How do a Princess & Pirates go from Wilderness Lodge to a Disney Cruise PTR

Hi Guys-
You're not going to believe this, but I was at WDW Friday night!
I had a business trip in Naples which is 7 hours south of me. The 7 hours going south was bad enough, but apparently on the way home, it gets worse. I was in the car for over 3 hours, and I still hadn't reached Tampa! I am someone not known for my patience (understatement:sad2: ), so I gave the DH a call and asked if he would be OK with the boys if I made a detour over towards Orlando, and come home on Saturday morning. He said "Go for it." and so I did.

Here is a mini trip report for my one night at Mecca, I mean Disney.

While on the road, I got a very nice CM on the phone named Yvonne, and she hooked me up with a night at AsMu. I had never stayed there before, and now I get to add that place to my signature as resorts I have stayed at. I'm not sure if it counts, b/c i really saw nothing of the resort, other than Checkin, the bus stop (which is next to Check-in), and my building (#7) and room. Literally, nothing else about the resort. I think one of these days we may have to check out the Family Suites at ASMu, so I can learn more about the resort in the future.

But on with the Show..... and speaking of Show... the #7 building at AsMu is the Broadway building. It was very cool on the outside, it really looked like you were on a Broadway Street. Here is a couple of pics....
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The sky looks dark, not b/c it was night, but b/c I had to get up at 6am, to have the rental car back in Tallahassee by 10:30am. I left before 6:30, and it was still dark.

My little trip report includes just 4 hours of park time. I arrived at 7pm (remember bad traffic on 75 North). MK closed at 8pm, so my goal was to make it to MK to get a candy apple and catch Wishes. Then, Epcot had the evening EMH until 11pm. So, ladies and gentlemen, did I make it to MK before closing???
Stay tuned......
 
So, without further ado.... Does Donna make it to MK before closing?

YUP she does and here is a pic as proof that she was there.
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What about her plan to get a candy apple before Wishes begins?

YUP, score on that one as well. As I walked into the Confectionary I spotted this beautiful display..
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I also discovered THIS beautiful display and had to add a toffee/chocolate covered Mickey pretzel to my bounty.
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Here is a close up of said Pretzel.
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I forgot to take an immediate pic of my bounty, but I did once I returned to the hotel. You can see the apple and a half eaten pretzel. But yum, yum, people. Yum, yum.
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I have seen some beautiful fireworks pictures here on these Dis boards. Unfortunately, you will not be seeing any here.;) I try my best, but I do have issues sometimes with my camera taking night shots in general. My camera has many different kinds of settings to choose from, and I do play around with various ones, but the night shots are not my best. There were many attempts to get some good fireworks shots, and these are the best ones. But it's proof I was there.
The first one is of the castle, just before Wishes began. You can sort-of figure out where I am standing. I am standing center, in front of the Train terminal. I wanted to make a fast get away, and get to the Epcot monorail before the majority of the crowd. Thus the rationale for my position in the park.
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These next two are attempts at fireworks;;
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and
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After watching most of Wishes, I made off for the monorail. Epcot, here I come!
 
How cool is that? ASMu looks awesome! I've never seen such a cool pic of a value before!::yes::

Bring it on! Let's here about Epcot!popcorn::
 

Do I make it to Epcot, or was there a freak monorail accident on the way over?
Nope, everything was fine and dandy and I made it to Epcot! Does Donna have any proof she was there? Why, yes, now that you've asked, I do have a not-so flattering one ...
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My goal for Epcot was to do Soarin', b/c I haven't been able to do it in quite awhile b/c of the boys being with us. When I arrived at the Land
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the wait time for Soarin was stated at 40 minutes:sad2: I thought I would go for it, b/c the first 15 minutes seemed to cover a great deal of ground. Unfortunately, that was short-lived and my wait time turned out to be 50 minutes. Yuck. But the ride was fun once I reached my destination.
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While I was waiting in the E..N..D..L..E..S..S.. line for Soarin', I saw these changing screens with the most beautiful art. Has this feature always been at Soarin'? I didn't remember or recognize them at all, but thought I would share:
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This one was my favorite:
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I hope I didn't bore you with these, I just thought they were fascinating. But Man, I was bored in that line. Oy Vay!
 
