"Hello? I'm in the Carousel of Progress.."*UD1/13pg74"All Good Things...*

[cjackearl]

Yea for smooth sailing so far. The picture of you and Jonah is so darling as is the one of the boys at the pool. POR does look beautiful and you got a ton of towel guys!

 

[Happydog]

That was a great "three hour" post Impressive that your time to get checked in was soooo easy! Great news! That is nice after that early morning! Nice to have that.

Okay, now we are ready for the next 190 hours !!!

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Your title drew me in. Great start so far. I'm definitely setting an alarm to be up bright and early the day befor our SW flight so I can get us in Boarding Group A.

 

[bellesBFF]

sounds like you had fun!
your oldest son looks like my friends cousin, kinda freaky, but i'll deal with it!
haha

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Yay for an update. We're on the QSDP also, so I can't wait to hear more about your experiences with it. Hint Hint.....I want an update
That is my plan also for the first day, to get to the resort, hopefully by Magical Express bus, check in, check out our room, go for swim, and eat lunch. Then it's off to the MK for us. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your first day.

 

[mousescrapper]

YAY!! Arrival in WDW! This is getting me sooo excited about our trip!! BTW--I love your Vera Bradley!!

Hi I just wanted to say to ladybugmom I love the little picture of your DD w/ all the princess dolls! that is sweet...w/ having 3 Princesses of my own we too have quite the collection of Princess dolls and plush...some of your I havn't seen. very special!


OK Missy....sorry for the temp highjack...


Wow that is great travel transitions you had...how nice...that is funny about the buses...we have rode in an actual DME all 3 times we used the DME even in 05 when they were just phasing it in w/ quests still taking their own luggage....something to come back for huh?

I remember taking the parking lot short-cut too to the bus stop when we stayed at POR...nice that you enjoyed the pool on your 1st day too.

looking forward to more...

 

[angela3676]

I just found your trip report. I'm all caught up. I've really enjoyed reading what you've written so far and the pictures are great. Since I'm waiting on an update I think I'm take a peak at your PTR.

Angela

 

[DiningPlanDevastator]

Long time lurker. On board now. Ready for the next installment.

THANKS

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Thanks for the new post. You can totally tell that your youngest one is proud of loosing those two front teeth. You've got a fine set of young men to be proud of.

Thank you so much! They're pretty cool boys...for the most part! I was as excited as he was about losing those teeth....my Disney pictures are so cute!

Thank you so much for the update. We stayed in POR 2 years ago. We really liked it. We were in building 15. Very short walk to the buses. Your pics brought tears to my eyes. I miss POR!!

So, I guess the on-line check in was worth it?

The magic has begun!!!!!

I miss it too! Online check-in was totally worth it for us. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

YAY!! Arrival in WDW! This is getting me sooo excited about our trip!! BTW--I love your Vera Bradley!!

Thank you! I love it too....it was a little small for my park bag, sadly, but I did use it when we traveled light, aka, without autograph books! It's perfect for my summer bag though!

What a lovely start to your trip! Your room looks very nice! Gotta love towel animals! Great start....keep it coming....

Sara

We did get a lot of towel friends on that first day. Stay tuned to see if that was a regular thing!

I think you and I may subscribe to some of the same boards! I've seen your name here and there. Cool to find your TR and put a face with the name.

Your boys are quite handsome and I know Mom is proud! Looking forward to hearing the rest of your story, sounds great so far!

HI and WELCOME!! I recognize your screen name too..we must hang in the same circles!!

I never noticed this!!!!!!!!

Great pictures and update Missy! I'm amazed at how quickly it all went for you.

POR is so awesome!

I was amazed too, really. I expected it to be smooth, but arrival day was better than I could have hoped! Stay tuned...there are some bumps in the road!

Yea for smooth sailing so far. The picture of you and Jonah is so darling as is the one of the boys at the pool. POR does look beautiful and you got a ton of towel guys!

POR is absolutely beautiful. And thanks for the compliments on the pictures! I think the boys are pretty cute too!

That was a great "three hour" post Impressive that your time to get checked in was soooo easy! Great news! That is nice after that early morning! Nice to have that.

