Hijinks & Shenanigans but not much Mayhem@The Dark Side+Disney:Link to DL/Hawaii TR

[eandesmom]

you've been moused, I love it! what a view and that breakfast lookss fabulous

MAN you get up early!

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I love the "moused" idea! Breakfast looks great!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love that you got "moused"
Isn't it amazing how the little things make such a huge impact to your day.
Lovely way to start the morning

 

[natebenma]

I LOVE that you got Moused! How Cool!!

It was the cutest thing!!!

You've been Moused! That's so cute, what an adorable idea! I have heard of the flocking thing, but not seen it. I live in the boondocks, not really a neighbourhood so I can't say that I have actually done it, but it sounds hilarious.
Breakfast selections look good!
I hate when the busses are too cold. It's hard on hot days because the contrast is so sharp!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Wasn't that sweet of her!!! I knew it was her, because we had passed her door earlier in the day and it was all decorated with similar cutouts.

I didn't tape them to my door though. I didn't bring tape on our trip (although I did pack a tape measure. Seriously)

Love the CL breakfast!!!

That bus was SO cold!!! I don't think I have ever been more uncomfortable on a Disney bus, even when we were wet from Kali. The heat from outside was actually a relief when we got off!

That sneaky Catho72! I can't believe you guys kept that secret on the BC thread and not leak a word of it. That was a really nice surprise.

Catho72's stealth visit in the night really made my morning. I'm glad she didn't ring (or knock) and run, though. We were exhausted that night!!!

Sorry for keeping this secret! With all of the sharing that goes on in our thread, this would fit right in. Gonna go over and pimp this chapter later today.

you've been moused, I love it! what a view and that breakfast lookss fabulous

MAN you get up early!

Now I know how you felt when you had that awesome BW view!!!

Breakfast is my favorite part about staying CL. Being able to get a decent-sized breakfast quickly and then hit whatever park is open at 8 AM totally works with our touring style.

Yes, I do get up early. Every.Single.Day! It doesn't matter if it is a weekday, weekend, holiday or if I am on vacation, my body wakes up between 4:30 and 5:00 every day. Even if I didn't sleep well the night before.

It makes me a little concerned about how I will cope with a vacation on Pacific Time, or perhaps with the extreme time difference between home and Hawaii. We shall see soon if I will be looking for coping strategies for either of these "challenges"

I love the "moused" idea! Breakfast looks great!

and

The surprise visit was such a nice treat to discover!

And we love the CL breakfast!!!

Love that you got "moused"
Isn't it amazing how the little things make such a huge impact to your day.
Lovely way to start the morning

Me, too. I kept the confetti there on the floor so the guys could see it as we headed out to breakfast. Then I scooped it up into a bag and I will add these to my Beach Club photo album.




Speaking of photo albums:

I don't scrapbook but I do make pretty elaborate photo albums from all of our trips. Most trips have either 1-2 books (300-500 photos each) documenting our vacation. I include cute comics, menu descriptions, labels and things like the mouse-confetti in addition to the pictures. I use the albums where you insert the pictures behind plastic with 10 photos in each 2 page spread. I especially like the albums where 4 of the pictures are in the portrait alignment and the other 6 are landscape.

I was showing a friend my album from Universal and she actually asked if I take the pictures specifically in certain orientations with the layout of the album in mind.

Surprisingly, the answer is "no", but since I take so many pictures, I can usually have a grouping that makes sense on each page. About the only cropping I do is the sides of a photo if there is extraneous stuff and I want to go from a landscape to portrait configuration.

My album from Hard Rock/IoA/Universal is done. I just ordered the Beach Club and Disney pictures from Shutterfly yesterday, so I will be putting together those two albums soon.

 

[PoppyGirl]

That's so cute that ou got moused! I love it

I also love all your photos! We leave in 4 days and I can't wait to see that view of the pool!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hahaha, You got MOUSED!! I love that. What a great way to wake up.

Ahh, so beautiful watching the sun rise like that. I really extra love Disney as the sun rises. Just gorgeous!

Not so gorgeous is a freezing cold bus first in the morning. Hard to believe the July heat would be welcome.

 

[KatMark]

You were "Moused"! I love it...what a clever idea.

What beautiful pictures you got at the BC as the sun rose...stunning.

Ugh! Freezing cold buses are no fun at all.

 

[ddluvsdisney]

moused... love that!!! what a cute idea.

I'm not a big breakfast eater so I love the CL offerings. Yum just the right amount of food.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[MEK]

Love that cool confetti. How festive! That would certainly bring a smile to my face!

Looks like a yummy breakfast.

Great pictures of you and the family!

I love sitting outside with a nice cup of coffee watching the sun rise!

 

[jenseib]

That is the cutest idea!!!! I love it.

I hate when the buses are that cold.

