell you that I now belong to the Vera Bradley club! I bought my first VB on Friday! I bought the Lisa B in Pinwheel Pink. LOVE IT! I love it even more because Lisa B is my name. Woohoo! :woohoo:

cherbear · Jul 20, 2009

okay I will vote DHS! :thumbsup2

the lines still open?

Glad Megs gets to ride TT this year!!! I just love that ride. Good idea with the lotion to combat the burning smell on SE.

MegansMom · Jul 20, 2009

Okay Gang.....the votes are in...and AK is up next!!!! I will get crackin' on it and have it posted for you here ASAP!!!! Until then, have a GREAT Monday night!!!!

lmillercrew · Jul 21, 2009

MegansMom said:
Okay Gang.....the votes are in...and AK is up next!!!! I will get crackin' on it and have it posted for you here ASAP!!!! Until then, have a GREAT Monday night!!!!

Thanks Jill! You too! We'll all be waiting here with baited breath for the AK update!

MegansMom · Jul 23, 2009

You asked for it, so here it is my dears, our Animal Kingdom Musts, Loves, and DON'TS!!!!!

This picture is from our trip last year with my family...waving are my sister Kristi and my Mom, and Tom can be seen reading a map I think off to the left. Megs is probably in the stroller.

Ahhh......I want a tree like that in my backyard!!!

This park is the one that our clan has visited the least out of all the WDW parks---we didn't even visit here on our first trip in September 2006.....it got booted in favor of another day in MK!!!! BUT, we do love the ambiance of the AK.....just not the heat!!!! Boy, did they do a good job recreating the sweltering temps of Asia and Africa!!!! :goodvibes

So on with the lists:

Megan's Favorite AK rides: Triceratop Spin and the Safari

Tom's Favorite AK ride: Dinosaur

My Favorite AK ride: Expedition Everest (Nemo is a close second although it is an attraction!)

Without a doubt we will definitely be taking a spin with those lovely green dinosaurs again this year,

(Megs and Kris)

(Me......you can also see my Mom and Dad behind us)

and we can't miss the Safari!!!

(Can you tell how much she likes this ride?!?!?!?!)

(I will try for face shots this year!!!)

(These things are named Tommys I think....awwww....can you tell why I took the picture!?!?!?! I love my Tommy!!!)

The Dinosaur ride, however, may be bypassed......Tom and I both like it, but I think we are willing to skip it since the whole building terrifies Megan. If he really feels like taking a ride, I will gladly take Megs to the Boneyard to play so he can enjoy some Dinosaur fun! Tom will not be accompanying me on EE this year, it upset his motion sickness quite a bit last year, but since Megs is tall enough to ride now, I think she might just take a crack at it with her lovely Mum!!! I hope so......I just think she will LOVE it!!!

So our Musts: Triceratop Spin, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Expedition Everest!

Our Rides/Attractions we LOVE:

These are the other attractions that we really do love, and will try our hardest to make sure we hit:

---Kali River Rapids (We always love to see how wet or not we will get!)
---It's Tough to be a Bug (Again, I will have to employ the lotion on hands smelling trick to get her through the stinky part, but we overall enjoy the show.....and always look forward to the A/C break!!!)
---The NEMO SHOW!!!! I love this show....makes me cry when I see it.....I really hope we can make it to see this amazing spectacle!

We also hope to add some new Loves to our list by trying out two things we have never had a chance to do: The Festival of the Lion King Show (I really can't wait to see this one) and the Wildlife Safari Train (I know it is not much, but I think we will enjoy the train ride and the sights).

OUR DON'TS!!!!!

There are not many, but in AK, we will not be riding Primeval Whirl...I like it, but Megs is not tall enough and Tom can't handle it for sure! We will also be bypassing the Camp Minnie and Mickey area---I love them, but we don't want to absorb a great chunk of park time waiting in long lines to see them when we are going to be seeing them that night at Chef Mickey's. We also usually don't go through the walking trails.....for two reasons really....1. It is SO stinking hot at AK, we don't want to linger out in the heat any longer than necessary, and 2. We are members to our great zoo here in Cincy, so we get to see pretty much the same gang of characters at home as often as we like. We also probably won't be hanging around for the parade....it is a good one, but the massive crowd that it collects overwhelms Megs....it was the reason from our immediate departure from AK during our November 2007 trip....I really don't want to relive that moment....ever.....again.......was.....not.....good!!!!!