Okay, now we are ready for the next 190 hours !!!

LOL! At this rate I should be done sometime in 2011!

Your title drew me in. Great start so far. I'm definitely setting an alarm to be up bright and early the day befor our SW flight so I can get us in Boarding Group A.

Hi there and welcome! Getting up early to check in to your flight is definitely worth it. You won't need an alarm though if you're anything like me...I was so excited and anxious about getting online on time that I woke up like every hour!

sounds like you had fun!
your oldest son looks like my friends cousin, kinda freaky, but i'll deal with it!
haha

We did have a great time! Thanks for hanging in!

Yay for an update. We're on the QSDP also, so I can't wait to hear more about your experiences with it. Hint Hint.....I want an update
That is my plan also for the first day, to get to the resort, hopefully by Magical Express bus, check in, check out our room, go for swim, and eat lunch. Then it's off to the MK for us. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your first day.

I PM'd you some details about QSDP so you don't have to wait! An update is coming soon...hopefully tonight, but Jonah and Dan have their first baseball practices tonight so it will be a crazy night of running around. We'll see how I feel after we get home!

Hi I just wanted to say to ladybugmom I love the little picture of your DD w/ all the princess dolls! that is sweet...w/ having 3 Princesses of my own we too have quite the collection of Princess dolls and plush...some of your I havn't seen. very special!


OK Missy....sorry for the temp highjack...


Wow that is great travel transitions you had...how nice...that is funny about the buses...we have rode in an actual DME all 3 times we used the DME even in 05 when they were just phasing it in w/ quests still taking their own luggage....something to come back for huh?

I remember taking the parking lot short-cut too to the bus stop when we stayed at POR...nice that you enjoyed the pool on your 1st day too.

looking forward to more...

Highjack anytime!

We did get an ME bus on the way back to the airport. But Jeff said it was the Disney's Miserable Express bus, cause we were all sad!

I just found your trip report. I'm all caught up. I've really enjoyed reading what you've written so far and the pictures are great. Since I'm waiting on an update I think I'm take a peak at your PTR.

Angela

Hi Angela. Welcome to my TR! I have links on the first page of my PTR so you don't have to read all the chit chat...makes it go a little faster!

Long time lurker. On board now. Ready for the next installment.

THANKS

Hi and thanks for coming out of lurkdom!

 

[MagicKisses2]

It all sounds so fun, I wish I was there.

Your family is adorible and I can tell you are going to have a great trip! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi!! Just checking in... I have to go back & read, but wanted to let you know I'm here! Sorry we missed each other - we weren't at Epcot very long on the 27th... we were there a few hours before dinner then headed to MK. Hope to hear your week was as good as ours.

 

[ladybugmom]

Hi I just wanted to say to ladybugmom I love the little picture of your DD w/ all the princess dolls! that is sweet...w/ having 3 Princesses of my own we too have quite the collection of Princess dolls and plush...some of your I havn't seen. very special!

Hi!! Thank you so much!! I actually have 2 princesses but my youngest wouldn't pose for the picture!! My girls LOVE their plush princesses. We got most of them last year from the Disney Store!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

It all sounds so fun, I wish I was there.

Your family is adorible and I can tell you are going to have a great trip! Can't wait to hear more.

Thank you and WELCOME!!

Hi!! Just checking in... I have to go back & read, but wanted to let you know I'm here! Sorry we missed each other - we weren't at Epcot very long on the 27th... we were there a few hours before dinner then headed to MK. Hope to hear your week was as good as ours.

Hi Amy....we had a great week! I hope you did too..can't wait to swap stories!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

So after enjoying a beautiful Orlando afternoon by the pool, we headed to the POR marina to catch the water shuttle to Downtown Disney. This is my very FAVORITE thing about staying at POR. The boat is so relaxing and the trip down the river is just beautiful. The boat captain pointed out the new Treehouse Villas along the way. They are gorgeous and much bigger than I remembered them being 2 years ago. He later explained that the old tree houses that had been used to house foreign cast members had all been completely torn down and rebuilt. That would explain it! Anyway, they are set to open soon as part of the Saratoga Springs DVC resort. He also answered questions about alligators in the river....yes, he has seen them, but only a couple of times in his many years driving the boat. He told us about a family of river otters that live locally, but we didn’t see them on this particular trip. We stopped at the beautiful POFQ and then on to DTD. Here is a picture of two of my favorite boys on the boat!

