I finally saw the lights! Our super special anniversary trip! NEW 2/2 pg.18

[skier_pete]

Holy cow that Clown Slide is freaky at night. Guess I'm never staying there! Good thing I can't afford it.

 

[mommytothreeboys]

My boys LOVE the throwing in the pool game! Sadly, only Jonah is still little enough for Jeff to be able to throw.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Sounds like a fun and relaxing way to end the day Illuminations in bed

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Poor Alex thinking the gangster died!

Do you know we have never gotten the cowboy side! I wonder what they would do if you request to wait for it.

Wow, what a treat--Illuminations from your window! Our view was of the clown pool. I never realized how scary those eyes were at night.

 

[eandesmom]

what a fun evening, nothing better than a quick dip before bed to restore little ones...and wipe them out at the same time! Can't go wrong with daddy throw the boys!

 

[MRYPPNS]

Funny that you should mention not getting the cowboy side because I finally DID that trip!

Yeah for Alex riding ToT.....I'm sure Liam will be my riding partner when he is older (he's still talking about the polar coaster from this summer)

 

[irish dancer]

First, a big WOO HOO on BC-CL. I have read many good reports on it. Plus with it being during a portion of your stay that you plan to spend at the resort you will get the most benefit from breakfast, snacks, appetizers and dessert services.

Ugh, on the 50sPTC wait. That is always hard for Daniel too. It has gotten a bit easier for him as he's gotten older but it's still not perfect. Glad you had a good waiter after the long delay.

Cool pics of the lights, that is such a cool display. Hope to get back to see them someday.....

Can't wait to hear about DVC.

 

[Happydog]

Hi AMY!!! I am making my way through the TR! Having a great time doing so! Your photo shoot looks so nice! And your cake too! Very pretty!! Boardwalk looks great. I have been looking forward to trying that resort! Looks like your time at DHS and Epcot were filled!!! And SCORE on Universal! I am planning our first trip there, too! Okay, back to reading!!!

 

[MEK]

What a great evening! So glad you got front row on GMR. Looks like fun. I used to like the ride, but after too many rides with the gangster, well you know. But how fun to see it through the eyes of your kids. I must remember to take my nephews there this summer.

I bet it was a lovely walk home and to cap it off with a swim and Illuminations through the window - awesome!

 

[Colleen27]

Wow, how did I miss you starting your TR?!? I'm in and all caught up. I love the reveal videos!

Visiting family like that always ends up frustrating for us because they aren't on vacation and all the real world stuff gets in the way of spending time together.

So jealous you got to see talking Mickey. My girls would just flip if Mickey started chatting with them.

I love the picture of the yeti shadow! All I got there was a blurry mess but I'm going to give it another shot on this trip.

You are going to LOVE the Beach Club. It is such a fabulous relaxing resort and the pool is just incredible. And yay for club level, that should be a really great touch!

 

[MeMom]

The lights did seem absolutely spectacular this year!

Brooklynn and I did GMR on our last day, and we got the cowboy. Haven't had that scene in forever.

I think Brooklynn would be a bit intimidated by being right there on the front row with all of the action. It's good that the boys held up well, even if Alex wanted to be a little farther away.

That water looks very inviting. A game of Daddy Throw the Boys was the perfect way to end a Disney day - and to put the boys and Daddy right to sleep.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Hi there- just read your whole TR! We are going this time next year, so was interested to read similar time frame trip reports! Looks like you guys had a ball and your boys are just so cute!

and love that you have a DVC appt! Can't wait to hear what happens. My DH surprised me on our trip in 2009 the same way. We were on a 10 day trip with our whole extended family at WL. It was the first time we took our son, who was 2 at the time. My DH is not a huge Disney fan, in fact, I think he sort of held a grudge against them since I left him for a semseter to go work on the college program. We stayed together that whole time, but did the long distance relationship and I think he hated Disney for taking me away! Anyhow, fast forward 15 years from that and he had taken a few trips with me, but it wasn't until we had our son (after years of trying) that I think he finally "GOT" the magic. Nothing like seeing it through your child's eyes. On that trip, he mentioned we should maybe go check out DVC. I was in pure shock. I had never even considered it, since DH is a financial professional and super cheap. If it isn't a stock or real estate investment with a financial return, then no way. So this shocked me!!! We did the tour and he was all into it. A few months later, we bought and now are proud owners at BLT! I never dreamed it possible. I hope the same happens for you!!!