 

[emmysmommy]

Hi Dee! Nice recap. Ben had such an adorable smile in the photopass photo with the family.

What a nice way to welcome your day with the mousing! Just shows that you are loved!

Enjoying sunrise on the balcony with caffeine, ahhhh! Nice. I love those peaceful moments before the busyness of the day.

I'm sure the heat of Central Florida was appreciated for once after disembarking the freezing bus. Yikes.

Looking forward to reading about your AK adventures!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Being moused is such a clever idea! How cute! Oh and by the way, some of our organizations do the flocking fundraisers.

Don't you just hate it when the buses as so cold that you can hardly stand it? We had one like that coming back from EPCOT a couple of trips ago. I swear we were all popsicles by the time we got off.

 

[natebenma]

That's so cute that ou got moused! I love it

I also love all your photos! We leave in 4 days and I can't wait to see that view of the pool!!!!! Thanks for sharing!

Have a fantastic trip!!! Can't wait to read about all your adventures! Your PTR is hilarious and I'm sure the actual report (at least what you can share) will have me in tears of laughter.

Remember- What Happens at Disney DOES NOT Stay at Disney!

Hahaha, You got MOUSED!! I love that. What a great way to wake up.

Ahh, so beautiful watching the sun rise like that. I really extra love Disney as the sun rises. Just gorgeous!

Not so gorgeous is a freezing cold bus first in the morning. Hard to believe the July heat would be welcome.

Such a thoughtful thing for Catho72 to do!

Honestly, there is no better way to start a day than sitting out on the balcony, with my coffee and camera, waiting for my family (and the World) to wake up. So Zen!

Not only July heat, but July Animal Kingdom heat! Don't you find AK to be hotter and more humid than any place else in the World? After all, you are in Africa and Asia.

(sweat icon)

You were "Moused"! I love it...what a clever idea.

What beautiful pictures you got at the BC as the sun rose...stunning.

Ugh! Freezing cold buses are no fun at all.

Very clever! I would love to see my friend's scrapbooks.

Thank you so much! It amazes me that I could just keep snapping pictures, minute after minute, and every one of them is different, either because of the different places I pointed the camera or because of the changes in the sky.

There was a ton of condensation on the windows and it wouldn't have surprised me to see icicles.

Love that cool confetti. How festive! That would certainly bring a smile to my face!

Looks like a yummy breakfast.

Great pictures of you and the family!

I love sitting outside with a nice cup of coffee watching the sun rise!

Everything is better when it is shaped like a Mickey head!

The breakfast is just perfect. Plenty of selections, but not an overwhelming spread.

Thanks for the comments about the photo pass pictures. Nate actually smiled in most of the photo pass and photo connect pictures we took on this trip.

That is the cutest idea!!!! I love it.

I hate when the buses are that cold.

Wasn't that sweet???

Of course, I would be complaining if the air conditioning was broken, too. Can't please some people!

Hi Dee! Nice recap. Ben had such an adorable smile in the photopass photo with the family.

What a nice way to welcome your day with the mousing! Just shows that you are loved!

Enjoying sunrise on the balcony with caffeine, ahhhh! Nice. I love those peaceful moments before the busyness of the day.

I'm sure the heat of Central Florida was appreciated for once after disembarking the freezing bus. Yikes.

Looking forward to reading about your AK adventures!

Thank you!

I should put a collage of MK photopass castle pictures through the years- I remember the "Year of the Tongue" and then Ben's fake smile that looked like he was straining on the commode. One of his school pictures has that grin!

Thanks, again!

That is truly the best way to start a day. My few moments of alone time out on the balcony with a book and a cup of coffee is a welcome reward for an inability to sleep past 5 am.

Can you believe that we all welcomed the heat??? At least for a few minutes.

Being moused is such a clever idea! How cute! Oh and by the way, some of our organizations do the flocking fundraisers.

Don't you just hate it when the buses as so cold that you can hardly stand it? We had one like that coming back from EPCOT a couple of trips ago. I swear we were all popsicles by the time we got off.

I have never been "Flocked" but it is a really amusing way to raise money.

I remember reading about your deep freeze from EPCOT. Being too cold is NOT cool!

 

[DrMomof3]

I love that you were "Moused!" How fun!!!

As to your non-Disney trip dilemma....

1. We are spending Thanksgiving (or Thanksgivukkah) on the Big Island. We are flying direct from JFK to Oahu and then taking a short flight to Kona. I will let you know how the kids do with a 12 hour flight. My step-dad is changing planes in LA so he has two 6 hour flights. I think for the trip over, the two 6 hour flights might be better but I'm happy with the 12 hour flight for the trip home as it is a red-eye and I think changing planes like that would mean NO sleep.