We had decided that there were two restaurants we wanted to try in DTD. Cooke’s of Dublin and Wolfgang Puck Express. For our first meal we decided to walk through the Marketplace and head to Cooke’s of Dublin to enjoy some Irish cuisine. My son Isaiah, 11, has recently had a fascination with Ireland and our Irish heritage. We knew he would enjoy this place! Since it was early afternoon...too late for lunch, too early for dinner...the place was empty so we got our food very quickly. All of the boys, Jeff included, decided on the Fish Fry basket. If you did not read my PTR you should know that I HATE fish so do not cook it at home. My poor family is deprived so they eat it when we go out every chance they get! I chose the Fried Sea Scallops. The scallops were HUGE and so sweet and delicious! I totally enjoyed them as well as the hand cut fries that came with them. You can judge from the picture what the boys thought of their meals!

Dan chose the Dough Bar–a deep fried Snickers bar–for his dessert. That is just wrong! Deep fried chocolate!! Anyway...he completely enjoyed the gooey messiness of it and ate the whole thing before the rest of us even got our ice cream!

The last time we were in WDW, we only went to DTD one time and we rushed to dinner reservations and then shopped for a short time before heading to DHS for Fantasmic. We did not at all get to enjoy all that DTD has to offer so this time we vowed to take our time and “stop to smell the roses” so to speak. We wandered through the Irish shop, strolled along the water and checked out the Characters in Flight balloon, spent some time in the novelty magnet shop, and just enjoyed taking in the sights.

Then, on Dan's insistence, we headed to Disney Quest. We figured since we had no plans for the evening and it was still early, we could spend a few hours checking it out. We had never been before so this was totally new to us. If you have never been to Disney Quest, in a nutshell, it is 4-5 floors of both traditional video/arcade games and cool interactive 3-D games. I really was not looking forward to being there for 3 hours, but found that I really enjoyed myself! We entered the building and grabbed a map as we had NO CLUE how the place was set up. We boarded the elevator to head to the main floor as instructed by the CM’s. The elevator itself is an attraction with cool lights, effects, and a storyline. Leave it to Disney to never let you just ride the elevator! It has to be an “experience”!

As we got off the elevator I think we may have looked a little bewildered because a CM almost immediately approached us and asked if we needed help. We explained that it was our first time and made some small talk about where we were from, etc. He then asked if we had the chance to experience the Pirates of the Caribbean ride yet. We said no, we had just arrived, so he proceeded to tell us that we had been chosen as “Pirates of the Day” and we were going to bypass the line for their most popular attraction and go in the back entrance. We also got to dress up in cute pirate gear and they took our picture which we got as a free souvenir. We went right onto the ride and it was SO FUN! We wore 3-D goggles and went onto what looked like the deck of a pirate ship. One person, Dan in our case, was the captain and he was responsible for steering. The rest of us manned a cannon and we were to shoot at the enemy ships and sink them to get their treasure. We “shot” by pulling the string at the end of the cannon. We could move to any cannon on the deck as needed. It really was a great game and I totally enjoyed it as did the rest of the family! How cool to have such a great Magical Moment on our first day of vacation! Here is a picture of us as Pirates of the Day!

We easily spent 3 hours in Disney Quest. We did Cyber Space Mountain, the magic carpet ride, played video games,rode the virtual Jungle Cruise, played the Buzz Lightyear Space Assault game, played human pinball, air hockey, and just completely enjoyed the entire experience. There were minimal lines for the bigger attractions, but we did almost everything with little or no wait. I would definitely go back...and I really am not a video game fan. These aren’t the best pictures, but here are a few inside Disney Quest.