I love reading TRs from the same time I'm planning a trip! It was a great time to be there - you'll love it!

DVC update coming this morning. That's so exciting that your DH was totally into buy DVC! Mine is finally getting the magic - he seems more & more into the planning each time we go. He used to say "whatever" and roll his eyes at me but now he actually answers my questions.

Holy cow that Clown Slide is freaky at night. Guess I'm never staying there! Good thing I can't afford it.

We didn't mind the clown!

My boys LOVE the throwing in the pool game! Sadly, only Jonah is still little enough for Jeff to be able to throw.

They were playing some other war game where they would attack each other underwater too. I don't get it! At 11, Alex is still under 70 pounds so hopefully daddy will be able to toss him for a while.

Sounds like a fun and relaxing way to end the day Illuminations in bed

It was pretty cool to see the fireworks from bed!

Poor Alex thinking the gangster died!

Do you know we have never gotten the cowboy side! I wonder what they would do if you request to wait for it.

Wow, what a treat--Illuminations from your window! Our view was of the clown pool. I never realized how scary those eyes were at night.

You could totally ask for the cowboy, but from what I understand they aren't always running that part.

Alex is always asking us if things are dead. Gramma fell asleep on the couch watching football with us a couple weekends ago & Alex freaked out & thought she was dead! Not so funny for him but we got a good chuckle out of it after that fact.

what a fun evening, nothing better than a quick dip before bed to restore little ones...and wipe them out at the same time! Can't go wrong with daddy throw the boys!

Night swims are so fun! Although I didn't actually swim.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Funny that you should mention not getting the cowboy side because I finally DID that trip!

Yeah for Alex riding ToT.....I'm sure Liam will be my riding partner when he is older (he's still talking about the polar coaster from this summer)

Yay for the cowboy!! We've seen that version several times so I don't really have a preference now.

Who doesn't love the Polar Coaster!

First, a big WOO HOO on BC-CL. I have read many good reports on it. Plus with it being during a portion of your stay that you plan to spend at the resort you will get the most benefit from breakfast, snacks, appetizers and dessert services.

Ugh, on the 50sPTC wait. That is always hard for Daniel too. It has gotten a bit easier for him as he's gotten older but it's still not perfect. Glad you had a good waiter after the long delay.

Cool pics of the lights, that is such a cool display. Hope to get back to see them someday.....

Can't wait to hear about DVC.

I'm SUPER excited about the Beach Club!! And adding those extra days at Disney really let me spread out our itinerary & still be able to fit in everything we want to do. We've never spent much time relaxing at our resort so this will be a treat - especially for Tim. R&R, unlimited food and "free" booze... what more could he want!

The wait at 50s PTC stunk! But we made it through & Alex recovered well.

Hi AMY!!! I am making my way through the TR! Having a great time doing so! Your photo shoot looks so nice! And your cake too! Very pretty!! Boardwalk looks great. I have been looking forward to trying that resort! Looks like your time at DHS and Epcot were filled!!! And SCORE on Universal! I am planning our first trip there, too! Okay, back to reading!!!

The Boardwalk is wonderful! You definitely have to give it a try! I'm sure I'll be back there in the future.

Universal... We've already made changes. Still doing Universal but only for one day... and not staying at Hard Rock!

What a great evening! So glad you got front row on GMR. Looks like fun. I used to like the ride, but after too many rides with the gangster, well you know. But how fun to see it through the eyes of your kids. I must remember to take my nephews there this summer.

I bet it was a lovely walk home and to cap it off with a swim and Illuminations through the window - awesome!

Front row on GMR was super cool! Just another example of how doing the same things over & over at Disney can be different! I bet it will seem different to you when you take your nephews. And I think you should ask for the cowboy too!

Wow, how did I miss you starting your TR?!? I'm in and all caught up. I love the reveal videos!

Visiting family like that always ends up frustrating for us because they aren't on vacation and all the real world stuff gets in the way of spending time together.

So jealous you got to see talking Mickey. My girls would just flip if Mickey started chatting with them.

I love the picture of the yeti shadow! All I got there was a blurry mess but I'm going to give it another shot on this trip.

You are going to LOVE the Beach Club. It is such a fabulous relaxing resort and the pool is just incredible. And yay for club level, that should be a really great touch!

Hi Colleen!

I think that's exactly it... if the family isn't on vacation too, it sort of takes away from yours.

Talking Mickey was sooo cool! The boys just lit up when they heard him - especially Alex!

So excited for the Beach Club!! It's going to be a great vacation!!