Now when it comes to food, you all know that I so luckily scored an early ADR at Tusker House that we are SO excited about!!!! :woohoo:

We will also be hitting up a CS for lunch while we are there: We won't be eating this

That was the honey chicken from the Yak and Yeti CS....it was okay....a little dry.....
BUT we LOVE Flame Tree Barbecue, and since we passed on it last year, I know that it will be calling to us in September!!!! YUMMYYY!!!!

So that will do it for our AK list.........let me know what you want to see next!!!!

ALSO, just some happy side notes.....my ticker now says less than two months....1 month 4 weeks.....it made me do a little dancing!!!! :yay:

AND, Tom and I will be celebrating our REAL 10 year anniversary on Friday. I am such a lucky gal to have been blessed with such a wonderful hubby!!!! We are still honeymooning after all these years!!!

To start off our celebrating a little early, he surprised me last night with a small part of my anniversary gift......a Mickey Mouse watch!!!! It is so cute, and so thoughtful. He said that he saw it, got a good deal on it (always the accountant), and knew it was just what I needed for our trip!!!! I love him!!!! :love:

cherbear · Jul 23, 2009

Sounds like you have AK all planned out perfectly.

I REALLY hope Megan rides EE this year! And I hope she's not scared on it.

Flame Tree is a HUGE fav of DH and myself as well. We just can't pass it up! I was actually thinking about trying Yak & Yeti counter service this year but now...you've convinced me we should stick with our trusted FTB! Thanks! :thumbsup2

how sweet of Tom. Hope y'all have a lovely anniversary. And I hope that my DH and I can be just like the two of you in another 7 1/2 years (we've been married for 2 1/2).

Can't wait to see what else Tom has in store for you!

cherbear · Jul 23, 2009

by the way, I can't remember if I told you we had a resort change (and not because I really wanted to, believe me)....we are now going to be at Pop. I was surprised it was open for our dates.

As much as we wanted to stay at the WL, the trip price is double the price of staying Pop. DH was the mature one and said we really should stay value again to save some money. The only reason we were going to stay at WL was for the scenery and the pool. I admit I'm sad that I can't try our their pool, but I'm honestly not worried about the room. We are not in it often enough. And I've never heard anyone say "the beds are SO much more comfortable at the deluxe resorts"....well are they? I find the beds at the values to be pretty darn comfortable.
Well now I'm going on and on, so I'd better stop here.

moparop · Jul 23, 2009

I find AK such a hard park to plan. Our list is much like yours and I have always struggled to get both Nemo and Lion King in. They are both such awesome shows but such a challenge to fit in! We ended up at Pizzafari the last time and I really feel like we missed something by not doing Flame Tree.

We love the Cincy Zoo too! We were just there last weekend and really feel like we see so many of the animals there that are on the trails at AK.

Lady Lallie · Jul 23, 2009

Your AK plans looks great!! :thumbsup2

I agree with you, Finding Nemo is just amazing!! :cloud9:

stacikristine · Jul 23, 2009

What a great plan!!! My DH has never been to AK. It wasn't open the last time he went to Disney...so I'm REALLY excited to take him! :goodvibes

I love the picture of Megan on the safari!! She is just the cutest thing. Aaahh! Your family is going to have such a great time just the 3 of you!! :yay:

I've never seen the Nemo show...but I'm thinking it is going to be a must now! :thumbsup2

Great plans!

jenjolt · Jul 23, 2009

What a great update!! I'm a huge fan of Nemo also!!! I'm really hoping to see it again and finally see FOTLK!!!!

I hope Meg loves EE as much as you do...that would be a great mother and daughter thing to ride!!!!

Flame Tree BBQ sounds so yummy!!!! And SCORE!! on the early Tusker House that is going to be awesome!!

micandminforever · Jul 23, 2009

Your plans for AK sound fantastic. You are going to love Lion King, it is a fun show. My DH and I went to the first showing of Nemo and the Lion King show after lunch Sept. 2008, in order to do both you have to plan the day around their schedule.

