"I think I need my head examined" A camsmomE TR in AUG 2010 <<Updated 11/02/10>&g

[Queenofallthings]

Thanks for posting those pics of the good from Morocco! I've wanted to try it, but I'm afraid I won't like it either I just might try it this year though

 

[camsmomE]

I was wrong.

Sorry, that line stands alone because those words are so very rare, they should be treasured. I went back and checked my journal and realized that when we got off Soarin, I realized the window had just opened for Disney Visa Cardholder's Meet and Greet (1:30PM) so we headed to Innovations. We found the entrance to the M&G with no problem, there was no line, no wait, just one single curtain between me and seeing my daughter meet her two FIRST characters.... MICKEY and PLUTO!!! AWESOME! (no seriously, that's what I screamed, repeatedly! She SQUEALED, SQUEAKED, and ran to hug Mickey. But that was only before she saw Pluto, then it was over! She squealed with glee and chased Pluto around this room grabbing at his nose. Photopass got all the great pictures because I was just trying to get out of his way. Here's one that I got though

While we were over that way, we went into Club Cool and tried out some sodas. I really didn't think the Beverly was that awful. I'd never ask for it in an Italian restaurant, but not awful. Mike loved all of them!

OK, NOW is when I began nagging for a pearl, and it really was 2:50 this time! so we headed here:

and YES, I got my pearl! 7.5MM Pinkish-white, beeee- u -teee- ful! (so she said with a very squeaky cute big old amplified voice!)

while I was getting my pearl cleaned and bagged, Cam was checking my laminated itinerary cards to make sure we were still on schedule! Well... SOMEBODY had to, Lord knows I didn't look at them ONCE on the entire vacation!

So we left Japan at 3:20PM and just as we stepped outside, we heard it... no, not fireworks... thunder! Oh Boy! I looked at Mike, Mike looked at me, and without a word said (although it looked as if BOTH of us briefly contemplated ponchos) we hauled it to Canada, arriving to check in at 3:30PM for a 4PM ADR. Since they do an official "opening ceremony" at 4PM, we couldn't be seated early, but HEY... It was storming outside, we were A-OK sitting our dry behinds in an air-conditioned, gorgeous wine cellar for 30 minutes while Cameran entertained all the people waiting around us with her rendition of Jesus Loves Me and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Trust me, it was LOUD!

I loved this meal because I ordered out of my comfort zone. I would have usually ordered the mushroom fillet, but instead I ordered the coffee-rubbed strip. WOW. Here are the pics of our first ADR meal at LeCellier.

Yummo! Our bill came to $137 but we were on the dining plan, so left a nice tip and headed out.

We both agreed that ever since 10AM when we received the text message that our room was ready, we were really eager to see our room and relax, so we made a quick stop by the Camera Center to pick up our free Disney Visa Photo from Cam's meet and greet this morning, and we headed for the bus stop.

Whaaaaat?!?! Could it be??!?! Our bus is right there waiting for us? Yep. (spoiler alert... this happened almost every time)

Ahhhh... Wilderness Lodge. Ahhhh... room keys in hand, marked 1135, here we come. We walk in the door and ask the nearest person how to get to 1135. A very nice CM said "No problem, just walk down this hallway, hop on the elevator..." THE WHAT?! no no no, Cam hyperventilates on elevators, no elevators, remember, room requests, room BEGS, room REMINDERS..?? Any of this ringing a bell? So he graciously put up with my look of panic (because as you may have guessed about our family, we THINK all those things, but VERY RARELY do actual words/complaints come out of our mouths.) I hadn't realized no words had come from my dropped open mouth yet, but this nice CM said "Ok, no elevator. walk back out the door, around the building, walk in the little door on the side by the pool." Ok, I can handle this, at least it's a pool-side view.

After the LONG walk around the building, in the door and down two hallways, we arrived at 1135.

Out come the key cards. SWIPE. RED. SWIPE. RED. try the other card honey. SWIPE. RED. SWIPE. RED. Ugh. THIS GIRL! (and hear me now, THOSE words WEREN'T just in my head)

Long story, but we had to go back up to the check-in desk and get it cleared up. It always helps when she starts with "That's because that's not your room sir." Ok, now I really did have to put all the 1135 documents on the counter and look away. Got our new room. 2138 NOT north wing, NOT near Roaring Forks, NOT ground level. BUT it was on the lobby level so I could get there in like 3 minutes from now, and considering how tired and irritated we were, 2138 it is.

STAY TUNED FOR "Our Room, LOL-Pops, and new friends"

 

[camsmomE]

Love the writing in the sky! That is so cool! I love the Epcot pic you got! That looks great!

Thanks! Yeah, I think it ended up saying HOPE, because I saw one the next day at MK that said LO and I'm assuming that turned out to be LOVE

Thanks for posting those pics of the good from Morocco! I've wanted to try it, but I'm afraid I won't like it either I just might try it this year though

You should definitely try the food in Morocco! I don't usually like lamb, but it tasted like a well-seasoned meatloaf, and everything else on the plate was great! (especially the bread!) Mike was right though- the baklava is very dry and gross.