Yaaaaaaaaay! I've never waited for Soarin' before. We went in the exit the one time we rode it. Those pics are cool. Did you get to ride anything else?popcorn::
 
Hi Guys-
You're not going to believe this, but I was at WDW Friday night!
COLOR]


You know, Donna, SOME of us only DREAM we get to say that so casually...:rotfl:

Man. I wish I had such an excuse when I get stuck in traffic on the beltway around DC!:laughing: Good for YOU! Boo on the long wait for Soarin, but man, is that a great ride!

What else? What else?popcorn::
 
One of the reasons that waiting for Soarin' turned out to be so fatiguing was b/c I was wearing the same strappy sandals that I had worn at the business meeting I attended earlier in the day. They were very comfortable, so I didn't change my shoes after Check-in at AsMu. This would prove to be an error on my part.

I took a photo of my foot in the strappy sandals, but for some reason my toes looked quite "wonky" so I will spare you that pic. I did take this picture, though later in the evening when the shoes HAD to come off.
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I was also STARVING while waiting in the 50 minute Soarin' line, maybe another reason I found it a might unpleasant. So after the ride, I went to Sunshine Seasons to see what was to be had at 9 o'clock at night. This is what I came away with.
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At the time, I thought it all tasted good, but I was very hungry so that may have influenced me. This is my first food porn pic. I think it came out well. It was Lo mein, sweet & sour chicken (sauteed, not fried), beef terriyaki and broccoli. Not bad for CS I thought.

I decided after eating that I wanted to "powerwalk" around the World, as time was getting short, and perhaps find an adult beverage :drinking1 So I began my journey. There were crowds at Epcot the first hour and at Soarin' but once I started walking in WS, there was virtually no one around, it was quite surreal.

I didn't take many pics in this area, as I was walking fast (in my strappy sandals:sad2: ). But I have a couple. Passing through Norway, I decided to try Maelstrom.
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I have never been on Maelstrom before, and I had heard it was a little "babyish." I didn't find that to be true at all. It was a brief ride, but at times I thought it was a little scary. While riding it I was thinking, "Well, I can't take Nathan on this ride..." I'm glad I tried it out before trying it with the boys. Normally, I'm not the over protective type, but I think he would have found that ride scary.

So after Norway, on and on I went trying to walk fast for exercise, and trying to also find an adult beverage. Almost everything in WS seemed closed. There was a stand in Morocco that had one beverage out of three available, but it was made out of vodka, so I decided to look further.

I finally came upon England and the glorious Rose and Crown was open. I decided to get a Guinness. And look! I have pictures:
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(can you see my little Guinness hanging out by himself?)

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(can you see the Shamrock they made in the foam?)
I thought that was a sweet touch. I hope it shows up in the pic. (Oooh, sorry, what a large pic!)

As you might have guessed, powerwalking in my little strappy sandals started to put blisters on my feet. I was just coming out of WS, and wondering how I was going to walk out of Epcot with my feet feeling the way they were and decided to go into a gift shop and buy some Crocs. Now I have a couple of pair at home already, and I was hesitating spending any real money on this spontaneous trip, but my feet hurt and I found the winter Crocs on sale 30% off. It was a chilly night and the fleece lined Crocs were Oh So Comfortable. I bought them, and have not taken them off since returning to Tally.
Here is a pic.
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What a lifesaver they turned out to be!
 
So it sounds like the couuntries pretty much shut down during pm EMH, huh? I have to say, that Guiness looks pretty tasty.;) Good find on the winter Crocs. You gotta save your feet, especially with your half marathon coming up!:thumbsup2
 
This is so fun! I would have loved to walk about like this and so unexpected! Crocs much better than swanky girl sandals... ::yes:: at least at WDW!