The lights did seem absolutely spectacular this year!

Brooklynn and I did GMR on our last day, and we got the cowboy. Haven't had that scene in forever.

I think Brooklynn would be a bit intimidated by being right there on the front row with all of the action. It's good that the boys held up well, even if Alex wanted to be a little farther away.

That water looks very inviting. A game of Daddy Throw the Boys was the perfect way to end a Disney day - and to put the boys and Daddy right to sleep.

The lights were gorgeous! I don't know how they compare to other years since this was our first, but I've heard plenty of people say they were more beautiful than ever! Can't wait to hear about your trip!!

I wasn't really surprised that Alex found the gangster to be a little too intense, but I was surprised that Zach jumped right into the middle of things!

I think night swimming is an essential ingredient for any great vacation!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Sorry the first portion of this update is lacking pictures, but I never pulled out my camera until we got to Magic Kingdom. So on to the part you've all been waiting for...

Friday 11/11/11 – what a cool date!!

We were up at 6:45 today & had to wake Zach at 7:45. We got ready quickly & Tim took Zach to the Boardwalk Bakery to grab some food. Alex & I were out the door at 8:00. We were meeting our DVC driver at 8:10. Unfortunately I was a bad planner & hadn’t checked the weather and it was COLD! Tim had tried to call me to tell me this but I somehow missed the call. Alex & I told the driver we’d be right back & went back upstairs changed into pants, grabbed pants for Zach and sweatshirts for all of us.

We had planned to meet Heidi (MRYPPNS) and Skier_Pete at rope drop but obviously we weren’t going to make it! We rode the DVC van to Saratoga Springs & checked the boys in at the Kids club. (We were nervous about this and hoped it went well since they were going to the Sandcastle Club that night.) We met with a salesman & took a tour of the Aulani & AK rooms. We were really excited to see the BLT rooms but unfortunately they didn’t have any BLT rooms there. I think Tim’s interest in BLT was sparked when we were at the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey’s last spring. He’s made comments about it from time to time. The salesman told us that they are almost sold out at BLT so they took down the model. He did tell us that they have points available for sale at all resorts. We thought it was just BLT & maybe AKL. I guess they are buying back more points than they used to. Some resorts have waitlists but generally you can get what you want. We were asking about Beach Club & got some pricing info. It was a funny sales pitch… or lack of one! He actually talked us out of buying! We weren’t sure at the time & wanted to think about it but ultimately we decided not to buy… If we have a chunk of money in the next year or two, we need to spend it on our kitchen! But if I’d wanted to, Tim would have totally done it! The salesman told us that since we own a timeshare (outright) and can easily exchange into luxury accommodations in Orlando we should really think twice about buying another timeshare. Hmmm… Obviously not working on commission! But we appreciated his honesty. It was a nice tour and we haven’t totally ruled DVC out so we’ll see what happens after our Beach Club stay in April! I have a feeling Tim is going to be begging to buy some points soon!

So after the tour (still undecided about what to do at that point) we collected the boys, got some free ice cream from their ice cream parlor (who doesn't love ice cream at breakfast time) & four special fastpasses for 3 rides each (I think that’s what they were for) and got a ride right to MK. I texted Heidi as we arrived to find a place to meet up. We had DVC fastpasses burning a hole in our pockets & no real need for them since the boys have Guest Assistance Cards. We made our way up Main Street & met up with Heidi & her two friends at the hub. She was thrilled with the fastpasses! She’ll have to chime in on how she ended up using them. Up next – the boys choice… they were so good all morning that we let them pick the first ride… Luckily it wasn’t Splash Mountain but it was another mountain… Space Mountain! At first I rode with the boys, then they really wanted Tim to ride so they dragged him on and all four of us rode. We stopped in the gift shop & I got a new case for my iphone.

Then on to Buzz where Alex was a sore loser again. We had said we would play as teams so Tim tried his best & beat Alex! Alex wan't happy... even though Tim & Alex did beat me & Zach.

Unfortunately that bought him a consequence… a missed ride! Zach thought really hard about which ride he wanted to go on without Alex… he felt bad and didn’t want Alex to miss out on anything too good! Tim took Zach on It’s a Small World while Alex & I got a drink and found a bench to wait. No IASW for me this trip.

That’s Alex’s apple juice that we poured into Tim’s old coke bottle… we wanted to be able to put it in the backpack without spilling it. I know it looks gross!