 

[goofy4prez]

I thought it was funny that the whole time we were on our trip, planes kept writing things in the sky, but we were always in such a rush that I always just saw part of the words. This was my first example...

Stay tuned for "Bye Bye Epcot, HELLooooo Wilderness Lodge!, Hello? Hello?"

I saw that as well our time down there. Here is a picture of the sky writing taken from the bus as we were leaving AK. When we left the park all we could see was "HOPE", this pic is still not done, the plane wrote the word "LOVE" as well and I didn't have time to see what else it was writing, but I still thought reading "Hope in God" was pretty cool.

[/IMG]

 

[camsmomE]

I saw that as well our time down there. Here is a picture of the sky writing taken from the bus as we were leaving AK. When we left the park all we could see was "HOPE", this pic is still not done, the plane wrote the word "LOVE" as well and I didn't have time to see what else it was writing, but I still thought reading "Hope in God" was pretty cool.

[/IMG]

Oh that is awesome!

 

[Simba22]

love your updates so far! We have seen the skywriter at Epcot on almost every trip since 2006. He's always writing inspirational and spiritual messages.

It's funny because as soon as you said that the CM assigned you a room number BEFORE the room was ready I had a bad feeling. Then when you said you swiped the cards and the light turned red, I immediately knew she gave you the wrong room number. At least it wasn't another long walk to get to the new room though.

Can't wait to read more! And see those PP pics!!!!

 

[ashleighbass06]

I just found your trip report and am loving it so far! It looks like you three really had a lot of fun.

and the #1 reason you know you've just returned from vacationing at WL (or WDW in general)....

You make a fresh pot of coffee... and pour it into your refillable mugs. [/FONT][/COLOR][/SIZE]

I totally did this when I got ack from my trip. I walked into the kitchen with my mug and my mom was like "I'm sorry, we don't take those here" lol

Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you! Can't wait to here more!

 

[annmarieda]

I realized the window had just opened for Disney Visa Cardholder's Meet and Greet (1:30PM) so we headed to Innovations. We found the entrance to the M&G with no problem, there was no line, no wait, just one single curtain between me and seeing my daughter meet her two FIRST characters.... MICKEY and PLUTO!!! AWESOME! (no seriously, that's what I screamed, repeatedly! She SQUEALED, SQUEAKED, and ran to hug Mickey. But that was only before she saw Pluto, then it was over! She squealed with glee and chased Pluto around this room grabbing at his nose. Photopass got all the great pictures because I was just trying to get out of his way. Here's one that I got though

How cute! I have never done the M&G but plan to this trip. So there is a time? Good to know...

After the LONG walk around the building, in the door and down two hallways, we arrived at 1135.

Out come the key cards. SWIPE. RED. SWIPE. RED. try the other card honey. SWIPE. RED. SWIPE. RED. Ugh. THIS GIRL! (and hear me now, THOSE words WEREN'T just in my head)

Long story, but we had to go back up to the check-in desk and get it cleared up. It always helps when she starts with "That's because that's not your room sir." Ok, now I really did have to put all the 1135 documents on the counter and look away. Got our new room. 2138 NOT north wing, NOT near Roaring Forks, NOT ground level. BUT it was on the lobby level so I could get there in like 3 minutes from now, and considering how tired and irritated we were, 2138 it is.

How frustrating. At least you got something close so you didn't have to make a long trek to the room.


Thanks for sharing the great pics! We will be eating at Le Celler. I also want to try Tangerine Cafe but no one else wants to. We will see.

 

[shelbys mommy]

I love the pic of Pluto! That is adorable! Yay for the pearl! Where are the pics of it? I can't believe they had to give you a different room! That is crazy!!!

 

[camsmomE]

love your updates so far! We have seen the skywriter at Epcot on almost every trip since 2006. He's always writing inspirational and spiritual messages.

It's funny because as soon as you said that the CM assigned you a room number BEFORE the room was ready I had a bad feeling. Then when you said you swiped the cards and the light turned red, I immediately knew she gave you the wrong room number. At least it wasn't another long walk to get to the new room though.

Can't wait to read more! And see those PP pics!!!!

I know, I had that awful gut feeling about the room that morning too, but I chalked it up to an empty tummy

I just found your trip report and am loving it so far! It looks like you three really had a lot of fun.

I totally did this when I got ack from my trip. I walked into the kitchen with my mug and my mom was like "I'm sorry, we don't take those here" lol

Thanks for letting me live vicariously through you! Can't wait to here more!

Sure, no problem! P.S. I bring the mug to work with me now.

How cute! I have never done the M&G but plan to this trip. So there is a time? Good to know...




How frustrating. At least you got something close so you didn't have to make a long trek to the room.


Thanks for sharing the great pics! We will be eating at Le Celler. I also want to try Tangerine Cafe but no one else wants to. We will see.