Maelstrom was on of my DS3's favorites... You really think your twins would be spooked? That final splash down and the troll is a bit quirky. Too dark? Of course when he goes back in June it might be a different story.

That photo with the lone pint is hilarious.
 
So I think this is the majority of my story...
I left Epcot at that point and it was around 11pm. I walked to the buses and the AsMu bus was sitting there waiting. I got on with only a few other people and we were off.

That's something I haven't mentioned yet. I was unsure what to do once I checked in at AsMu. Do I drive and use the free parking or take the buses? Because of the boys, we usually drive, and so that is what I am used to, but I decided to try the buses and they were great. After I checked in at AsMu the MK bus was there waiting for me, as was the bus at Epcot, and neither were crowded. So, a thumb's up review of the Disney buses on this trip!:thumbsup2


I was exhausted as you can imagine between the meeting I had earlier in the day, the terrible drive (which btw HappyDog, it TOTALLY reminded me of the traffic around the DC Beltway!) and now my late and eventful night. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had to get up before dawn, to get my rental car back to Tally by 10:30. So I was in bed by midnight and up at 6am. A brief trip, with only 6 hours of rest, but fun and spontaneous at the same time!

AND, I get to go back on Saturday! Ta Da!
 
So I think this is the majority of my story...
A brief trip, with only 6 hours of rest, but fun and spontaneous at the same time!

AND, I get to go back on Saturday! Ta Da!

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Bravo Bravo Bravo!

And the winner in the Best Short Trip Category is... Donna!

GOOD LUCK this week as you make the final count down! :goodvibes
 
Maelstrom was on of my DS3's favorites... You really think your twins would be spooked? That final splash down and the troll is a bit quirky. Too dark? Of course when he goes back in June it might be a different story.

That photo with the lone pint is hilarious.

I think he might find the 3 headed Troll scary (I did!:eek: ) and then travelling backwards!!! in the boat was a bit disconcerting for me... the LONE person in the back of the boat! I don't know, I was just taken aback at how scary some of the Troll stuff was. It felt "real" instead of "Disney-fied."
 
:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Bravo Bravo Bravo!

And the winner in the Best Short Trip Category is... Donna!

GOOD LUCK this week as you make the final count down! :goodvibes

ITA! :cheer2:
:dance3:

and I'd love to share a pint with you!!

Its so hard to say what your kids will or will not be ok with - DD rode Splash mt at age 8 and refuses to do it EVER again! :confused3

She does love Norway tho - :confused3 I guess maybe because dh and I goof off and just have fun!!
 
I think he might find the 3 headed Troll scary (I did!:eek: ) and then travelling backwards!!! in the boat was a bit disconcerting for me... the LONE person in the back of the boat! I don't know, I was just taken aback at how scary some of the Troll stuff was. It felt "real" instead of "Disney-fied."

You know, good point I wonder if DS3 wasn't as aware, and now would find it "scary" -- you know when they get to that age and it all is (scary)? I now think I remember DS6 being a little nervous b/c of the dark and the "lightening"... Well, mother knows best! :) Have you ever done that ride in "Mexico" ... Fiesta tour or something like that? I didn't even know it was there!! We will be spending more time at the WSC this time...

I hope we hear from you before you go!!!:goodvibes
 
How awesome Donna!! :cool1: :cool1: What a wonderful little detour for yourself. :hug:

I love the picture of the Guinness! :thumbsup2
 
Hi Guys-
I 'm going to paste below what I posted on my Princess Half thread. Just to give a little more detail here in my PTR.... Things have changed dramatically regarding my trip. Right now we will not be staying at WL, and I have us re-booked for CBR. So far it is still the 4/3 deal, but my husband has been giving me a hard time about being away for a week (he tells me this NOW- 4 days before the trip and my Half Marathon), so we still might be staying elsewhere for shorter.

As you can imagine - 4 DAYS OUT - and with a Disney Marathon going on, just about everything is fully booked. If we cancel the package, we have to include the $200 cancellation fee. There was a FW cabin available for 2 nights at $668 and a studio at OKW for $693. You can see these prices....