Backtracking for a minute… on our way to Fantasyland after Buzz, we saw PUSH:

And some more pictures as we walked on:

Back to our waiting spot… this is actually a nice little spot for a time out.

Then it was time for lunch. We did a repeat of the other night… I ran to Pecos Bills (and waited in a long line) and rushed back for us to wait in a long line at CHH. It doesn’t pay to eat at peak times! Tim took the boys (and my taco salad) to sit while I waited for the food… forever! Finally, I got the food & found them upstairs.

It was a really busy day at MK today… after lunch, the line for Haunted Mansion was even too long for us! The boys were interested in Hall of Presidents so we wandered that way to find we just missed the show. They didn’t want to wait to so we headed toward BTMRR then Splash.

Continued...

 

[DisMomAmy]

Continued...

Up first – Big Thunder Mountain RR:

Next we rode Splash Mountain then we took a look around the gift shop. Alex had a souvenir certificate burning a hole in his pocket & he’d been looking for a friend for “Yeti cat”. He decided he wanted a Lotso that he would call “Strawberry” and we also bought lollipops for everyone at school. The CM was very slow, but very nice! I felt bad that I was taking so long because after ringing us up, she counted out enough Mickey stickers for us to give to all of the boys’ classmates with the lollipops. We checked the time & realized we’d miss the next HoP show too so we headed to Adventureland toward Pirates. It was busy here too so we skipped it & I dragged everyone into the Tiki Room.

I’m glad we did it but won’t rush back to see it again. I had seen it as a kid (9 years old) and my memory must be failing me because it was completely different from what I expected. I guess the theater seemed bigger as a 9 year old!

It was so busy we decided to get out of there! On the way out we stopped at Aloha Isle for a Dole Whip. I got Zach a rootbeer float too. As we made our way down Main Street we stopped for popcorn & a soda for Tim and a popsicle for Alex.

There wasn’t anyone waiting for PP pictures, so we stopped:

We got to the bus stop & there was a bus waiting! We went straight to BWI.

Up next: Mom & Dad's big night out! And did the boys survive the kids club?

 

[DisMomAmy]

I started a PTR for our April trip. I wanted to wait until this TR was done but I have the rest of this report typed up & ready to go and I had some time on my hands today.

​

It wouldn't be spring without an Epcot F&G Festival! ​

 

[Lovemy3babes]

How fun to get the DVC tour Amy, even if you decided to not buy. I think I'd love to purchase points if someday we ever win the lottery.

Sorry MK was so packed that day. That's a bummer. Alex reminds me of my son Dimitri. He can really be a sore loser, which is no fun for the rest of the family.

Great pictures at the end of your day!!! The one of you and Tim kissing is really cute.

 

[MRYPPNS]

I have to say it's really nice having friends at Disney when you are there too!

I was in the Hall of Presidents when I got a text from Amy saying that she had a surprise gift for me. (I immediately thought is was something she found for my kids who weren't traveling with me this trip). The next text was meet me at the hub so I can give it to you.

My two friends must have thought it the oddest thing to rush off to meet a friend in the middle of Disney World at a moments notice and then get Ultimate Immediate FastPasses.

Those FastPasses were a huge trip saver for me! I can't thank Amy enough for thinking of me when she got them.

The crowds that weekend were insane for November. Later that afternoon we went to DHS and used them for TOT and RNRC. We used them Saturday night at MK for Big Thunder. And Sunday for Soarin'

 

[eandesmom]

How funny about that salesperson! Funny, prices are going up at 3 of the resorts on the 18th including BLT so you'd think they'd have been pushing things.

Those crowds look UGH, I can only imagine how helpful the GAC was on a day like that and what a wonderful gift for Heidi. Evan really wanted a bigger Lotso on our cruise and I confess, we talked him out of it, it would have been a huge chunk of his money. I have a feeling he will get him the next trip, he still keeps bringing it up. I guess I figured at 12 he might regret spending that much later on but apparently he regrets not getting it. And Santa spaced on getting it for his stocking.

Sweet about the stickers.

 

[KatMark]

Okay, I am FINALLY caught up and not as far behind as I thought I was.

I loved your Animal Kingdom day. It really has become my third favorite park (over DHS) and I loved all the animal shots; and that giraffe....that is why I love Animal Kingdom Lodge.

I am determined that we will get to Disney ONCE during the holiday season just to see the Osborne Lights; thanks for sharing the photos and the video--I enjoyed.

Love the photopass pictures of you guys at the Magic Kingdom!