Add me to the list of people who like Flame Tree BBQ for lunch.

Trentmom · Jul 23, 2009

Cute photos of Megan on Safari..you really can see excitement in her eyes :goodvibes

Great list.

We are not big fans of AK due to how hot it is there, but think I might try and get my son on EE this year since he is tall, enough too :cool1:

Happy 10th Anniversary :love:

lmillercrew · Jul 23, 2009

You AK must's look fantastic! I agree with you on the jungle trails thing. Although, it'll have been so long since we've been there that we'll want to do it again. (I think anyway)
I LOVED the Nemo show!!! My kids haven't seen it yet, so I hope they are still doing it when we get back there.
And, I LOVE Everest too!!! (So much to love) It was broken when DH and I went in 2007, so disappointing. :sad1:

Charleston Princess · Jul 24, 2009

Happy Anniversary, Jen!!! What do you have planned for today? Do we get pics of the Mickey Mouse watch?

Love your Animal Kingdom lists! Are you going to explore the Conservation Station after riding the Wildlife Express?

pooh'smate · Jul 24, 2009

Happy Anniversary Jen!!!!! Now I am going back to catch up!!!

MegansMom · Jul 24, 2009

cherbear said:
Sounds like you have AK all planned out perfectly.

I REALLY hope Megan rides EE this year! And I hope she's not scared on it.

Flame Tree is a HUGE fav of DH and myself as well. We just can't pass it up! I was actually thinking about trying Yak & Yeti counter service this year but now...you've convinced me we should stick with our trusted FTB! Thanks!

how sweet of Tom. Hope y'all have a lovely anniversary. And I hope that my DH and I can be just like the two of you in another 7 1/2 years (we've been married for 2 1/2).

Can't wait to see what else Tom has in store for you!

Stick with Flame Tree....IMO, it is far above what you get from the YY CS. I think we will enjoy our AK day this year....I hope to plan it out so that we can find time to hit the things we really want to see...here's to hoping!!!!

Tom is a major sweetie......that's why I love him SO much!!! The key to a happy marriage is to stay friends FIRST!!!! Too many people let small, insignificant things get in the way and blow up to big issues. Remember always what it was that made you love him to begin with....hold that forever in your heart!!! He is my best friend, and I thank God everyday that he blessed me with him for a husband. I truly do....not just today because it is my anniversary!!!

I wish for you both as many happy and wonderful years as Tom and I...many, many more!

cherbear said:
by the way, I can't remember if I told you we had a resort change (and not because I really wanted to, believe me)....we are now going to be at Pop. I was surprised it was open for our dates.

As much as we wanted to stay at the WL, the trip price is double the price of staying Pop. DH was the mature one and said we really should stay value again to save some money. The only reason we were going to stay at WL was for the scenery and the pool. I admit I'm sad that I can't try our their pool, but I'm honestly not worried about the room. We are not in it often enough. And I've never heard anyone say "the beds are SO much more comfortable at the deluxe resorts"....well are they? I find the beds at the values to be pretty darn comfortable.
Well now I'm going on and on, so I'd better stop here.

I don't blame you for being a little remorse, but your hubby is probably right....darn them when that happens!!!

I know you two will have fun and make wonderful memories no matter where you are!

moparop said:
I find AK such a hard park to plan. Our list is much like yours and I have always struggled to get both Nemo and Lion King in. They are both such awesome shows but such a challenge to fit in! We ended up at Pizzafari the last time and I really feel like we missed something by not doing Flame Tree.

We love the Cincy Zoo too! We were just there last weekend and really feel like we see so many of the animals there that are on the trails at AK.

I know what you mean about the planning......I am hoping that all works out for us this year!

Aren't we lucky ducks to have such a great zoo in our own backyard?!?!?!

Lady Lallie said:
Your AK plans looks great!!

I agree with you, Finding Nemo is just amazing!!