I changed the ressie to CBR from WL, b/c it saves us over $600, and b/c CBR has an assigned bus for the Marathon. Since I don't feel I can trust my husband's support, I want to have my bases covered with whatever assistance I can get for the Marathon. I've been crying all morning. This is really not the frame of mind I need to be in for the my first Half.

This is what I posted on the Princess Half thread:
Hey Guys
May I be selfish and ask for a pep talk from you guys?

It's not like I'm nervous enough with this being my first Half Marathon, but my husband (he is not DH today) has been giving me a hard time about this "vacation" and saying he can't be away from work, blah, blah, blah.

Initially he pouted b/c the trip was originally JUSt for ME, so I changed it to a family trip and used the 4/3 special. We've told my 4 y.o. twin boys, so it's not like I can exclude them now.... And now he's giving me a problem.

He has a habit of this, when (on the incredibly rare occurrences) that anything might be about me, or I need his support about something important to me, he becomes incredibly needy.

I don't want to turn this into a husband-bashing post, but my heart is broken and I could use a little pep talk. I realize that much of this race is a mental game, and I just want to be in the right place mentally and be able to finish this race.

I can't tell you how much doing this Half means to me, Donna, just Donna, and not someone's wife or mother.

So, my PTR friends, that's where we stand now, as of 10:30am on Tuesday. Things still might change further. The dream trip is gone, and now I'm just holding on in an attempt to still do the Half. My heart is broken.:sad1:
__________________
 
I can't tell you how much doing this Half means to me, Donna, just Donna, and not someone's wife or mother.

I completely understand that feeling. :hug: I hope your husband steps up and supports this very important trip for you.
 
Ohhhh Donna!:hug:

I totally understand your feelings wanting to do this for you. Us mommas, we can get caught up in the roles of being wives and mothers, and lose touch with the things we would do for ourselves if we had a choice. And here you have figured out something for you, and things are changing at the last minute. :headache:

Your hubby has picked a poor time for him to offer complaints regarding your plans. Somehow, you gotta let it go.

I think you made a good move regarding changing your resort to CBR. Especially with the designated bus. You will definitely be able to function on your own and not have to rely on hubby. If they have a the bus, they might also have something special going on at the food court. I was reading someone else's marathon trip dining report, I think, and they stayed at Pop, and they had a marathon runners special dinner for the night before.

Our first ressie was with CBR! It looks absolutely beautiful. I think the boys will have a grand time exploring the resort there. The island thing in the middle. The renovated pool. You know they just redid the pool. It looks AWESOME! Your boys are going to LOVE it. It has a playground area pool, with a playground in the middle of a kiddie type pool. The big pool has a really cool looking water slide and it has a zero degree entry.

I think that you will really enjoy the resort. It will be a different vacation than you were picturing for however long, but it will still be a great vacation.

I hope that your hubby can understand that he has made a commitment to this vacation. This is something that you have invested a lot of time and effort in planning. And you have an expectation set now. And the time is now. It's this weekend. This was something he needed to address a long time ago. And this is frustrating to you, because you were originally just going to plan for a Me holiday, but he was influential in having you change your plans. It's just not considerate for him to bring this to the table now. I hope that you can have a decent conversation with him and be able to express how you are feeling.

I do hope you don't have to shorten your vacation, too.

Thinking of you and sending good thoughts your way...
 
Hiya!

I have really enjoyed reading your PTR. It sounds really exciting. I think you are a very brave woman committing to the Princess half marathon.

I have found in my marriage that sometimes hubby is stressed out and says things that he really does not mean. If I am stressed out at the same time it goes a little haywire. We both end up stressed but if I could just take a few minutes to breath and usually by the end of his work day or if his stressed out issue is resolved. Things get a lot better and the happy life returns.

Just take a breather and remember, things always work out for the best! One way or another!

Good Luck on the marathon! I know you will do well, you have worked very hard.

I love your trip to MK & Epcot where you bought the Winter Crocs. Wishing I have a pair right now! :thumbsup2
 








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