2. We may skip our annual August trip to Disney in 2014 and take the kids to France instead. My brother has a house in rural France with a guest house and a swimming pool. My children don't know their British cousins at all. The tentative plan is to fly to Paris and spend a few days exploring Paris. We will rent a car and drive the 5-6 hours from Paris to my brother's house. Likely we will make a few stops along the way at 1 or 2 of the many chateaux in the Loire Valley. Once we get to my brother's house, it'll be a pretty relaxing trip. Swimming, biking, playing, etc. We will visit one of the prehistoric caves (with cave paintings) once and maybe visit a ruined castle or 2 in the area. The plane tickets are insanely expensive ($1400 per person right now!!!) but we would stay for free at my brother's house once we get there. It may end up being cheaper than a Disney trip because they would lodge us and partially feed us....

3. My husband just realized that he and I already have 2 trips to Disney without children planned. One for Marathon Weekend and one for a few nights in May before a medical conference in Orlando. I want to run Wine & Dine next year and he said he's not sure I can take 3 trips to Disney without children. My response was that we need to plan a trip WITH children then. We'll see what happens. I'm thinking a short trip in late June or else running Tower of Terror and bringing the kids for the Halloween Party.

Amanda

 

[PoppyGirl]

Have a fantastic trip!!! Can't wait to read about all your adventures! Your PTR is hilarious and I'm sure the actual report (at least what you can share) will have me in tears of laughter.

Remember- What Happens at Disney DOES NOT Stay at Disney!

Nope...it gets posted on the disboards....and sometimes facebook!

Just wait til you see skater in her "real" costume!!

 

[spiritsim]

Don't foget Paris Disney you could do both.....lol been there done that,loved it. Paris is great!

 

[natebenma]

I love that you were "Moused!" How fun!!!

As to your non-Disney trip dilemma....

1. We are spending Thanksgiving (or Thanksgivukkah) on the Big Island. We are flying direct from JFK to Oahu and then taking a short flight to Kona. I will let you know how the kids do with a 12 hour flight. My step-dad is changing planes in LA so he has two 6 hour flights. I think for the trip over, the two 6 hour flights might be better but I'm happy with the 12 hour flight for the trip home as it is a red-eye and I think changing planes like that would mean NO sleep.

2. We may skip our annual August trip to Disney in 2014 and take the kids to France instead. My brother has a house in rural France with a guest house and a swimming pool. My children don't know their British cousins at all. The tentative plan is to fly to Paris and spend a few days exploring Paris. We will rent a car and drive the 5-6 hours from Paris to my brother's house. Likely we will make a few stops along the way at 1 or 2 of the many chateaux in the Loire Valley. Once we get to my brother's house, it'll be a pretty relaxing trip. Swimming, biking, playing, etc. We will visit one of the prehistoric caves (with cave paintings) once and maybe visit a ruined castle or 2 in the area. The plane tickets are insanely expensive ($1400 per person right now!!!) but we would stay for free at my brother's house once we get there. It may end up being cheaper than a Disney trip because they would lodge us and partially feed us....

3. My husband just realized that he and I already have 2 trips to Disney without children planned. One for Marathon Weekend and one for a few nights in May before a medical conference in Orlando. I want to run Wine & Dine next year and he said he's not sure I can take 3 trips to Disney without children. My response was that we need to plan a trip WITH children then. We'll see what happens. I'm thinking a short trip in late June or else running Tower of Terror and bringing the kids for the Halloween Party.

Amanda

1. I'll be interested in hearing how everyone does on the flight to Hawaii and to read about your adventures there! I can't remember- are you staying at Aulani?

Have you read any of the trip reports here? So far, I am only following Cynthia's (eandesmom)- it is an excellent read!

2. The trip to France sounds exciting!!! Would you visit DL Paris?

3. That is AWESOME!!! For you and Tom, anyway. Mark was just saying how much he would enjoy a trip to Disney for just the two of us. Maybe our 30th anniversary which is in 2016.

Nope...it gets posted on the disboards....and sometimes facebook!

Just wait til you see skater in her "real" costume!!

That's what I was hoping!!!

Don't foget Paris Disney you could do both.....lol been there done that,loved it. Paris is great!

Thanks so much for the suggestion (was that for me or for DrMomof3)?

We are looking to narrow down our choices, not add them!




I think we have the plans for our summer trip set- I'll review with Mark and if all is good we will book tomorrow!

.

 

[spiritsim]

I recommend it to everyone........lol

 

[natebenma]

I recommend it to everyone........lol

 

[DrMomof3]

We are not going to Aulani. We will spend the entire week on the Big Island. Other than changing plans in Oahu, I haven't spent any time there. We are staying at a Hilton Grand Vacation Villa in Waikoloa. It's attached to a huge Hilton Resort there which is supposed to be spectacular.

I'm not sure about Disneyland Paris. It's not really on our way but it seems like a shame not to stop there.

Amanda