The time for the meet and greet is 1:30 to (I think) 4:30... we got there about 1:35 and were able to walk right in. Make sure you have your VISA with you because they use the last four digits for your "pick-up code" for the free 5x7.

I liked the food at Tangierine Cafe, but I doubt if I'd rush to eat there every trip- too many other great places to eat in the world showcase, you know?

Get the "Moose" at LeCellier- TRUST ME- it doesn't taste at all like what it looks like. It really is mousse that is dusted with this cool chocolate coating.

 

[camsmomE]

Per request by Shelby's Mommy...

The whole "pick-a-pearl" experience, captured by my very bored DH.

Ta-da!

 

[annmarieda]

Thanks for the tips!

Cool pearl experience. It looks like you got a nice one!

 

[shelbys mommy]

Yay! I feel special now! The pearl is beautiful! Great job!!!

 

[camsmomE]

So, here we are my friends, at room number 2138. "home" for the next 5 nights.

The very first thing I noticed before even entering the room was the hidden mickey's in the wallpaper that lined the hallways!

So Mike is a cool guy. When he's irritated, he doesn't blow up or yell or get snippy... He showers. And nothing here, no change in this behavior even on vacation. We walked into the room for the first time, and Mike walked directly into the bathroom and shut the door. Seconds later, I heard the water. Cam and I looked at each other then took off exploring the room (don't worry, I grabbed the camera!)

Please note that Cameran paid close attention to where my camera lens was pointed and made sure to stand directly in view. I don;t know WHERE she gets this crazy DIVA behavior, do you? Also note that Cam's most often stated phrase on the whole trip was "Lol-pop?" "mommy, Lol-pop?" So I had to continuously frequent gift shops to keep buying those unicorn pops to keep her happy. I mean she licks on it for 30 minutes then puts it down somewhere, so it's unusable at that point, so Mike and I kept seeing it as $1.95 per half hour of "quiet." DONE!

Ok, on with the room. First, the beds (taken from 8-10 steps from the door)

The table (where I did all my photo uploading and journal writing each night, sipping on my Nescafe (you have to sip... who could stomach full gulps of that stuff! )

The closet and cabinet that hides the fridge. [question, do any of you other WL guests find that door has a mind of its own? I'd go in the fridge, then go to GENTLY close the cabinet door and SLAM, every time. This is how I woke Mike up every day... PURELY accidental I assure you ]

The open closet, the safe is in there to the right. NOTE: both the fridge and safe were indeed larger than I expected them to be. I always had empty space in both :

Vanity area

The flatscreen TV

In this next photo, you can see the bedrails that I requested (and didn't get) I had to call mousekeeping to request them again, and Lynn (whose name tag said "Sophia" ) came up right away and showed me how to put them on too, in case our regular mousekeeper, also Lynn , accidentally forgets to put them back on after making the bed. I thought this was odd at first, until the next day when we came in and the bed rails were on the floor between the wall and the bed. AH HA, but thanks to "Sophia" errr... I mean Lynn, I knew how to remedy this! This was obviouslt Cam's bed (although bedrails for Mike would have been hysterical) so we put all Cam's "surprises from Mickey and Minnie on her bed, and she LOVED walking around the corner and seeing all the new stuff just for her...

When she started pulling things out of the bags, I arranged them for a great photo op.

Hope you've enjoyed the Infante Family's first day.

Stay tuned for DAY TWO: "MK Bound or BUST! part ONE"

 

[shelbys mommy]

He showers?!?! How lucky are you! And $1.95 of quiet is well worth it! I would have done the same thing! I love all the surprises. I can't believe that they didn't put the bedrails on! I didn't even know Disney offered bed rails!

 

[Rozz]

Sounds like you had a great first day in the park! I just love the photo of Cameran on her bed gazing at Mickey and Minnie with such a pleased look on her face. Just beautiful!

 

[camsmomE]

He showers?!?! How lucky are you! And $1.95 of quiet is well worth it! I would have done the same thing! I love all the surprises. I can't believe that they didn't put the bedrails on! I didn't even know Disney offered bed rails!

I read your comment and snorted, literally snorted
Yes, you just have to request them on your reservation.

Sounds like you had a great first day in the park! I just love the photo of Cameran on her bed gazing at Mickey and Minnie with such a pleased look on her face. Just beautiful!

Mike and I just looked at that picture (and the one where she's smiling at us) and just melted. She's such an awesome kid, and we are beyond lucky.

 

[shelbys mommy]

I read your comment and snorted, literally snorted
Yes, you just have to request them on your reservation.

Well, Shelby was too little when we went. Maybe next time, we will see!

 

[stepdisney]

I am loving your TR, especially since we will be checking into the WL soon. What view did you have from your room? Can't wait to read more!!! I'll be looking forward to meeting Sofia, Lynn, uh....whomever.

 

[annmarieda]

What a great day 1! I love all the pics. Thanks so much for sharing!