I'm glad you like them...I think we will enjoy the day there! I know what you mean about Nemo....I am so glad it is dark in there so that everyone can't see my tears streaming down my face....I will need a tissue for sure!

stacikristine said:
What a great plan!!! My DH has never been to AK. It wasn't open the last time he went to Disney...so I'm REALLY excited to take him! I love the picture of Megan on the safari!! She is just the cutest thing. Aaahh! Your family is going to have such a great time just the 3 of you!! I've never seen the Nemo show...but I'm thinking it is going to be a must now! Great plans!

We are really excited....and (no offense to our families) but we are really thrilled that it is just going to be the three of us......makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it! DEFINITELY take in the Nemo show!!!!

jenjolt said:
What a great update!! I'm a huge fan of Nemo also!!! I'm really hoping to see it again and finally see FOTLK!!!!

I hope Meg loves EE as much as you do...that would be a great mother and daughter thing to ride!!!!

Flame Tree BBQ sounds so yummy!!!! And SCORE!! on the early Tusker House that is going to be awesome!!

I hope she will ride it too....at least once!!!! I don't know if the Yeti will be too overwhelming to remember how great the ride actually is!

micandminforever said:
Your plans for AK sound fantastic. You are going to love Lion King, it is a fun show. My DH and I went to the first showing of Nemo and the Lion King show after lunch Sept. 2008, in order to do both you have to plan the day around their schedule.

Add me to the list of people who like Flame Tree BBQ for lunch.

That is a great tip to plan around those two.....I will have to go look up their show times right now!!!! Thanks!

FTBBQ is SO good!!!! I can't wait to eat there again!

Trentmom said:
Cute photos of Megan on Safari..you really can see excitement in her eyes

Great list.

We are not big fans of AK due to how hot it is there, but think I might try and get my son on EE this year since he is tall, enough too

Happy 10th Anniversary

AK is definitely our favorite, but I think we are learning to enjoy it a little more.....the ambiance is impeccable!

Thanks for the Anniversary wishes!

lmillercrew said:
You AK must's look fantastic! I agree with you on the jungle trails thing. Although, it'll have been so long since we've been there that we'll want to do it again. (I think anyway)
I LOVED the Nemo show!!! My kids haven't seen it yet, so I hope they are still doing it when we get back there.
And, I LOVE Everest too!!! (So much to love) It was broken when DH and I went in 2007, so disappointing.

OH, I hope you get to see and do all those things on your next trip!!! You will enjoy them!

Charleston Princess said:
Happy Anniversary, Jen!!! What do you have planned for today? Do we get pics of the Mickey Mouse watch?

Love your Animal Kingdom lists! Are you going to explore the Conservation Station after riding the Wildlife Express?

Thanks for the Anniversary wishes Jackie---I'll tell you more about our plans in the upcoming update! I haven't taken the pictures of the watch yet, but they are coming!!!

If Megs is up to it, I would like to explore the Conservation Station too!!! I think she would like it!

pooh'smate said:
Happy Anniversary Jen!!!!! Now I am going back to catch up!!!

Thanks so much!!!!! Enjoy your reading!

MegansMom · Jul 24, 2009

This update started in my head yesterday afternoon.....it was going to be a sweet surprise for all of you...nothing too big, but a nice, little surprise for me that I was going to share with all of you. And before I could write this update, the afternoon progressed a little more, and something happened that made my sweet surprise look pathetic.....because I received an even BIGGER, AMAZING, WONDERFULLY FANTASTIC SURPRISE that blew it all out of water!!!!!!! And the update grew in my head to this knock-your-socks-off kind of thing, and I was just busting to get on here and share it with you all, but there was just one little itty-bitty thing I needed to do first.....and when I did that thing............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

the surprise went KABLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And EXPLODED right in front of my very own eyes....................

and I was left holding on to the bits and pieces of my burst balloon with tears in the corners of my eyes and a lump in my throat...................................................

and the only thing I had left was my little sweet surprise, that just didn't seem as sweet any longer.......I was glad to have it, but it seemed bland and ordinary after the letdown of the GIGANTIC SURPRISE, and I decided not to update until I had grieved and mourned my loss...........................................................................