It was nearly 8:00 pm by the time we came out of Disney Quest and we had promised Isaiah some shopping time in World of Disney so we headed back to the marketplace. The store was very crowded, but we managed to get some cool souvenirs and I got my “$10 with $30 purchase” canvas tote bag. YAY!! Jonah got himself a Goofy hat which he wore for the rest of the trip.
Too cute!


Last stop was Goofy’s Candy Company to get some snacks. Jonah and Isaiah got the create-your-own pretzel rods, 3 for 1 snack credit. Jeff, Dan, and I got frozen slushies...they were SO tasty!

We were doing early EMH at AK the next morning so we boarded the boat to head back to POR. It had been a long, but AWESOME day, and we were ready to go to bed. When we got back, Dan went to the food court to fill his mug. He returned as I was getting our lanyards with our Key to the World Cards ready for our first park day. I asked him for his card and he couldn’t find it....oh no! REALLY....Dan....it has charging privileges on it, you can’t lose it! Oh boy.....first bump in the road. Jeff, after a small freak out, headed to the lobby to cancel that card and get a new one printed. So much for an early night. We explained to Dan the importance of keeping track of his card as it is his key to the room, meal ticket, park ticket, AND (most importantly) has charging privileges so he can buy souvenirs without carrying cash. UGH! After that small crisis, we were now MORE than ready for bed and we gladly hit the pillows! Good night.....off to Animal Kingdom in the AM!

 

[cjackearl]

Pirates of the Day? That is so cool! My DH really likes Disney Quest and I can see liking it better myself if I didn't have to hold a baby the entire time I was in there. I did beat a bunch of teenagers at human pinball! Your Goofy's treats looks de-licious!

 

[carissanboys]

What a fun afternoon/evening you guys had at DTD!! I love the pirate picture and how cool that you got to be Pirates of the Day!

I'm with Dan on the fried snickers bar - yummmmmm!!!!

You got lots of great pictures - can't wait to see more.

 

[mom2mek]

What a great update! It sounds like a fantastic day at DTD! I love those Goofy's treats and I think I might have to try the slushie things next time!


Yay on the Pirates of the Day! Arghhhh!

Looking forward to AK!

Sara

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

A FRIED Snickers Bar???? Okay, on a normal day, that might not sound so good. But today, I think I could actually go for one!!!! Yummy!

Sounds like a wonderful first day you all had. I've never been to Disney Quest, but after hearing your description of the place and looking at the very cool photos, I may just have to give it a go next time.

Loving that you were Pirates of the Day! What a nice memory!

 

[mommytothreeboys]

Pirates of the Day? That is so cool! My DH really likes Disney Quest and I can see liking it better myself if I didn't have to hold a baby the entire time I was in there. I did beat a bunch of teenagers at human pinball! Your Goofy's treats looks de-licious!

I can see how the baby may be a bit of a problem! That human pinball looked fun! I sat it out to take pictures, but the boys enjoyed it!

We visited Goofy's more than once!

What a fun afternoon/evening you guys had at DTD!! I love the pirate picture and how cool that you got to be Pirates of the Day!

I'm with Dan on the fried snickers bar - yummmmmm!!!!

You got lots of great pictures - can't wait to see more.

It really was a great day except for the losing the card incident. Honestly, that fried snickers looked good, all gooey and chocolatey!

What a great update! It sounds like a fantastic day at DTD! I love those Goofy's treats and I think I might have to try the slushie things next time!


Yay on the Pirates of the Day! Arghhhh!

Looking forward to AK!

Sara

We sampled all the slushie flavors before buying! YUM!

A FRIED Snickers Bar???? Okay, on a normal day, that might not sound so good. But today, I think I could actually go for one!!!! Yummy!

Sounds like a wonderful first day you all had. I've never been to Disney Quest, but after hearing your description of the place and looking at the very cool photos, I may just have to give it a go next time.

Loving that you were Pirates of the Day! What a nice memory!

Disney Quest was a nice surprise. I really expected to just sit and take pictures and people-watch. Very cool place! Give it a try!

 

[carissanboys]

I had fried oreos once and they were one of the best things I have EVER eaten. TO DIE FOR!!!