:scared1:

.......................................................................................

:eek:

Okay, I think I am better..........Would you all like to know what in the world I am talking about now!??!?!?!?!?!?!? Okay, here goes............

Yesterday afternoon after I had finished posting my update about AK, I was in all things Disney mode, so I hopped onto their website and tried again to see if there were any Moderate rooms available for us to switch our ressie to. Again....no luck. (Don't worry, I still have faith that one will open up soon!) BUT, while I was searching, a POP room came up on my results. Wanting to make doubly-sure I could switch my ressie, I went ahead and called the lovely WDW travel company people up. I was connected to the nicest CM, Nicholas, who promptly double-checked for me to see if he could find a Moderate room---Uh Uh---and then he proceeded to switch me over to a preferred POP room. I was very happy..... :banana:

tickled pink, shall we say? I thought, okay, still not exactly what we want, but it is a nice little sweet surprise to have the resort that we originally wanted anyway. I even thought, if we can't get a Mod (please dear God let that happen though) POP will probably be much better in reference to the buses than ASMO. So I was here :cloud9:

for at least the rest of the afternoon. I closed up my computer---big mistake---and spent a lovely afternoon with Megs, my Mom, and my niece and nephew.

Okay, fast-forward to later that evening (5ish), I get a call from my hubby to say that he is taking me out a day early to celebrate our anniversary.....says he is going to take me down to the Levee (a large entertainment/dining/movie facility on the river that we love going to) to have a nice dinner and then go see 'The Hangover'---which we both have been wanting to see pretty badly. SO, I hop on the computer to look up movie times, and decided to check my email too......and then I saw it.......the most wonderful email I may have ever laid eyes on................

From Disney Destinations: "You have received a FREE Resort UPGRADE for your upcoming TRIP!!!!"

AND THAT WAS JUST THE MEMO LINE!!!!!
I was shaking as I opened up the email, and sure enough, Peter Pan was there to tell me that we had received a special pin code that would give us a free resort upgrade to either SSR or OKW if we called with our pin code to pay the balance in full on our trip right away. I was elated!!!!! By this time, Tom had arrived home, and all were so excited.......Megan and I danced around the room for a few moments to show our excitement!!! :dance3:

We could not believe our great fortune!!!!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL ANNIVERSARY GIFT Tom and I both thought outloud!!! Once the dancing and squealing ceased, I picked up the phone to call right away.......and then I waited............and waited...........and waited. I finally got a CM, and I blurted out that I had a pin code for a free upgrade. She took my code and told me that she would check for availability at both resorts right away........and then I waited........and then in the midst of our silence, when I think she was beginning to suspect something was up, she stated, "I need to tell you that there is a limited amount of availability on these upgrades." I heard her, but thought, pffffttt, I JUST got this email, you HAVE to still have room available.......................................................................................................................................right?!?!?!?!??!?!

WELL, she came back on and as she said, "I'm sorry, there are no longer any rooms available for your dates," my stomach flip-flopped to the ground, and I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't believe it........it was like receiving the greatest Christmas gift in the world, and then having it break within the first two minutes of playing with it!!!!!!! I was heartbroken...........I tried to regain my composure and poise, politely thanked her for help, and then got off the phone, completely dejected and soured by the missed opportunity. I looked back at my email to see when I received it, and my heart sank even further..............I got it at 10AM yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!! :scared1:

I had no idea!!!!! I was so busy DISing that I forgot to check my email, and had NO idea that it was there waiting for me all day long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was then that my hubby, the sweetheart that he is, tried to make me feel better by reminding me of our sweet little surprise from the morning that made me like this :cloud9:

earlier in the day. It helped.......I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and went out on a FABULOUS date night with him. (BTW, our dinner was EXCELLENT, and the movie----literally the funniest film I may have ever seen....I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet---and we topped it off with some delicious ice cream as we watched the river and Cincy skyline from a bench by the Aquarium. IT WAS GREAT!)

The movie did wonders in helping me get over our loss, but I am just a little bummed about it still. I have even already called back to recheck....still no good. BUT, at least we have our sweet, little surprise of our switch to POP to be happy about......for now!!!!